Shaw Engineering Water Reclamation Projects
Tonopah Public Utilities – Sewer Relocation – NDOT Improvements
The Town of Tonopah’s sewer system along Main Street was first placed into service around 1905. The system has undergone some replacements and realignments. US Hwy 95 was installed through town in the 1940’s. In 2017, NDOT notified the Town the highway would be reconstructed and would include installation of significant storm drain improvements causing multiple risks and conflicts with the Town’s utilities. Shaw, as Tonopah Public Utilities (TPU) district engineer, immediately began to work with NDOT on planning for the reconstruction project. Shaw attended dozens of meetings with NDOT on behalf of TPU, performed extensive right of way and easement research for the corridor (much of which was provided to NDOT’s ROW division) and negotiated with NDOT to establish the sewer system’s prior rights within NDOT ROW. Shaw was able to obtain extensive historical documentation, which NDOT did not have, to help identify the extents of the aged sewer system. Shaw also was successful in helping TPU negotiate funding assistance through a hardship request to NDOT for financial assistance with portions of the sewer replacement without prior rights. For the design work, Shaw coordinated all horizontal and vertical conflicts with existing and planned utilities including, power, telephone, fiber optic and storm drain. Shaw reviewed the SUE data for the project and performed multiple field checks to ensure accurate basemap data. Shaw efficiently made multiple design adjustments and provided comments, recommendations and design assistance to NDOT for aligning multiple utilities within the right of way while maintaining maintenance access outside of travel lanes and vertical crossings which meet NAC requirements. Shaw also worked closely with the NDOT constructability/risk review and helped develop multiple value engineering options to reduce project costs and identify project risks. Lines include 8″ thru 12″ PVC & HDPE sewer mains (12,500 LF) including 10″ to 16″ steel casings for highway crossings and 75+ services. Key Personnel: Cody Black, PE, Project Manager and Marc Belanger, PE, Sr. Engineer Design
North valleys Estates Lift Station
KDH Builders required a lift station to serve 219 new residential homes in the North Valleys of Reno. The lift station is required to pump City of Reno Sewer from the new subdivision and therefore the facility was designed and permitted to be owned and operated by the City of Reno. KDH and their Civil Land Development Engineer, Axion Engineering, contracted Shaw to provide planning support, hydraulic analysis and lift station design. Through the pump selection and hydraulic analysis Shaw recommended a 4″ HDPE forcemain. This lift station was not an ideal solution for the City to own and accept, however Shaw was able to compile additional future planning data for the undeveloped parcels surrounding the subdivision and show that future development could allow the City to sewer the subdivision by gravity in the future and possibly remove the need for the lift station. Shaw’s coordination and assistance through the permitting and planning for the lift station allowed the lift station to be permitted with limited comments from the City. The lift station was designed with pump bypass connection, meter and valve vaults, concrete wet well with a polyurethane coating specification, variable frequency drives for the pumps and a diesel generator backup power. The lift station was a duplex submersible pumps lift station with Flygt pumps (requested by the City) capable of 0.25 MGD (172 GPM). Calculations for sewer collection and wet well detention time as well as forcemain detention time were also completed to confirm odor issues would not be present. The project was also subject to City planning requirements for landscaping and aesthetics. Shaw coordinated with the landscape architect to provide a sufficient landscape buffer across the lift station site and provided irrigation and service water connections as part of the site layout. Shaw’s reputation and coordination with the City of Reno allowed this lift station to be easily designed to meet both the City’s lift station design standards as well as preferences of the City operators. Key Personnel: Cody R. Black, P.E. Project Manager
Stonefield Lift Station (New) and Sky Vista Lift Station (Upgrades)
Lennar Reno, LLC required a lift station to serve 146 new residential homes in the North Valleys of Reno. The lift station is required to pump City of Reno Sewer from the new subdivision and therefore the facility was permitted and designed to be owned and operated by the City of Reno. Lennar and their Civil Land Development Engineer, Wood Rodgers, Inc. contracted Shaw to provide planning support, hydraulic analysis and lift station design. In order for the City to accept the lift station additional planning and analysis had to be completed to ensure the lift station was developed with other future uses within the sewer shed in mind. Shaw coordinated with Wood Rodgers to ensure the 49 acre industrial site adjacent to the lift station site was included within the lift station design. This approach to the design meant there would be initial flows from the residential subdivision as well as future estimated flows from the industrial complex. Shaw provided a design to accommodate the initial development with a lift station capable of 300,300 GPD (208 GPM). Through the pump selection and hydraulic analysis Shaw recommended a 6” HDPE forcemain. By utilizing this forcemain, the initial phase of the lift station would be able to hit the City’s required velocity of 3 feet per second (fps) and provide room for expansion in the future. For the future expansion, Shaw completed hydraulic analysis and pump selection for a future capacity of 420 GPM. This future expansion would allow the industrial site to complete simple upgrades (starters and pumps only) if needed. Shaw also provided design for retrofits to the City’s Sky Vista Lift Station to increase capacity to 3.6 MGD (2,510 GPM) build-out capacity. The site, wet well, check valves, piping and meter were all value engineered to allow use at the initial 208 GPM flows as well as the future 420 GPM flows. Key Personnel: Cody R. Black, P.E. Project Manager
Carlin Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades
The Nevada National Guard Facility at Carlin was formerly the UNR Fire Science Academy, constructed in the late 1990’s. The facility was previously occupied by 5,000 students per year and was equipped with a fire fighting reuse system. The fire fighting reuse treatment plant treated high levels of TPH and fire fighting foam. The fire reuse treatment plant was integrated into the 20,000 GPD Aero-Mod sanitary wastewater treatment plant for the facility. In 2011 the Fire Science Academy was closed and 3 the Guard purchased the facility in 2013 and only utilizes the facility houses a national guard contingent for one weekend per month with only 6 full-time employees for the remainder of the time. The facility is schedule to be upgraded as part of the National Guard Youth Challenge program, set to open in early 2021. In December 2019, Shaw Engineering performed an initial on-site review and a subsequent engineering report which evaluated existing conditions and to outline improvements required for housing up to 400 people per day. The new population planned for the facility is to house the Nevada National Guard Youth Challenge Program. The wastewater plan has had trouble meeting effluent standards with limited population, therefore review of the system was required. Shaw completed an in depth review of current wastewater plant operations and overall condition of the facility. A variety of strategic upgrades and alterations were recommended for the facility. Some items were minor such as rehabilitation of the main lift station for the facility while others required substantial coordination with Aero-Mod and the system operators. It was determined nitrogen removal was no longer properly functioning after the fire system reuse plant was taken off line. Shaw presented a two-phase upgrade which would be required to open the facility to [Phase 1] permitted flows of 15,000 GPD and [Phase 2] future expanded permit discharge flows up to 26,000 GPD. The recommended improvements included influent screening, influent flow metering, inspection and repair of concrete basins, replacement and upgrade of SS air diffusers, upgraded blowers, upgrade of electrical and controls to allow for sequencing aeration for proper nitrogen removal and upgrades to failing electrical for the effluent lift station. Phase 1 of the project is currently being budgeted and Shaw will assist with a fast-tracked final design construction. Marc Belanger, P.E., Senior Engineer
Lovelock Paiute Tribe Water and Sewer Improvement Project
The City of Lovelock provides sewer collection service to the Lovelock Paiute Tribe. The sewer collection system had fallen into disrepair and required complete replacement. Shaw Engineering assisted in facilitating the grant which was being awarded to the City and Lovelock Meadows Water District for complete replacement of all water and sewer lines and rehabilitation of all affected streets within the Paiute Tribe land. The City was the designated entity to receive the USDA grant. Shaw provided complete engineering support from grant coordination to subconsultant utility design to complete construction management, including inspections. The project revealed many challenges such as right of way agreements with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, coordination with local tribal officials and USDA oversight. The challenges did not stop during construction with lateral reconnections across private property, dozens of unmarked/unknown found pipelines and water and sewer service stubs haphazardly placed throughout the tribal land. The City required ball valve sewer shutoffs with locking mechanisms, which added additional permitting and construction challenges which were successfully mitigated. Additional challenges throughout the project included poor roadway subgrade, complete roadway re-paving, roadway drainage and concrete repairs and connecting homes to sewer with raw sewage spilling into yards and failed septic systems. Shaw completed this mulit-agency rehab project with limited change orders ahead of schedule. The City has met all requirements of the USDA grant and the Tribe has well functioning water and sewer infrastructure. Key Personnel: Steve Brigman, P.E., Project Manager