Water Storage in Alamosa: Full-Service Approach and Interagency Expertise is Key

By Brad Simons, PE, Colorado Water/Wastewater Team Leader

Water is a basic need, and water storage provides the assurance that communities will have access to clean water when residents turn on the faucet. The City of Alamosa knew that it needed more water storage for its 10,000 residents. Deciding how much water to store, where it should be located, and how to maneuver all of the interagency approvals for creating that storage were issues that needed to be addressed.

In 2008, Olsson started working with the public works department in Alamosa to plan and design its water storage needs. At that time, Alamosa had two storage tanks: one was being used for raw water ahead of its new water treatment facility and the other for treated water distribution storage. One treated water tank having a capacity of 500,000 gallons is not enough for a community of 10,000 residents and does not provide distribution storage redundancy.

Olsson evaluated three potential sites for the new water tower. A recommendation was made based on many factors, including location of the current and projected demands of Alamosa, infrastructure costs, and environmental impacts. Olsson's overall analysis recommended an additional storage capacity of 1.17 million gallons. Ultimately, the city decided to construct a 1.25 million gallon water storage tower on a four-acre site located in the southwest part of the city.

The new tower site required installing nearly 10,000 lineal feet of 16-inch PVC pipe. The pipe alignment involved two bored crossings, each more than 100 feet long, requiring approvals from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad. Other approvals and agency coordination included the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Alamosa County Road and Bridge Department.

Olsson oversaw the bidding process for the pipeline and the tower. Multiple bid schedules were developed to ensure fair prices were obtained for the city. Separate contracts were awarded to companies specializing in pipeline and tower construction, respectively. In conjunction with the city, Olsson provided construction-phase services, including making periodic site visits, holding progress meetings, completing shop drawing reviews, and handling contractor pay requests. Olsson also provided weld inspections for the storage tower.

Construction of the pipeline was completed last December. The new storage tower is expected to be fully operational this month. Contracts awarded for the overall improvements totaled $3,254,000, and the final project costs are anticipated to be $3,242,796 -- an overall 0.34 percent decrease through change orders.

The success of this project is a result of Olsson's collaborative approach involving not only the owner, but also many of Olsson's teams, including water/wastewater, municipal engineering, mechanical/electrical, airport consulting, environmental resources, and special inspections.

Today, the 10,000 residents of Alamosa will have the extra security and safety of an additional 1.25 million gallons of clean water.

If you have any questions about how Olsson can help your community with your water or wastewater needs, feel free to call Brad Simons at 720.962.6072.

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