MWH Global has announced it has received four Outstanding Project awards from the California region of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
MWH Global has announced it has received four Outstanding Project awards from the California region of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
The awards recognize projects from around the state that demonstrate the greatest engineering skills and represent the greatest contribution to civil engineering progress and to society.
“It’s an honor both for MWH, and our partners across California, to receive these awards," said Bruce Howard, Americas president of government and infrastructure for MWH. "MWH draws on a vast reservoir of talent and experience to manage every water and wastewater project, and these awards demonstrate our ability to work hand in hand with local organizations to deliver project excellence across varying project categories."
MWH received awards for the following categories and projects:
• Outstanding Construction Project – L.L. Anderson Dam Spillway Modification Project, Placer County Water Agency, Auburn, Calif. The L.L. Anderson Dam was modified to bring the dam into compliance with current standards, which mandated that its spillway must pass the recently increased probable maximum flood in order to eliminate the possibility of overtopping failure of the dam. MWH performed multidisciplinary engineering and construction management services on the 231ft-high dam, which forms the 136,000 acre-feet French Meadows Reservoir. The spillway modification included two 36′ wide x 18′ high radial gates, rock channel widening, grout curtain, upgraded power & controls, nominal dam raise & roadway replacement, and a new parapet wall across the dam crest. The project design and construction overcame multiple challenges, which were used as opportunities to apply creative thinking and optimize the project design and construction.
• Outstanding Energy Project – Los Vaqueros Energy Recovery Project, Contra Costa Water District, Concord, Calif. The Los Vaqueros Energy Recovery Project is a 1MW hydroelectric generation facility designed to capture excess hydraulic energy in the Contra Costa Water District’s (CCWD) existing Los Vaqueros Pipeline to offset a portion of CCWD’s electrical energy usage and reduce reliance on carbon- based energy. As the concept design engineer, MWH developed the project concept and provided design documents comprising conceptual powerhouse arrangement drawings and turbine-generator equipment specifications that were used as the basis for design-build teams to develop equipment procurement and construction cost proposals. MWH was retained for the duration of the project as owner’s engineer providing technical advisory services, during equipment manufacturing, construction, startup and commissioning.
• Outstanding Water Resources Project – Patterson Irrigation District (PID) Fish Screen Intake Project, Patterson Irrigation District, Patterson, Calif. The fish screening facility was constructed to prevent anadromous fish and other species including Steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, from entering the district’s pumps. MWH led a feasibility study, preliminary design, final design, environmental and permitting and construction management. The project included construction of a pile-supported 195ft3/sec pump station with a concrete-constructed frame and top deck and riverside mounted fish screens. The 101-year-old district serves hundreds of farms on 13,500 acres in the Patterson area. This facility will aid the district in maintaining access to its historic water rights.
• Outstanding Water Treatment Project – Vineyard Surface Water Treatment Plant Project, Sacramento County Water Agency, Sacramento, Calif. The Vineyard Surface Water Treatment Plant (WTP) is a 50 mgd expandable to 100 mgd conventional process water treatment plant. MWH provided preliminary and final design as well as construction management services. Consistent with the region’s heritage, the plant’s building design emulates a vineyard vernacular by incorporating Italian Tuscan-style architecture and landscape features. The plant features an administration/operations building that obtained LEED Silver Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. The two-story, 35,500ft building includes improved use of natural daylight, specification of recycled content for select building materials, use of low-VOC products, overall reduced potable water consumption and other green building principles.
Nominations were judged by a panel comprising Awards Committee from the California Region. ASCE finalists were rated on the basis of contribution to the well-being of people and communities; resourcefulness in planning and solving design challenges; pioneering in use of materials and methods; innovations in construction; impact on physical environment; and beneficial as well as adverse effects of the project, including aesthetic value.