Ridge Regional Water Supply: 140-Mile Pipeline Brings Water for the Next Generation

This water supply project is an example of a successful private-public partnership. This paper describes the design and permitting solutions, and design-build contracting tools used to meet an aggressive project schedule. This paper will describe the challenges with a concurrent design-build, land acquisition, and permitting process. This water supply will provide over 44-million gallons of water per day from Central Texas to the San Antonio region. The Vista Ridge water supply project is a public-private partnership (P3) with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS). The project included private financing to design and build the new water system. The system will be privately operated for 30 years. The project included extensive design analysis and recommendations to deliver a 44-MGD groundwater supply through a 140-mi transmission main system. The project includes a wellfield with 18 wells delivering raw groundwater to a water treatment plant. The groundwater source is cooled, disinfected, and treated for stability. The water is pumped over 140-miles through a 54- and 60-in. water transmission main. The project includes three (3) pump stations. The project delivery included a fast-paced land acquisition and permitting process. This process occurred concurrently with the alignment design and hydraulics and surge analysis. A methodology for landowner coordination, environmental clearance, alignment, and hydraulic verification was developed for a large design team. The 140-mi pipeline alignment was divided into 16 construction packages that were established for the concurrent construction with five (5) contractor crews. This paper describes a successful approach to designing and constructing a P3 water supply project. The project included close coordination with the public agency during a fast-paced concurrent design and construction project. This included iterative reviews, multi-agency approvals, and a documentation process for field adjustments during construction. The project included a robust construction SharePoint site for facility team members. It also included a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) design, fiber optic communication and SCADA system, and extensive power coordination with three (3) utility providers over seven (7) counties in Texas.