Southwest Water Reclamation Facility Expansion,
CITY OF CAPE CORAL, FL

VALUE DELIVERED

More efficient management of water resources; project performed fast track to meet the client's urgent need; expert, professional installation of advanced water treatment systems; effective odor control; no safety mishaps; ability to satisfy a growing population's significantly expanded water and wastewater requirements; all work performed without disrupting normal day-to-day operations.

CLIENT OBJECTIVES

To greatly expand its water reclamation capabilities

SCOPE OF SERVICES

When a nearly 60-percent population increase put significant pressure on its water and wastewater capacity, this client undertook an $873-million Facility and Utility Expansion Program (FEP) for its water, wastewater, and reclaimed water infrastructure. This included expanding the City's Southwest Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) from a treatment capacity of 6.1 mgd (million gallons per day) to 15.1 mgd.

In 2001, to meet its FEP goals, the client arranged for MWH to be program manager under a program-manager-at-risk agreement. In December 2006, MWH contracted with Poole & Kent for the largest portion of the WRF construction, including all plant facilities with the exception of electrical, instrumentation, and controls improvements. Though Poole and Kent's contract scope did not include these improvements, the company was responsible for extensive design discipline cross-checking and coordination with other contractors working at the site to ensure that construction proceeded smoothly.

Poole & Kent's other responsibilities included:

• New mechanical bar screens and screening wash-presses at the headworks building
• A new grit removal system consisting of grit chambers, grit pumps, grit separation, and dewatering equipment
• A new biological odor control system for the headworks and grit removal system
• A new grit building
• A new generator/switchgear building
• Three new aeration basins with an integral flow-splitting box, floating mixers, blowers, an air diffuser system, sludge pumping, and a scum removal system
• Three new secondary clarifiers with return-activated sludge (RAS), waste activated sludge (WAS), and scum pump systems
• Four new tertiary filters
• Two new chlorine contact chambers
• A sodium hypochlorite storage and feed system
• A large blower building with three 450-hp blowers and 36" stainless steel piping elevated en route to new aeration basins
• A new plant drainage pumping station that is approximately 23' deep
• New effluent transfer pumps, an effluent surge tank, and reclaimed water
  distribution pumps
• Three new electrical buildings that supply power to the new facilities
• A new 10,000 gallon diesel fuel storage system to supply fuel to the existing generators
• A new 30,000-gallon diesel fuel storage system to supply fuel to the new generators.

In addition to modifying the existing headworks building, Poole & Kent renovated the existing generator building to make room for new generators. Finally, the company performed miscellaneous site work and yard piping, and put in various ancillary systems.

Overall, the FEP program, of which this project was a component, was delivered ahead of schedule, saving the client over $20 million, and winning the Engineering News Record "Southeast Best of 2011 Project" in the best civil works/infrastructure project category." At the same time, the Design-Build Institute of America gave Poole & Kent's WRF project the "2011 National Design-Build Award".

SOLUTIONS

Construction of the new facilities, including a major tie-in at the headworks, was completed in three phases over a 28-month period. This required extensive planning and coordination to maintain existing plant operations and minimize disruptions.

Blair M. Lavoie, P.E., senior vice president and director of MWH Constructors said, "(Poole & Kent Company of Florida was) able to achieve their goals of minimizing plant disruptions during the expansion while completing the project on time, on budget with no safety incidents."

BACKGROUND

Cape Coral, the third largest city geographically in Florida, had a population of 154,305 in 2010, rising to 400,000 if you include the surrounding area.

OPERATING COMPANY:
Poole & Kent Company of Florida

CLIENT:
City of Cape Coral, FL

CONTRACTOR:
Poole & Kent Company of Florida

ENGINEER:
MWH Americas, Inc.

SCHEDULE:
December 2006 to April 2009

COST:
$57 million

	Tradional Delivery (Design-Bid Build)
	New Construction
	Retrofit/Renovation
	Prime Contractor
	Mechanical Construction