Solution
The district opted to leverage a design‑build team, consisting of Burns & McDonnell and Garney Construction, to shorten the project schedule and reduce costs. From design start to construction completion, renovations were made within two years and three months.
The team had to tackle the following:
- Completely replace the existing conventional treatment process with new pretreatment and incorporate new microfiltration/ultrafiltration (MF/UF) membranes into the treatment process.
- Increase treatment capacity from 8 million gallons per day to 10 MGD, with the capability to expand to 16 MGD in the future.
- Modify the high service pump station, administrative spaces, holding ponds, storm drainage and raw water pipes.
To begin, the team demolished the interior of the existing facility, which previously housed all pretreatment and filtration processes under one roof. Once only the shell of the building remained, a new facility was constructed next door to house the new and improved pretreatment system. Then, the team installed new MF/UF membranes into what was the previous pretreatment facility.
At the onset, the team established Early Work Packages (EWPs) to prioritize procurement activities. By implementing EWPs, the team established a planned and executable project process, which resulted in more than 10 months in schedule savings. For example, the membrane filtration system was procured before the final design phase, allowing multiple processes to happen simultaneously and creating greater efficiencies in the design process.
