Services to Design Improvements to Potable Water Distribution System

Scope:

To provide engineering design and cost estimating services.

Project Description:

As the prime contractor, KMEA developed a consolidated, construction-ready, design-bid-build package to replace the entire potable/fire water distribution system for the southern portion of Shemya Island, a remote location in the Aleutian Islands southwest of Alaska. The new loop system begins at the water treatment plant and supplies all the facilities and fire hydrants along the route, with valve branch service connections. This design improves operational resiliency by eliminating the potential for a single point of failure shutting down the entire system. Work included pre-design planning support (studies and topographic surveys) and preparation of preliminary, intermediate, pre-final, and final plans; drawings; design analyses; specifications; and cost estimates as well as conducting a design charrette for the new system.

The design calls for removing old hydrants and other facilities that will not be used while preserving roads and other pavements adjacent to or crossing the lines. All designs comply with applicable federal, state, local, and base codes, standards, and policies. Because much of the work traverses spill sites and environmentally sensitive areas (e.g., wetlands), KMEA and our specialty sub-team designed the system with two different pipe materials depending on the reported soil conditions and adjusted the routing to minimize environmental impacts on wetlands.

In addition, the team worked with the end user to secure construction permitting with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Contaminated Soils Division to assure the construction phase can proceed without regulatory delays.