CH2M HILL Awarded $180.9 Million Santa Fe, N.M., Design-Build Project

CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, procurement, construction and operations firm, has been selected to design and build the Buckman Direct Diversion Project (BDD), a $180.9-million water treatment project that will divert water from the Rio Grande River and deliver it to residents and businesses in Santa Fe, N.M., and Santa Fe County.

The city and county currently depend on groundwater wells and reservoirs on the Santa Fe River. The BDD project will add about 8,730 acre-ft of surface water a year and allow Santa Fe and Santa Fe County to reduce their reliance on groundwater resources. The BDD will divert water from the Rio Grande, pipe it underground to a water treatment plant near the Municipal Recreational Complex, then treat and deliver the water to customers in the city and county.

CH2M HILL will design and build a raw water intake on the Rio Grande River; two high-head booster pump stations; a 15-million gallon per day membrane, ozone and GAC water treatment plant; two treated water pump stations; and lay approximately 13 miles of 30-in. raw water pipeline and 14 miles of 16- to 30-in. treated water pipelines. The project is scheduled for completion in January 2011. CH2M HILL is teamed with Western Summit Constructors. Construction on the BDD is expected to begin this year.

"We are very pleased with the positive, innovative outlook this team brings to the Buckman Direct Diversion project, along with their willingness to share risks, appropriate and realistic cost estimates and projected schedule of bringing the project online by March of 2011. They are well-qualified to build an exceptional project that is crucial in assuring the city and the county have a reliable, sustainable, high-quality drinking water supply," said Rebecca Wurzburger, Santa Fe city councilor and chair of the BDD Board.

Source: CH2M HILL