Water & Wastewater

Northeast Water Purification Plant Expansion City of Houston | Houston, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM partnered with the Houston Waterworks Team to perform a progressive design-build project to expand the existing City of Houston Northeast Water Purification Plant from 80 million gallons per day to 400 million gallons per day treatment capacity. Binkley & Barfield | DCCM was responsible for the structural and process mechanical design of the new raw water intake pump station, which is located 1,000 feet offshore in the middle of Lake Houston. It has an access bridge and pump station platform with ten 1,000 horsepower vertical turbine pumps capable of delivering up to 560 million gallons per day (ultimate capacity) of raw water from Lake Houston to the Northeast Water Purification Plant. Binkley & Barfield | DCCM performed structural design modeling and simulation of a 30,000-square-foot pump station platform that supported the pump facility building, pump equipment, piping and electrical switchgears, and process mechanical design to install ten 1,000 horsepower vertical turbine pumps with two 96-inch header pipe, control valves, and a 25-ton bridge crane. The intake pump station platform is 13 feet above the normal water level and is 250 feet long and 120 feet wide on a cast-in-place 1-foot-thick concrete deck with 3.5-foot-deep grade beams. Binkley & Barfield | DCCM designed and analyzed the intake pump station using the finite element program Structural Analysis and Designing Program. The dynamic analyses were also performed to verify the dynamic behavior of the platform under the pump dynamic loads during operation. Bentley 3D models were used in the final design by structural, architectural, process mechanical, piping, plumbing, instrumentation, and electrical design disciplines. All design models were integrated to detect conflict and complete the final product.

Piper Road Drainage Improvements City of Pearland | Brazoria County, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided design plans and specifications for a bid-ready submittal package that included comprehensive drainage and minor roadway improvements for Piper Road. The 2,900-foot project extended from FM 518 (Broadway Street) on the north to Fite Road on the south. The project included an asphalt overlay along with subgrade repairs, where necessary, based on visual cracking and pavement failure. The design reduced the watershed area for the portion of Piper Road draining to the north, which diminished a recurring ponding problem at FM 518. Most of the roadway now drains to Fite Road on the south using storm sewers underneath the former ditches. Driveway culverts were eliminated for the storm sewers draining to the south and were replaced with area drains between the driveways for direct drainage into the new storm sewer system. Using storm sewers in this manner eliminated the need for costly utility relocations or right-of-way acquisition. For about the same cost of construction compared to acquiring right-of-way and moving utilities, this concept greatly reduced the time required for project completion and the need to disrupt the front yards of homes located along Piper Road. Existing, significant trees also did not need to be removed. Existing water and sanitary sewer main lines and services were either protected or replaced to accommodate the new storm sewers. We could lean on our relationship with CenterPoint Energy to expedite relocations with the proposed storm sewer before construction began, which would allow the project to remain on schedule. The project significantly improved drainage compared to the existing roadway ditches

IH 45 and SH 6 Water Distribution System Improvements Gulf Coast Water Authority/Galveston County | Galveston County, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided the preliminary and final design and construction phase services for 8,100 linear feet of 24-inch water line as part of a collaboration between Galveston County Water Authority and Galveston County to provide potable water to a future residential area in Texas City. To accommodate this needed water line, an alignment was established at the intersection of Avenue L and a Galveston County Water Authority canal in Santa Fe, where the line connected to an existing water line and then extended along the north high bank of the canal to a metering station site west of IH 45. This project was funded by the State of Texas through a Community Development Block Grant and administered by the Texas General Land Office due to damage from Hurricane Ike. The funding was allocated to Galveston County, thereby funding the construction and managing the design and construction phases. Challenges Alignment set in an undeveloped area along a high bank of the canal, making site access difficult Connection point to existing large-diameter water line along a busy roadway with deep side ditches Galveston County administered the project, but Galveston County water authority established all standards Solutions We maintained an open line of communication with Galveston County and the Galveston County water authority and worked diligently to address all comments from both We designed traffic control plans to aid the contractor in working safely on a busy street

Countryside Wastewater Treatment Plant Decommission, Lift Station and Force Main Upgrade City of League City | League City, Texas The City of League City selected Binkley & Barfield | DCCM to provide preliminary engineering, final design, and construction services to decommission the existing Countryside Wastewater Treatment Plant and install a new lift station and new force main to divert wastewater to the existing Southwest Water Reclamation Facility. The existing lift station was decommissioned and replaced by a new 10-foot lift station with three 20-horsepower submersible pumps to provide 850 gallons per minute firm capacity for diversion service. The design included modification of the existing sewer collection system to add new manholes and gravity lines to intercept and divert sewer flow to the new lift station. Construction sequencing, bypass pumping, and coordination were carefully planned to allow the construction of the new lift station, sewer diversion, and demolition of the existing lift station and wastewater treatment facilities. The new lift station had a programmable logic controller-based pump control panel, supervisory control, and data acquisition access via wireless antenna for remote monitoring of the new lift station, and a manual transfer switch to allow emergency generator connection per Texas Commission on Environmental Quality requirements.

Cedarspur Drive, Burkhart Road, and Winningham Lane Improvements City of Spring Valley Village | Spring Valley Village, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided the preliminary engineering report, design, survey, and subsurface utility engineering Quality Levels C and D for the road paving and utility improvements in three separate areas in the City of Spring Valley Village. The project encompassed the reconstruction of Cedarspur Drive, Burkhart Road, and Winningham Lane East, and had a total length of 2,200 linear feet and included roadway, drainage, water line, and sanitary improvements. Additional services included attending prebid meetings, bid evaluation, and recommendation of award. Binkley & Barfield | DCCM also attended a preconstruction conference, reviewed shop drawings and requests for information, performed site visits as specified by the client, and provided record drawings. Challenges The design of the traffic control plan was challenging because the project consisted of three streets with dead ends. This meant we had to keep two-way traffic available while rebuilding a two-lane roadway. We limited the work zones to only 400 linear feet at a time to make it easier for residents to travel to and from their homes. Ongoing flagging and coordination with residents were imperative for a smooth project. Successes Binkley & Barfield | DCCM coordinated closely with the City of Spring Valley Village, the contractor, and affected homeowners to provide seamless design and construction experience. Homeowners were notified of the schedules, including when work would begin and end on their street. Homeowners were also encouraged to notify the city, the contractor, or the engineer of any issues. The project went smoothly with minimal issues.

69th Street Wastewater Treatment Plant Evaluation City of Houston | Houston, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM performed an on-site asset inventory and assessment for the 69th Street Wastewater Treatment Plant to evaluate the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey. Major components of the assessment included the evaluation of the current facility pre- and post-Harvey, its optimal operating conditions, and compliance with current codes. Cost recovery documentation support and quality assurance and quality control for Federal Emergency Management Agency claims included on-call technical support for City of Houston and Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel for the duration of the claim. Binkley & Barfield | DCCM assisted City of Houston personnel in preparing forms; determining codes, guidelines, and specifications; and auditing existing Federal Emergency Management Agency claim backup documentation. A technical memorandum was provided with findings and included a line-by-line description of assets associated with the facility; their associated pre, post, and optimal operating conditions; a cost comparison for bringing the damaged asset to pre-operating condition, optimal operating conditions, and optimal operating conditions with hardening/mitigation; and recommendations for repair/replacement alternatives for damaged assets along with their associated costs. All supporting documentation obtained included enterprise asset management, work orders generated by inventory management system, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, information from the Capital Improvement Project Management System, City of Houston service contract service request details, and hydraulic system curves; all cost estimation supporting documentation from RS Means and vendor quotes; and Record of Decisions and Action Items from the wastewater operations technical review committee.

42-inch Water Line Design, Segment 3 A1 West Harris County Regional Water Authority | Harris County, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided final design and construction phase services for 14,000 linear feet of 42-inch water transmission line in a CenterPoint Energy electric transmission line corridor and easement. This water line is part of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority’s 2025 system, which will provide at least 60% of the water demand using surface water. This is the latest project in a long history of working with the Authority to supply their surface water requirements. Challenges The project involved installing water lines in CenterPoint Energy’s electrical transmission line corridor for miles. Trenchless construction was required near truss towers within 20 feet, as well as for crossing busy roadways. Close coordination was maintained with the City of Houston and Harris County for permitting and record drawing acquisition. Collaboration with the design engineer ensured a proper connection to an 84-inch water line. Additionally, coordination with multiple petroleum pipelines and dry utilities in CenterPoint Energy’s corridor was necessary.

108-Inch Northeast Transmission Line, Contract 99D-2 City of Houston | Houston, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided final design and construction phase services for 7,400 linear feet of 108-inch water transmission line from Aldine Westfield Road to Willis Street in City of Houston-owned easements inside the North Sam Houston Parkway. Since the project was in an urban region, Binkley & Barfield | DCCM worked closely with the existing utilities to develop utility conflict documents and support their relocation. The design also included construction phasing and traffic control to maintain access to residences, facilities, and emergency services. The water line was a significant transmission main constructed via open-cut and tunneling methods. This project was part of the City of Houston’s work to meet the Harris Galveston Subsidence District’s 2025 50 percent surface water mandate. It is Binkley & Barfield | DCCM’s latest project in a long history of working on large-diameter water line projects for the City of Houston. Project challenges included the water line design’s complexity because of the pipe’s considerable size and the constraints imposed by the limited easement area. It was important to collaborate closely with the City of Houston and its Program Manager to follow the program design standard, requiring constant communication throughout the project’s duration. In addition, the design phase involved creating multiple tunnels spanning various landscapes, including businesses, parking lots, and existing pipelines, ensuring structural integrity and functionality. We also had to coordinate with a pipeline company about the implementation of a trenchless crossing to navigate their aging infrastructure.

2020 Multi-Street Reconstruction City of Pasadena | Pasadena, Texas Binkley & Barfield | DCCM provided the preliminary design, final design, bidding, and construction phase services for reconstructing 12,220 linear feet of neighborhood residential streets and a collector street within the City of Pasadena. The project comprised nine separate residential streets, including West Park Lane, Madison Avenue, Austin Avenue, Easthaven Drive, Magnolia Street, Tilden Drive, Polk Avenue, Kansas Street, and Llano Street, a major collector.  The project scope included the complete reconstruction of existing neighborhood concrete roads, including storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and water line replacements and upgrades. The project also included Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks/shared-use paths and ramps, signing and pavement markings, traffic control, a stormwater pollution prevention plan, a complete drainage study, and a geotechnical report. This reconstruction project was bid on a unit price basis before the design began and was executed on a fast-track schedule. This included close coordination between Binkley & Barfield | DCCM and the contractor during the design and continuous coordination with the City of Pasadena and the contractor. This close coordination allowed changes to be quickly made in the field during construction as required. Portions of the project required innovative engineering to provide necessary detention within the limits of the street. This fast-track process will set the path for future projects designed and constructed in Pasadena. The design and reconstruction of all streets were completed in an accelerated schedule of 12 months.