BROOMFIELD, CO, Aug. 9, 2005 -- MWH, a global consulting firm, announced today that the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) has retained the joint venture of MWH and other teaming partners to design a new water supply intake in Lake Mead. The intake will provide critical drought protection and water quality improvements for more than 1 million residents of southern Nevada. The design phase of the project is due to be complete in the next two years and construction will be completed by 2011. The total project cost is currently estimated to be $650 million.
The new intake, known as Lake Mead Intake No. 3, will replace the 600 million gallon per day capacity of an older, existing intake should Lake Mead water surface drop below an elevation of 1,050 feet above sea level. Lake Mead's water level has fallen significantly over the past five years as a result of a severe drought throughout portions of the western United States. The intake also will allow access to better water quality at deeper levels of the lake.
Ninety percent of the drinking water delivered to customers in southern Nevada comes from the Colorado River, which is captured at Lake Mead. Construction of a new intake will ensure that SNWA can maintain full system capacity at low lake levels. The intake project includes an intake shaft about three miles from the Lake Mead shoreline connecting to a tunnel under the lake bottom and to an aboveground pumping station. Water will be pumped to an existing SNWA treatment facility.
"After almost a year of planning and analysis, we are looking forward to designing Intake No. 3," said Dr. James Lindell, MWH Senior Vice President and intake system project manager. "We are pleased that MWH and its joint venture partner have been trusted with this important project which will greatly benefit SNWA and the residents of southern Nevada."
MWH (www.mwhglobal.com) is a private, employee-owned consulting firm with over 6,000 employees worldwide. The firm provides engineering design and remediation, construction, procurement, program management, and technology solutions for the environmental, land, water, wastewater, energy and power markets of the Americas, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia and the Pacific Rim.
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