Lee County Utilities has recently awarded a design-build contract to MWH for the expansion of the Gateway Wastewater Treatment Plant in Fort Myers, Fla. Under the $40 million contract, MWH will provide design and construction management-at-risk services for a three-phase expansion to increase plant capacity from 1 million gallons/day (mgd) to 6 mgd.
Phase I of the expansion will include the construction of a new force main and extended aeration treatment process to operate in parallel with the existing treatment plant. Phase II of the expansion will include doubling the Phase I treatment capacity. MWH will provide value engineering of existing Phase I design work, design modifications, detailed design of the Phase II expansion and construction management-at-risk services.
Lee County Utilities provides wastewater services to more than 200,000 residents of the county. The expansion of the Gateway Wastewater Treatment Plant is being undertaken to treat increased wastewater flows from the rapidly growing community and new connections to the plant.
“Southern Florida is one of the fastest growing areas of the country. As our community expands, it’s imperative that we keep pace with the population growth,” said Ivan Velez, deputy utilities director for Lee County Utilities. “By undertaking this contract with MWH, a trusted partner of the County, we’ll be able to meet the needs of our residents for years to come.”
“Through the use of the construction management-at-risk model, MWH aims to reduce construction, operation and maintenance costs to Lee County Utilities,” said Tom Machinski, project manager for MWH.
As a result of this expansion, the Gateway Wastewater Treatment Plant will produce reclaimed water for irrigation use in Lee County, helping the area to maximize water resources for the growing population.
This is the second design and construction management-at-risk contract Lee County Utilities has awarded to MWH this year. MWH has also used the construction management-at-risk model to deliver projects for Collier County and the City of Cape Coral in Florida as well as the City of Augusta, Ga.
MWH, a global environmental engineering, program management and construction firm, has served Florida for more than 30 years and employs approximately 150 local people.
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About MWH
Headquartered in Broomfield, Colo., MWH is a private, employee-owned firm with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide. The company provides water, wastewater, energy, natural resource, program management, consulting and construction services to industrial, municipal and government clients in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia and the Pacific Rim. For more information about MWH, please visit the company’s Web site at www.mwhglobal.com.
