March 22 is World Water Day. This is an annual UN observance day that highlights the importance of freshwater.
At LVI Associates, we work closely every day with organizations and professionals that make an impact in the water world. Today, we have invited them to share their stories with us. Find out some of the unique projects making a big impact on the water industry.
Projects by industry-leading Engineers
HWC has provided the design and current inspection services for the water system improvements for the River Ridge Development Authority, which includes two new elevated water storage tanks and water main project at the River Ridge Commerce Center, near Jeffersonville, Indiana.
I work with the North Harris County Regional Water Authority on their Surface Water Supply Program. The North Harris County Regional Water Authority (“NHCRWA”) is a governmental entity that assists in converting the region within its boundaries from using groundwater to primarily surface water to combat subsidence in the greater Houston, TX metropolitan area. The Authority’s primary assignment is to develop and implement a strategy for complying with the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District’s Regulatory Plan that requires a reduction in groundwater usage. The Subsidence District’s regulations require conversion to an alternate water supply via a 30% reduction of groundwater usage by 2010, 60% by 2025, and 80% by 2035. To comply with the groundwater reduction mandate, the NHCRWA is responsible for constructing the necessary infrastructure to deliver treated surface water to the areas within the NHCRWA service boundary.
The NHCRWA and the City of Houston, created a partnership to expand the Northeast Water Purification Plant (NEWPP), with each paying an appropriate share of the cost. The multi-billion dollar NEWPP expansion project will increase the treatment capacity from the current 80 million gallons a day to 400 million gallons a day. The expansion project is considered to be the largest design-build project of it’s kind underway in the United States today.
The NHCRWA will also build more infrastructure to receive and deliver water treated at the NEWPP to the Municipal Utility Districts (MUDs) and water providers within the Authority’s boundaries. The Authority is endeavoring with the City of Houston to construct a 120-inch pipeline to help deliver a portion of the 113 MGD of treated surface water from the NEWPP to the new NHCRWA SH 249 Regional Pump Station and storage facility. Projects further include pump station upgrades, numerous water receiving facility improvements, and constructing approximately 100 miles of large diameter transmission lines and distribution lines to connect/inter-connect nearly 50 Municipal Utility Districts.
A project design by Ramboll was responsible for developing contract documents for installation of anaerobic digestion facilities which will convert sludge and food waste to biogas. The project impact will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the carbon footprint. Other impactful projects include opportunity to work biological process engineering of large waste water treatment plant upgrade which reduces the nitrogen and phosphorus loading to the river significantly. Also working closely on construction of drinking water treatment plants which will remove iron and manganese from raw water.
Replenishing a Water Supply - The goal of the program is to supplement the groundwater supply in Enid, Oklahoma with a new 50-year sustainable water supply. Garver is serving as the program manager, lead designer, and site representative for the new intake structure on the Kaw Reservoir, 70 miles of 36-inch raw water pipeline, a 10.5 MGD advanced water treatment plant (expandable to 21 MGD), terminal storage reservoirs, and an optimized delivery system for proper blending with local groundwater. Extensive multi-agency review and approval was required. Garver’s design is focused on achieving compliance with Safe Drinking Water Act standards and regulations with a multi barrier approach as well as removing offensive taste and odor compounds common in surface water reservoirs.
A good project that V&A has worked on is the Corrosion Services Contract for the North Harris County Regional Water Authority. The corrosion services we provided will ensure the service life of NHCRWA's pipelines is extended, securing water supply for region and maximizing their investment in water infrastructure.
