Escondido hires design-build team to plan reverse osmosis water treatment plant
Filanc, Brown and Caldwell joint venture selected for Escondido, California, agriculture water supply project
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — A joint venture of Filanc and Brown and Caldwell today announced its selection as design-builder for the City of Escondido’s Membrane Filtration Reverse Osmosis Facility for Agriculture (MFRO Facility) Project.
The MFRO Facility is considered a sustainable and cost-effective measure in alleviating the burden on Escondido’s stressed wastewater infrastructure while providing local agriculture growers with a new, high-quality irrigation supply.
Recycled water from the Escondido Hale Avenue Resource Recovery Facility that is currently being discarded into an outfall pipe nearing capacity will be routed to the MFRO Facility, which will treat and produce two million gallons per day.
A new recycled water conveyance and distribution system will then pipe the treated water to outlying parts of the city for irrigation of agriculture, mainly avocado orchards. Provisions to enable future expansion to treat water for indirect potable reuse will be incorporated into the design of the MFRO Facility.
“The City looks forward to collaborating with the Filanc/Brown and Caldwell design-build team to deliver this important project as we continue to seek innovative ways to recycle water, relieve the burden on aging outfall infrastructure, and support our local agricultural community with a reliable, drought-proof supply.”
City of Escondido Deputy Director of Utilities Angela Morrow
The design-build joint venture of Filanc and Brown and Caldwell will follow the progressive design-build delivery method to provide services for design, permitting, construction, commissioning, and startup for the project. Extended commissioning/operations and maintenance for a one-year duration upon construction completion is also included. As significant subcontractors, H2O Innovation and Big Sky Electric bring operations services and electrical construction expertise respectively.
“Our design-build team is honored to be selected for this unique solution to augment agricultural water supply while reducing demand on vital infrastructure,” said Filanc Design-Build Project Manager Gary Silverman. “From our local and California-wide perspectives, we understand firsthand how water scarcity impacts our community, and we are ready to support the city in maximizing the use of our water resources.”
Design, construction, startup, and commissioning of the MFRO Facility is scheduled for substantial completion by December 2021.
Engineer improves communities near and far
California Stormwater Quality Association launches new podcast
Brown and Caldwell announces environmental science and engineering scholarships
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, today announced the recipients of its 2019 scholarships awards. The firm annually provides monetary grants to promising full-time students under several award programs, this year handing $30,000 to five exceptional students*.
In partnership with the American Water Works Association, the Dave Caldwell Scholarship recognizes aspiring young people that have the potential to make a big impact on our industry, just like BC co-founder Dave Caldwell did. The scholarship awards $5,000 to a female and/or minority graduate student with demonstrated leadership ability in applied research and consulting in the drinking water field. This year’s honoree is Alex Polasko, a PhD candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles. She has ambitious plans to employ microbial cultures to bioremediate contaminated groundwater.
Brown and Caldwell also continued its legacy of offering the Dr. W. Wesley Eckenfelder, Jr. Scholarship, established to honor Dr. Eckenfelder and his more than 50 years of pioneering work in the environmental profession. Each year, this $5,000 scholarship is awarded to students pursuing education and a career within the environmental industry. The recipient for 2019 is Kaleb Smith, a stormwater engineering undergraduate from the University of Washington. Kaleb has spent time working on a drinking water project in Honduras, volunteering with NPH International. He plans to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Michigan’s Environmental Engineering program.
Through its Minority Scholarship Program, Brown and Caldwell provides time and monetary commitment to invest in scholarships, internships, and mentoring for full-time minority college students at the junior, senior, or graduate level majoring in environmental engineering or one of the environmental sciences. Each scholarship winner receives $5,000, and this year’s recipient is Tyler Oshiro, a graduate from the University of Washington (UW), who has served as president, liaison, and treasurer of the American Water Resources Association UW Chapter. Tyler has also interned at the firm’s Honolulu office and plans to pursue his master’s in environmental engineering at Stanford this fall.
Brown and Caldwell has revamped its scholarship program to further support diversity in the industry through the creation of the LGBTQ and Women in Leadership Scholarships. Each winner receives $5,000, and this year’s recipients are:
- Samantha McVety, a senior at the University of Southern California, is devoted to increasing safe access to water. Through an internship with the firm, Samantha cemented her passion for environmental engineering and seeks an academic career in the nexus of membrane technology and universal water access.
- Katherine Dodge, a civil and environmental student at the University of Florida (UF), has already opened her own business. Her diverse background includes volunteering with the UF chapter of Engineers Without Borders in Nepal.
Scholarship recipients are selected by a committee of Brown and Caldwell professionals based on their academic accomplishments. The awards are open to full-time college students enrolled in their junior or senior years or graduate programs.
For details on eligibility, visit: https://brownandcaldwell.com/careers/scholarships/
*Pictured, from left: Alex Polasko, Samantha McVety, Kaleb Smith, Katherine Dodge, and Tyler Oshiro
Planning for potable reuse in Arizona
Indirect potable reuse has been practiced in Arizona for some time, but recently, direct potable reuse has gotten much attention. Brown and Caldwell’s Katie Vanyo sits down with Angela Godwin of WaterWorld magazine to explain why the focus has shifted and how one city is preparing for change.
“The technology is there. It’s proven. Now we just need the regulation behind it.”
Katie Vanyo, environmental engineer
Watch Katie’s interview on “The Drop” for the backstory.
Brown and Caldwell begins work on the Allen-McColloch Pipeline rehabilitation for Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, was selected by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan) to provide engineering design services for rehabilitation of the prestressed concrete cylinder pipe (PCCP) portion of the Allen-McColloch Pipeline.
Metropolitan is a regional wholesaler that provides water to 26 member public agencies that, along with their retail providers, serve 19 million people in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura counties.
Metropolitan’s mission is to provide its service area with adequate and reliable supplies of high-quality water to meet present and future needs in an environmentally and economically responsible way. Through its mission, in 2011 Metropolitan authorized the initiation of a $2.5 billion PCCP Rehabilitation and Replacement Program, to develop a comprehensive, long-term effort to manage Metropolitan’s PCCP feeders to maintain reliable water deliveries to its member agencies.
The Allen-McColloch Pipeline (AMP) delivers treated water from the Diemer Water Treatment Plant in Yorba Linda to El Toro Reservoir in south Orange County. The length of the feeder is 26 miles. The southern 9-mile portion consists of PCCP, which varies in diameter from 54 to 78 inches, and is the focus of this effort.
As the design consultant, Brown and Caldwell will perform preliminary design and prepare conceptual drawings for the rehabilitation of the pipeline. The work will include relining the pipeline with a seismically resilient liner; replacing existing valves, flow meters, and structures; and other appurtenant work necessary for rehabilitation.
“We are honored to be chosen for this important project. Our committed team looks forward to collaborating with Metropolitan to minimize community and environmental impacts while maximizing the life of existing infrastructure in the most cost-effective and sustainable manner.”
Brown and Caldwell Program Director Dave May
Brown and Caldwell is a nationally recognized leader in large-diameter pipeline rehabilitation, replacement, and design. The firm’s resume includes working with the City of Phoenix to investigate, prioritize, and rehabilitate PCCP segments of the 150-mile aging Val Vista Water Transmission main, the city’s most critical pipeline that supplies 220 million gallons of potable water daily to approximately 60 percent of the city’s population.
The Allen-McColloch Pipeline design phase activities are expected to be completed by July 2023. Upon completion, rehabilitation and construction will be sequenced to minimize impacts to member agency service connections.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s neurodiversity program lauded by Forbes
Overcoming industry challenges, from Brown and Caldwell’s top exec
What does the future hold for the water industry? Brown and Caldwell (BC) CEO Rich D’Amato recently sat down with “Water Talk” host Todd Schnick and Water Online Chief Editor Kevin Westerling for a live podcast at American Water Works Association’s ACE19 to talk about how BC is leading the way in innovation, whether it’s infrastructure, Big Data, water reuse, sustainability and resiliency, or talent.
“Right now, we have 18 pilot plant studies going on with existing clients,” D’Amato explains, “where we’re testing out new technologies side by side as their partner.”
Take membranes for example. BC is utilizing membrane bioreactors in aerobic and anaerobic sludge systems. Before, its use was in clean water, to extract contaminants. Then there’s using existing data analytics to help clients accurately predict when treatment events occur to better manage resources and lower costs.
Listen to the podcast (13 minutes, 45 seconds) to learn how BC is helping build the future of water by developing top talent and driving tech innovation further, faster.
Brown and Caldwell welcomes Dan Augusti to growing integrated project delivery team
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm, today announced the expansion of its integrated project delivery team as Dan Augusti joins the firm as senior director, client services.
With an engineering and construction background spanning over 20 years, Augusti is a highly-skilled leader in water and wastewater facility design-build, pipeline and force main construction, value engineering, project controls, scheduling, and estimation. His impressive resume includes billions of dollars’ worth of environmental, commercial, heavy civil, and industrial construction projects.
Based in Alexandria, Virginia, Augusti will be responsible for design-build project development and ensuring the needs of Brown and Caldwell’s clients are fully serviced using the firm’s extensive integrated project delivery resources.
“I am thrilled to add someone of Dan’s caliber to our growing integrated project delivery team. Dan brings extensive knowledge of the construction market combined with design-build project management experience across a wide range of project types that will be of significant benefit to our clients and design-build partners.”
Brown and Caldwell Senior Vice President Steve Gates
A licensed professional engineer and certified general contractor, Augusti holds a master’s degree in business administration from St. Michael’s College and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Norwich University.
Team established to examine South Platte management alternatives
Black & Veatch/Brown and Caldwell team up to map out Winter Haven’s water future
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — The engineering and design team of Black & Veatch/Brown and Caldwell has been selected to develop a water sustainability blueprint for Winter Haven, Florida. As home to the “Chain of Lakes”, an important regional water and recreational resource, and with a growing population of more than 37,000 potable-water customers, the City views water resiliency as critical to Winter Haven’s continued prosperity.
The planned, integrated master plan will adopt a “One Water” approach championed by advocacy groups, including the Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the US Water Alliance. The approach is based in all forms of water – drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, reclaimed water, indirect and direct potable reuse, and groundwater – as a singular resource to be managed sustainably. The Black & Veatch/Brown and Caldwell team will assess Winter Haven’s water resources and utility systems, then help chart how to integrate its land- and water-use planning, incorporate its lakes and restore/protect its natural systems while promoting citywide water sustainability and economic growth for at least the next half-century.
Winter Haven has been especially proactive in addressing its water future, having joined the Polk Regional Water Cooperative to support regional efforts to better manage impacts from land use, aquifer withdrawals, and drainage on water supplies and natural systems. The City Commission adopted a Sustainable Water Management Plan in 2010 that established a long-term approach that recognized how water is connected to Winter Haven’s economic future and quality of life.
“This master plan is incredibly important for Winter Haven to meet all of the water challenges we expect over the next 50 years, and it’s our hope that this effort will become a catalyst for positive change not only for our community, but other communities in Florida and beyond.”
Winter Haven Utility Services Assistant Director Mike Britt
Brown and Caldwell’s knowledge of One Water planning goes beyond hands-on experience. In 2017, the firm partnered with WRF to develop the Blueprint for One Water, a practical guide for agencies seeking to sustainably and holistically manage water resources, utilized by Winter Haven as a reference document when creating this initiative.
“Winter Haven has already adopted a One Water mindset and philosophy within their organization, and this formal planning effort speaks to their commitment to sustainably managing their water resources,” said Brown and Caldwell Florida One Water Leader Jim Murin. “We are excited to work with Black & Veatch to deliver on Winter Haven’s vision for this important and transformative program.”