Water Design-Build Council Blog

WDBC Vice President Leofwin Clark conveyed to NACWA attendees at the 45^th annual conference the message as to the role that design-build delivery has for achieving their vision of the Utility of the Future. Design-Build is a foundational approach to this topic – collaborative delivery is fundamental to the goals of the Water Resources Utility of the Future vision and to Innovative Financing.

This week, the House of Representatives will vote on a proposed fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that contains significant cuts to the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Program. The WDBC is urging its members in the water and wastewater industry to contact their Representatives TODAY to urge them to oppose these cuts.  It is critical that we make our voices heard on this issue. 

Design-build-operate (DBO) offers an important expansion of the design-build (DB) project-delivery method for the water and waste-water industry. DBO comprises all of the components of DB -- including design, permitting, procurement, construction, and testing -- and also includes operation and maintenance (O&M) of the completed facility. Thus, the delivery of the project and services provided to the owner do not end at final acceptance; services continue through a defined operational term.

In furthering its ongoing research program, the Water Design-Build Council (WDBC) is seeking information identifying any type of federal project that has specifically used progressive design-build as its delivery method. 

The Hopewell Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility (HRWTF) is a 50 million gallon per day (mgd) secondary wastewater treatment plant, currently treating an annual average flow of approximately 27 mgd of combined wastewater from local industries and domestic sources.

In 2013, the city of Venice, Florida needed to retrofit its existing Reverse Osmosis (RO) 4.4 mgd, water treatment plant with new RO membrane skids that could meet the existing total dissolved solids (TDS) and flow conditions. To accomplish this task, the plant also needed to have the flexibility to decrease well withdrawals by second stage treatment and increase capacity without increasing well withdrawals through increased recovery.

As a result, the city’s overall goal for the project was to optimize the existing (treatment) system for the future and get the best performance out of the membranes by installing new pumps, cartridge filters, upgrading the clean-in-place system; and providing a new state-of-the-art fully automated SCADA system.

These “Recommended Guidelines for Best Practices,” Produced by the Water Design-Build Council, summarize the directions provided in the 3^rd Edition of the Municipal Water and Wastewater Design-Build Handbook.

The Technical Challenge

The City of Goodyear, Arizona, is one of the fastest growing communities in the U.S. with an average annual growth rate of 15 to 20 percent. With growth exceeding the existing infrastructure capabilities, the City developed a program to quickly grow their potable water delivery capacity.  The brackish groundwater from local perched aquifers also required treatment for potable use in most cases. 

In Engineering News-Record's March 30 Editorial on “Covering Risks in Design-Build” delivery, a representative of the Association of General Contractors posted the question as to whether “design-build projects were introducing industry contractors to risks for which they are unprepared?” While AGC’s statements are directed to those in the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing industries – they can seriously misconstrue and/or misinterpret the successful achievements of allocating risks in water design-build projects contracts. 

Partnering to Promote Best Design-Build Practices in Pima County, Arizona

CH2M HILL (CH2M) partnered with Pima County to implement one of the world’s most advanced water reclamation facilities: the Agua Nueva Water Reclamation Facility. As the single-entity designer, builder and operator, CH2M combined its integrated delivery capabilities and penchant for technical excellence to create an industry-first wastewater treatment process that saves taxpayers’ money and conserves resources in Arizona’s water-starved climates.