The Richland Creek Water Supply Program project was the center of attention at a recent dedication ceremony. Local leaders, the construction and engineering team, and the community gathered on April 23 to celebrate the project, which provides an entirely new water system for Paulding County, Georgia.

PC Construction’s contract, which was one of five separate owner-issued contracts to construct the entire scope, totaled over $93 million and utilized the CMAR (construction management-at-risk) delivery method. The scope included the construction of the Etowah River raw water intake pump station with electrical building, a raw water reservoir pump station with electrical building, and the water treatment plant which also included a high service finished water distribution pump station. Construction occurred at three separate sites.

Click here to watch a tour of the Reservoir
Click here to watch a tour of the Water Treatment Plant

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But we aren’t leaving yet!

PC will begin work on an additional $50 million contract to add a 200-mgd river intake pump station and three vertical turbine pumps to the overall program. The new pump station will draw water out of the Chattahoochee and pump it directly into the tunnel system. The Chattahoochee WTP will also tie into the tunnel system during this 32-month project, completing the final component of the entire system. 

The initial $321 million CMAR contract included converting an existing 400-foot-deep rock quarry to a 2.4-billion-gallon water facility while digging, boring and installing a 5-mile, 10-foot diameter tunnel to connect the quarry facility to the Hemphill and Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plants. Two new pump stations will support the system and feature eight vertical turbine pumps and three submersible turbine pumps.

This extensive Program will increase the City’s emergency raw water reserve from three days to more than 30 days while capturing community, environmental and cost benefits to ensure Atlanta’s sustainability for the next 100 years.

Stay tuned as we get underway with the new project in the next few months!

Photos by Brian Gassel

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The Atlanta Water Supply Program project includes two pumping station facilities – the Hemphill Pump Station and the Quarry Pump Station, both of which were designed and constructed with a focus on sustainability and LEED objectives. The Hemphill Pump Station incorporated stormwater management, mercury-free lighting, water use reduction, and community connectivity aspects into daily operations while the Quarry Pump Station (pictured above) included energy efficient exterior and interior lighting, daylight and views, thermal comfort, construction waste management, green building education and outreach, and site open space features.

We are proud to announce that the Quarry Pump Station has achieved LEED Silver and the Hemphill Pump Station has achieved LEED Gold. These certifications recognize the City of Atlanta’s commitment to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

The PC Construction / H. J. Russell joint venture started major construction on this critical $321 million project for the City of Atlanta four years ago and recently celebrated successful testing of the vertical turbine pumps, the final step to allow the City to greatly increase reserve water supply from a maximum of 5 days to over 30 days.

Take a look back at some of the memorable moments at the Atlanta Water Supply Program project:

6/16/20 Milestones Achieved
10/10/17 Bridge Crane Testing
10/5/18 Tunnel Boring Machine Reaches Final Destination
9/22/16 Driller Mike Makes Debut
6/29/16 Tunnel Boring Machine Arrives
5/24/16 Project Update

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The Richland Creek Water Supply Program is a new greenfield project comprised of an entirely new water system for Paulding County, Georgia. PC Construction holds Contract 4, one of five separate owner-issued contracts to construct the entire scope. Utilizing the CMAR (construction management-at-risk) delivery method, PC’s work totaled over $93 million. The scope included the construction of the Etowah River raw water intake pump station with electrical building, a raw water reservoir pump station with electrical building, and the water treatment plant which also included a high service finished water distribution pump station. Construction occurred at three separate sites.

The new water treatment plant will utilize a Dissolved Air Flotation process for solids removal, conventional granular media filters with an air assist backwash system, Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) vessel filters and a six-million-gallon Precon concrete clearwell tank for finished potable water storage. The settled solid removal process is performed utilizing a conventional circular sludge thickener and sludge feed pumps to convey the settled solids to a centrifuge at the solids processing building. Multiple conveyors transport centrifuge solids to a sludge loading area for disposal offsite by roll-off style containers. The new administration building houses an extensive process laboratory, control room, offices, conference and training areas, staff lockers, showers and toilet facilities.

PC’s self-perform team acted as a separate subcontractor to the PC CMAR entity and constructed $46.8 million in work, including all underground piping systems, concrete, structural steel and metals, process equipment and process piping. Also included was a $5 million Marine Package at the Etowah River site to relocate the intake wet well. PC managed the installation of a 70-foot-diameter sheet piling coffer cell, dewatering operations, and micro pile foundation support system installation, and also designed and constructed a temporary in-river water diversion dam system to mitigate site impacts due to flooding.

The full raw water supply and treatment system is expected to be operational in the fall of 2020. All work associated with Contract 4 is complete and the testing of process systems is nearing finalization. Filling of the new raw water reservoir is underway and it is anticipated to take the next two months to achieve the water level required to support the conveyance of raw water to the new water treatment plant.

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The Atlanta Water Supply Program project is full steam ahead as we near substantial completion in the fall of 2020.

Nearly four years ago, the PC Construction / H. J. Russell joint venture started major construction on this critical $321 million project for the City of Atlanta. A substantial component of the work included boring six miles of tunnel from the City’s Bellwood Quarry to the Chattahoochee River. The tunneling work, which was mined 300 to 400 feet below grade, also included eleven deep shafts mined in Atlanta’s hard rock. This underground work connects the river to the City’s two water treatment plant facilities – Chattahoochee WTP and Hemphill WTP – and a new 2.4-billion-gallon emergency storage facility at the Bellwood Quarry. Additionally, two new pump station facilities were constructed to move water from the quarry to the tunnel and ultimately to the treatment plants.

Upon completion of these facilities, the City celebrated as raw water began flowing into the quarry. Last week, the quarry reached the required elevation for start-up and testing. The PC team is currently testing the vertical turbine pumps by pumping water out of the quarry and recycling the water through the distribution channel and back into the quarry (check out the video shown below to see the testing in action!). Upon completion, the project will greatly increase Atlanta’s reserve water supply from a maximum of 5 days to over 30 days.

Everything about this project has been tremendous – from the overall scope of work to the true team effort that has made it such a success. This is definitely a shining example of how construction management-at-risk delivery can yield extraordinary results on complex treatment plant projects.

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There were a lot of cheers in Atlanta yesterday as Driller Mike, the 853,000-pound tunnel boring machine, holed through to its final destination, right on target after five miles of hard rock tunnel boring. The PC/Russell construction management-at-risk joint venture joined the City of Atlanta in celebrating this major milestone at the Peachtree Pump Station shaft site near the Chattahoochee River.

The tunnel boring machine began its journey 2 years ago at the Westside quarry, which now connects to the Hemphill and Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plants via the 10-foot-diameter tunnel. The tunneling is part of the City’s expansion of their raw water storage capacity, an effort that will provide Atlanta with a reliable supply of drinking water for the next 100 years and increase the emergency raw water reserve from three days to more than 30 days.

Check out the live action on YouTube.

Photos (top to bottom): The TBM crew after hole-through. Before and after the tunnel boring machined holed through at the Peachtree Pump Station in Atlanta, GA.

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The prefabricated steel bridge was fully assembled on the ground to significantly reduce the amount of time workers were exposed to heights. Included with the work was the installation of a raw water pipeline below the bridge. The carefully planned erection utilized a 550-ton and a 275-ton crane working from different elevations and was completed in two days.

The entire operation was executed safely and in accordance with the pre-planning efforts.

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More than 130 people gathered at the Richland Creek Reservoir Water Supply site on Tuesday to celebrate the start of construction for the first water treatment facility in Paulding County, Georgia. There was a buzz of excitement in the air as citizens and commissioners proudly saw their 20-year hard-fought campaign for this project finally come to fruition.

Those in attendance included past and present Paulding County Commissioners who were instrumental in the project development, as well as major project partners including the PC Construction team, Arcadis, Brad Cole Construction, Brown and Caldwell and Cogburn Electric.

Over the next two years a new dam, reservoir and water treatment plant will be constructed to eventually produce up to 36 million gallons per day of drinking water for Paulding County and reduce the County’s dependence on outside water sources. Work also includes two major pumping stations, 20 miles of pipeline and other distribution improvements.

The total program is valued at approximately $215 million, with PC Construction providing construction management at-risk services, including preconstruction, for an $86.8 million portion of the overall scope. PC Construction was able to provide the County early cost certainty by providing extensive preconstruction services. Those services led to an initial guaranteed maximum price (GMP) at 30% design and iterative validations throughout the project until final contract – at the same price as the 30% GMP.

Now as we move into the construction phase, PC Construction is excited to be underway with the new 18-mgd water treatment plant; a reservoir pump station with three 9-mgd 400 HP vertical turbine pumps; the Etowah River pump station with four 16-mgd 1500 HP vertical turbine pumps; a 6.3-million-gallon clearwell for finished water storage; and associated mechanical, electrical and SCADA.

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Today the 400-foot tunnel boring machine (TBM) was officially christened with the name Driller Mike moments before PC Construction started the engine to launch his five-mile journey to the Chattahoochee River.

Over 700 submissions were received in the crowd-sourced naming contest. The other finalists were Peach Beast and Scarlett.

Assembly of the massive 12 ½-foot-diameter TBM began in late June when the main beam arrived on one of more than 30 tractor trailers that hauled the machine’s components from Ohio to Atlanta over a two-month period. Weighing in at over 853,000 pounds, Driller Mike will eat up to 80 feet of rock per day, resulting in four months to make the trek to Hemphill Water Treatment Facility and another 10 months to reach the Chattahoochee River.

Stay tuned for more to come from Driller Mike and follow his journey on Twitter: @driller_mike

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PC Construction is serving as the Construction Manager at-risk (CMAR) for a portion of the project. The Paulding County Board of Commissioners recently approved an $86.8 million guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for that portion. This GMP encompasses a new 18-mgd water treatment plant, raw water intake and pump station on the Etowah River and reservoir intake and pump station. All the facilities will be provisioned for a future expansion to 36 mgd and are expected to meet the County’s water supply needs through 2060.

A raw water intake and pump station will be used to draw water from the Etowah River during periods of high flow to support the 305-acre Richland Creek Reservoir. The pump station will utilize four 16-mgd, 1500 HP vertical turbine pumps. The pump station has been designed so that it does not affect river wildlife and to minimize the impact on downstream users. The intake will have very small openings, making it impossible for fish to enter the intake. Additionally, there will be very low entrance velocities so that fish and wildlife are not impacted by the presence of the screens.

Once completed, the Richland Creek Reservoir will provide approximately three billion gallons of raw water storage. The reservoir is designed to yield 35 mgd, which will support the future needs of Paulding County as population and industry continue to grow.

A state-of-the-art 18-mgd water treatment plant will be constructed at the reservoir site. A water intake and pump station will deliver water from the reservoir to the treatment plant. The pump station will utilize three 9-mgd, 400 HP vertical turbine pumps with provisions for three additional pumps to be added in the future. The treatment plant will utilize dissolved air flotation (DAF) equipment, sand filters and granular activated carbon (GAC) filters to treat the water.  The finished water will then flow into a 6.3-million-gallon clearwell for storage. Once the treatment process is complete, water will be pumped from the clearwell to end users through a finished water transmission line.

Paulding is the only county in greater Atlanta area without its own water supply. Currently, the County is a wholesale customer of the Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority. As a customer of another water authority the County is vulnerable to rate increases and subject to water availability. This project will secure Paulding County resident’s water needs with a stable source regardless of weather conditions or other user’s needs.

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Excitement filled the air in Atlanta today as the first piece of a 12½-foot-diameter, 400-foot-long tunnel boring machine (TBM) arrived on the Atlanta Water Supply Program Phase 1 project site. Weighing in at 57,000 pounds, the main beam arrived on one of more than 30 tractor trailers that will transport the machine from Ohio to Atlanta. And that is when the fun will begin!

The pieces and parts will be assembled on a launch pad at the bottom of a quarry before the TBM begins its five-mile journey in September, chewing a tunnel linking the Chattahoochee River and Hemphill and Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plants to a new 2.4-billion-gallon water storage facility at the quarry.

Now the quest begins to find a suitable name for the mammoth machine. Over the course of the next month, the City of Atlanta will engage the community in a TBM naming campaign. The official name will be announced at the TBM launch in September.

PC Construction, along with partners Atkinson, Stantec and Robbins, is well underway with work to prepare the site. Scalers have prepared the quarry walls to ensure a safe working environment and blasting has begun to carve two circular 20- and 35-foot diameter, 200- and 300-foot deep shafts near the quarry. Using blind bore drilling, five eight-foot shafts are also being drilled at the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant, which will eventually connect to the tunnel.

Tunneling will continue through 2018 when the TBM will reach its destination at the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant. Once the project is complete, the tunnel will transfer 2.4 billion gallons of water to the quarry, increasing the raw water supply to a minimum of 30 days and enabling the City’s water infrastructure for the next 100 years.

Submit your TBM suggestion – h2o4atl.com
Follow the excitement online – #H2O4ATL

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PC Construction, along with our joint venture partner H.J. Russell & Company, is leading this construction management-at-risk project to provide Atlanta, Georgia with a reliable supply of drinking water for the next 100 years, increasing the City’s emergency raw water reserve from three days to more than 30 days. The project includes converting an existing rock quarry to a 2.4 -billion-gallon water facility while digging and boring and installing a 5-mile, 10-foot diameter tunnel to connect the quarry facility to the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant and Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant. Work also includes the construction of two new pump stations to support the system.

Conversion of the quarry and beginning the tunnel are the initial project components. Before work could commence, scalers removed lose rock from the quarry walls to prevent falling rocks while work is underway at the bottom the quarry. Blasting has begun to carve two circular 20- and 35-foot diameter, 200- and 300-foot deep shafts near the quarry that will connect to the tunnel. Each shaft requires approximately 20 blasts over the next four months. Preparation for each blast takes four days to ensure safety and accuracy.

A 400-foot long tunnel boring machine (TBM) will be used to complete the work. Delivery of the TBM will begin later this month on more than 30 flatbed trucks before it is assembled in the bottom of the quarry. Tunneling is slated to begin in September of this year and will continue through 2018 when it reaches the Chattahoochee Water Treatment Plant.

Using blind bore drilling, five eight-foot shafts will soon be drilled at the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant, which will eventually connect to the tunnel.

When complete, the project will address Atlanta’s goal of achieving a sustainable water infrastructure for future generations and flexibility in systems operation. In the event of a crisis or loss of water service, the project provides redundant water storage and can save the City as much as $100 million per day.

Members of the PC Construction team in the quarry, a part of the Atlanta Water Supply Program Phase 1 project

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