CHANDLER, AZ, Nov. 30, 2009 -- McCarthy Building Companies completes $75 million expansion project, dubbed the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility, for the City of Chandler, AZ.
The Southwest region of McCarthy Building Companies Inc. recently completed construction of the $75 million Chandler Airport Water Reclamation Facility Expansion project for the City of Chandler. This project represents the expansion of an existing wastewater treatment facility's liquid processing from 10 million gallons per day (mgd) to 15 mgd and includes new equipment and reservoirs for the water reclamation distribution system and new processes in treating the 15 mgd of equivalent solids.
Located at the southwest corner of Queen Creek and McQueen roads, the completion of the Chandler Airport Water Reclamation project has increased the capacity of the sewer collection system to accommodate Chandler's growth. Through careful planning and mitigation, McCarthy was able to assist the City of Chandler in saving $3 million on this expansion project.
In addition to increased capacity, the plant also boasts enhanced reclaimed water capabilities, which support the use of recycled/reused water for irrigation purposes.
"The City of Chandler has one of the most robust reclaimed water systems in the state," said Robert Knochenhauer, Vice President and Business Unit Leader of McCarthy's Water Services team. "The expansion of this facility, including the new reservoir and pumping station, will allow the City to meet peak demands for reclaimed water without experiencing a decrease in pressure."
Highlights of the project include construction of a new cast-in-place, pre-stage basin; aeration basins; secondary clarifier basins; flocculation basins; solids storage tanks; new solids thickening building; reclaimed water storage reservoir; and support facilities. All equipment, piping, electrical and controls for a functional facility were also included. This project extensively utilized process piping modeling to ensure quality and expedite procurement, fabrication and self-performed installation of the process piping.
Planning and pre-construction began in March 2007. McCarthy Building Companies and Wilson Engineers worked together to develop a thorough coordination plan to address maintenance of plant operations (MOPO) throughout the expansion. A MOPO (or tie-in) is simply defined as a process in which a contractor disturbs the plant's process for a period of time to complete a tie-in for expansion purposes.
"McCarthy completed upgrades to every process at the City of Chandler's existing water reclamation treatment facility. They identified and executed more than 100 plant tie-ins," said Kim Neill, Utility Operations Manager for the City of Chandler. "McCarthy took the lead, carefully planning the requirements of each tie-in, and collaborating with both Wilson Engineers and our plant staff to make sure nothing was left to chance. They stayed focused on keeping the facility running and never once caused the plant to be out of compliance."
McCarthy self-performed approximately 60 percent of the work, including concrete, equipment setting and mechanical process piping. McCarthy reported zero recordable injuries on the project. Additionally, McCarthy maintained a 45-acre jobsite that was named to Maricopa County's Air Quality Department honor roll in 2009 for its dust control efforts.
In addition to McCarthy's work for the City of Chandler, the company has a number of other significant water/wastewater treatment plant projects underway in Arizona, including the 91st Avenue UP05 Waste Water Treatment Plant Expansion and City of Phoenix Deer Valley Water Treatment Plant Phase 2. Nationally, McCarthy's Water Services team has completed more than 40 water/wastewater treatment facilities, totaling more than $ 1.2 billion.
About McCarthy Building Companies
McCarthy (mccarthy.com) is the nation's 10th largest domestic general contractor (Engineering News-Record, May 2008) and has a diverse roster of heavy/civil projects across the country. The Water Services team offers general contracting, construction management, program management and design/build services for wastewater and water treatment projects in Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas. The team also covers construction projects in the mining, solar, nuclear and fossil fuels industries. The McCarthy Southwest Division is based in Tempe, Ariz. McCarthy also has offices in Newport Beach, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Las Vegas; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta. McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned.
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