State & Local Government

Water Resources Experience

No resource is more essential to our health, our food supply, our environment, and our economic well-being than water. As the scope and complexity of water protection programs increases, so does the demand for improved water resource management. WESTON has a wealth of experience implementing integrated solutions that meet or exceed environmental, economic, and sociopolitical requirements.

Phase 1 Construction of the Northeast Water Purification System. The City formed the Houston Area Water Corporation (HAWC) to procure Design, Build, and Operate (DBO) services for delivery of this project. The General Contractor selected for this project submitted a design and construction cost of $92 million for the Phase 1 - 40 MGD surface water treatment facility located in the northeast portion of the City. WESTON was retained by HAWC as one of two engineering firms to perform Owner Representative Services for this facility. WESTON’s responsibilities on the Phase 1 portion of the project included: the raw water intake structure, the raw water pump station, approximately 9,000 linear feet of 66-inch raw water transmission main, approximately 31,000 linear feet of 84-inch treated water transmission main and approximately 25,000 linear feet of 42-inch treated water transmission main. The 66-inch raw water pipeline and the 84-inch treated water pipeline were both constructed of spirally welded, cement mortar lined, taped wrapped steel pipe. The 66-inch line was completed first and the entire length was walked by WESTON’s on-site representative and Project Manager in order to visually inspect the integrity of the mortared joints, the integrity of the cement mortar lining and to measure the actual deflection within this flexible pipe. (Note: the welded joints were tested previously by an independent laboratory using the magnetic particle test procedure). A portion of the 66-inch line had been installed within a tunnel liner plate casing; however, a majority of the line had been installed using open-cut techniques. WESTON inspected the entire line and identified several areas of the cement mortar lining that needed to be repaired.

Once the 84-inch spirally welded, cement mortar lined, taped wrapped pipe was completed it was also inspected internally by WESTON personnel to confirm that the quality requirements were met as stipulated in the contract documents including the applicable references to AWWA. During the internal inspection of the 84-inch line there were approximately 35 areas where the cement mortar lining required some minor repair to address cracks in the mortar which exceeded the allowable width. In addition, there were approximately four or five areas where the deflection in the 84-inch line exceeded the allowable percentage. In some areas the excess deflection was present over relatively short distances of 5-10 feet; however, in other areas the pipeline exceeded the allowable deflection for segments 20-30 feet in length. In each case the Subcontractor excavated above the pipeline to remove the overburden and then recompacted the haunches. After completing the repairs to the cement mortar lining and recompacting the haunches in the areas with excess deflection, WESTON personnel reinspected the line to confirm its adherence to the contract documents.

Prior to beginning the construction activities, WESTON participated in a neighborhood/community meeting and was identified as the primary point of contact to resolve citizen complaints and concerns. During the course of work, approximately eight residents called to express concerns about noise, drainage and the impact on local wildlife. WESTON kept a log book to document each citizen’s call and to summarize the actions taken to address each concern. Although not all of the resident’s concerns could be addressed within the context of the construction contract, WESTON was able to provide a sounding board for these complaints and resolve issues which were within our contractual ability to address.

Water Supply Improvements, City of Franklin, Franklin, NH. The City of Franklin, New Hampshire water supply consisted of four groundwater sources. One source was contaminated by the Acme Company and one source had unacceptable levels of iron and manganese. The water system dated from the 1890s, most of the pipes were too small for current fire flow requirements, and many of the valves in the system were no longer operational. It was estimated that leaks in the system exceeded 0.5 million gallons per day. The system had hydraulic and bacterial problems, and the main tank in the City was structurally collapsing.

The objective of this project was to review water supply and upgrade the water system's ability to meet Insurance Service Office requirements for fire flow. This will be an on-going consultation for well use and well development.

The construction program and water main replacement resulted in reduced water use and eliminated excessive pumping, which was due to the numerous leaks in the water system. The Franklin water supply renovation saved 0.5 million gallons of water per year and the new water mains resulted in Franklin's ability to provide fire flow to the central area of the community and improved overall water quality. The new tank eliminated the bacterial issues in the upper water system, which were caused by groundwater entering the system. The new booster station provided reliable water service to the high service area and eliminated the low water storage issues. Acme Well Corrosion Control Facility provides improved water quality for the entire system.

Standby Engineering Design Services – Water Main Design, Fulton County Department of Public Works, Georgia. WESTON was contracted for water line design, permitting and approvals, and construction services. WESTON provided design and engineering during construction services for water main line extensions to allow Fulton County to expand distribution system coverage and improve service by looping existing mains. The project totaled 7,650 linear feet of water main divided into three original designs. This project would provide the client with greater capacity to serve development and a new school due to an increase in pipe diameter, while simultaneously allowing for better access.

WESTON provided preliminary and final design, and managed the design through the Fulton County permitting process including Transportation permitting, Land Disturbance including sedimentation and erosion control, tree protection, flood plain evaluation, planning, drainage, hydrology, and water distribution. WESTON, with AIM Partners, also provided oversight for the inspection portion of the construction phase services for the project.

Mission Bay Water Quality Improvement Project, Phase I and II, City of San Diego, San Diego, CA. As a part of the Mission Bay Water Quality Management Plan, the City of San Diego hired MEC Analytical Systems-Weston Solutions (MEC-WESTON) to secure grant funding for and implement a multi-study project to identify sources of bacterial contamination and recommend appropriate actions/activities to eliminate the input of these sources to Mission Bay. This project is designed to significantly reduce the closures and postings in Mission Bay and assist in achieving the Mayor’s goal of reducing beach posting and closure days by 50% by 2004.

MEC-WESTON assisted the City of San Diego in writing a grant application to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) for funding from California’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program pursuant to the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000 (Proposition 13) and developed a state approved Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) and monitoring plan for both Phases I and II of the project. To date, MEC-WESTON has identified several solutions that the City has implemented to yield successful reduction of bacteria counts at specific beach areas.  Further, MEC-WESTON has assisted the City in applying for additional funding to install computerized sprinkler systems to control the watering of the grassy areas of the park. 

Design of the Houston-Scott Street Area Wet Weather Facility. In order for the City of Houston to meet an Adminstrative Order to control sanitary sewer system overflows during storm events, WESTON was retained to develop the preliminary/final design for the Scott Street Area Wet Weather Facility.  The major features included three 130-foot stormwater clarifiers with sludge rakes and effluent weirs, diversion structures to dissipate high influent velocities, a return flow lift station, odor controls, a washdown system, and a control building with instrumentation for either on-site or remote control of the facility.  For the final design effort, WESTON prepared over 200 construction specifications and 126 construction drawings for the bid package which was successfully bid for $11.9 million.

Environmental Documentation and Permitting for the Regional Beach Sand Replenishment Projects, San Diego Association of Area Governments (SANDAG), San Diego, CA. In 1998, the San Diego Association of Area Governments (SANDAG) launched a comprehensive Regional Beach Sand Project to address and solve the serious erosion problem affecting coastal communities throughout San Diego County. MEC-WESTON worked on numerous studies for SANDAG to resolve the regional problem of sand depletion. This project sought to replenish beach habitat and increase beach width, reduce shoreline retreat and cliff erosion, and enhance beneficial uses and public recreation lands. MEC-WESTON worked as a consultant team member providing biological expertise on many phases of the project.

As part of the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for this project, MEC-WESTON conducted biological surveys to establish existing conditions for a biological resource and evaluated potential impacts to water and marine resources from the proposed project.

MEC-WESTON monitored the impact that construction-related activities had on surrounding aquatic resources, and examined any changes in habitat characteristics. MEC-WESTON also proposed mitigation measures to avoid or minimize impacts to sensitive resources, led the 404 permit coordination process, assisted with the Section 7 consultation process, assisted SANDAG in their coordination with commercial fishermen, presented at the public SANDAG beach nourishment meetings, and held numerous meetings to coordinate efforts and reach consensus on impact criteria with the resource and regulatory agencies.

Baltimore Harbor Watershed Water Quality Management Plan, Baltimore, MD. WESTON helped Baltimore County develop their Watershed Management Plan.  The work included the identification and evaluation of nonpoint source pollution, the determination of management measures for the reduction of nonpoint source pollution, and the development of a watershed restoration framework for the Baltimore County’s Capital Improvement Program. The plan was established as a component for satisfying Federal mandates under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) – Municipal Stormwater Discharge Permit requirements, and obligations in accordance with the Maryland Tributary Strategy Agreement. The improvements will not only improve surface water quality within the Baltimore Harbor Watershed, but will also decrease pollutant loading into downstream water bodies such as the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay.

Physical, Chemical, and Bioassay Testing of Sediment Collection from Newport Bay, City of Newport Beach Harbor Resources Division, Newport Beach, CA. The City of Newport Beach requested scientific support in preparation of an application for reauthorization and expansion of the maintenance dredging activities authorized under Regional General Permit 18 (No. 89-00211-GS), which was due to expire on August 29, 1999.  Future dredging operations were estimated to remove 500 to 1,000 cubic yards from Newport Bay. Based on results from a site assessment of physical and chemical parameters conducted in the fall of 1999 (MBC, 2000), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District approved the majority of Newport Bay sediments for unconfined aquatic disposal or ocean disposal.  The City required the assistance of a consultant to conduct sediment sampling and analysis at four sites characterized by slightly elevated contaminants of ecological concern.

MEC Analytical Systems-Weston Solutions, Inc. (MEC-WESTON) was retained to provide chemical and biological testing of sediment cores from these four areas (Lido Island West, Linda Isle, Upper Newport Bay, and Balboa Island West). Our team updated an existing sampling and analysis plan (SAP) for the project. MEC-WESTON’s laboratory conducted bioassay testing including bioaccumulation studies for toxicity. Our analysis determined the sediment from areas 1, 2, and 4 proposed for disposal at unconfined ocean disposal sites would not result in unacceptable adverse impacts to the environment.

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