First Phase of $35M Colorado Water Project Completed

Construction is well under way on a $35 million project to replace an ailing, 14.5-mile long pipeline that supplies water to Mesa County in western Colorado. After a four-year effort to obtain permitting, the Ute Water Conservancy District already has replaced 8,000 feet of pipe along I-70 near Cameo, Colo. The remaining work should be completed in 2002.

The 48-inch and 54-inch diameter line will deliver four times the hydraulic capacity of the existing line, which already has failed four times in the last 18 months and is too small to supply the districts water needs during peak demand times.

Camp Dresser & McKee is prime design engineer for the project, supported by GEI Consultants, providing permitting and geotechnical support; Westwater Engineering, environmental services and local coordination; and BBC Research & Consulting, economic analysis.