MWH Global, which is now part of Stantec, announced its contract with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) to become one of the Basin Planning Consultants (BPC) for the Sanitary Sewer Overflow Reduction Program (SSORP). MWH will develop preliminary engineering design concepts for SAWS to decide what it will construct, as required under a consent decree mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice (DOJ).
The objective of this project is to determine the most cost-effective approach to correcting capacity constraints and remediating condition defects in SAWS sewer collection system. It forms the basis for all of the capital improvements that SAWS will commit to EPA in the east and west basins.
The required services will advance conceptual solutions from a formative conceptual state to a preliminary engineering design that SAWS can evaluate. SAWS will use the BPC’s designs to select the best alternative solutions to include in the remedial measures plans for EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and to implement as projects. Two remedial measures plans are required: one for condition remedial measures and one for capacity remedial measures.
“SAWS has a significant challenge on its hands: Find sewer capacity and condition solutions, under tight time constraints, that satisfy EPA, while remaining affordable for the citizens of San Antonio,” said Chris Young, central region manager for MWH Global. “MWH has significant experience in solving technically complex Consent Decree driven work in a cost-effective manner, and we are humbled to be working with SAWS on this project.”
SAWS serves approximately 1.6 million customers in a quickly growing market. This growth increases the need for improved water infrastructure. A recent survey released by MWH revealed that more than 68% of Americans feel their community should be investing in its water infrastructure to ensure it is well-maintained and properly functioning.
Source: MWH Global
