How PCL Construction is building a sustainable water future across the United States

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the last decade has included some of the warmest years on record in the United States. During this time, large parts of the country experienced prolonged and severe droughts.

As more people move to these areas, municipal water supplies are under increasing pressure to meet the needs of growing populations, putting additional stress on already limited water resources. This is particularly problematic given that water scarcity can lead to significant economic, social and environmental impacts, including reduced agricultural yields, increased wildfires and diminished water quality.

To address these challenges, many communities are exploring the use of water reuse facilities to re-purpose wastewater for non-potable uses — and PCL Construction is helping build these facilities across the United States. "PCL creatively applies expertise and technology gained from other markets and industries to water reuse and drought resiliency projects throughout the country," said Mike McKinney, PCL's senior vice president of civil.

The Colorado River Basin supplies drinking water to 40 million people in the United States; however, due to extremely low water levels this year, states are being asked to cut their Colorado River water use. Arizona, for example, must cut its use by more than 20%.

The concern? Phoenix's existing infrastructure won't be able to supply northern Phoenix with enough water. The City's Central Arizona Project (CAP) — a 336-mile canal that diverts water from the Colorado River – only supplied water to northern Phoenix and faced substantial cuts. The Salt River — which experienced decent rainfall and snow melt — was only used to feed south Phoenix.

The PCL team was hired to construct a booster pump and pressure-reducing valve station to supply water to north and south Phoenix. The pump station mechanically forces water through a pipeline over the Phoenix preserve so water can be pumped interchangeably from the Salt River to north Phoenix and can also feed water from CAP to south Phoenix.

PCL faced an expedited timeline. The team had 19 and a half months to complete the project before the water cuts went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. PCL finished the pump station two weeks ahead of schedule and turned it over to the city for operation.

California has also experienced significant droughts leading to severe water shortages, crop losses and economic impacts.

PCL is currently working on the City of San Luis Obispo's (SLO) largest-ever public works project, SLO Water Plus. The City of San Luis Obispo's Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) is more than 90 years old and treats all wastewater within the city, Cal Poly and the County airport — approximately 4.5 million gallons of wastewater daily. The PCL team is upgrading the facility to recover resources traditionally classified as waste, helping to improve the plant's efficiency while reducing the dependency on reservoir and groundwater supplies. The project scope includes retrofitting primary clarifiers, creating new aeration basins and building fine screens and a new membrane bioreactor facility. Ultraviolet disinfection is being added to further treat the water (which currently goes through a chlorine contact basin). With these advancements, reuse can be expanded and take further demand off the potable water supply because it can be used for irrigation.

Water is essential to life and as drought continues to threaten the United States, so too do harmful pollutants that threaten our water supply. PCL is currently working on a project in Colorado for the South Adams County Water and Sanitation District to remove PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) from groundwater wells. After voluntary sampling by the District in 2018, PFAS was identified in the groundwater supply. PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals widely used in industrial processes and consumer products, such as non-stick cookware, stain-resistant fabrics and firefighting foam. These chemicals do not break down easily in the environment and can accumulate in soil, water and food over time, having harmful effects on human health.

Today, the District must purchase water from a neighboring municipality because it does not have enough capacity in its Granular Activated Carbon system to treat the levels of PFAS in the existing groundwater wells that are contaminated with PFAS. New equipment will be installed at the existing water treatment plant, which will utilize resin to remove PFAS through contact vessels. This will treat the water so it will meet the proposed Environmental Protection Agency maximum contamination levels.

"On this project, we are leveraging the Construction Manager at Risk delivery method to partner with our design and client counterparts to dig deep and find solutions in the pre-construction phase, which is especially important given the volatility in today's market," says Daňa Lebeda, PCL area manager. "Bringing the contractor in early to the design process also helps mitigate cost escalation, as the contractor and design team can work through creative solutions before beginning construction."

From coast to coast, water is vital in our communities and the infrastructure systems require unique, creative strategies to deliver effective solutions. With extensive experience in water reuse and drought resiliency projects, PCL is ready to deliver these solutions wherever they’re needed.