Southwest Michigan
Regional Sanitary Sewer and Water Authority

$6.2 million water project with six municipalities and over 16,000 customers

• Included two, 1 million gallon water towers, two booster stations, radio telemetry system, pressure reducing water valves, and miles of inter-connecting water mains
• Negotiated the current contract between the Authority and the City of St. Joseph for water treatment and operation and maintenance services.  The contract required that the Authority become the water supplier, a service the City of St. Joseph previously supplied. 
• Developed a procedure for reviewing plans and MDEQ submittals for the Authority and provide the review service as an on-going basis.
• Created and calibrated a water model and a reliabilty study for the water system with the six municipalities, servicing over 16,000 customers.  
• Installed pressure reducing valves in lower lying areas due to system topography and to isolate the Authority system from the City system to maintain a higher pressure district. 
• The project includes a state of the art radio SCADA/Control System.  

Services Provided:
Surveying - Planning - Engineering - Design - Permitting - Plan Design - Construction Monitoring

This study is required by the MDEQ to be completed every 5 years.  The study includes:

• Determining the current demand
• Projecting demand 20 years into the future
• Creating a computer model of the system
• Evaluating the system to determine if it can
  provide adequate flow at  fire hydrants for both the present and the future
• Providing recommendations to improve the system so that it meets the requirements

Current findings include that there is enough storage and pumping capacity, but there are water mains that should be added or replaced to improve the service to the community and provide for anticipated future development.

This is part of an on-going project.

Services Provided:
Engineering Analysis

• Evaluated water systems for both the Village of Cassopolis and Vandalia.
• The water system is made up of various loops and includes:
  - 150,000-gallon water tower
  - installation of two new wells
  - installation of 22,600 linear feet of
  - 12-inch watermain
  - 9,500 linear feet of eight-inch watermain - - - 10,000 linear feet of six-inch watermain

Services Provided:
Surveying - Design Engineering - Construction Engineering - Right-of-Way - Construction Administration - Start-up assistance - Permitting

• Video taping and cleaning the interior of intake pipes did not solve the City’s water intake system malfunction. This required emergency engineering to design for the repair and replacement of well screen piping.
• Coordination with MDEQ was needed to expedite permits and with hydrogeologists to evaluate solutions and management of bidding and construction resulted in this project successfully being completed in less than five months.
• Three-hundred feet of new well screen was installed in 20-foot sections, relieving the strain on the third pipe and allowing the system to again function normally.

Services Provided:
Surveying - Design Engineering - Construction Engineering - Inspection - Permitting

• Construction of the new 500-gallon-per-minute well and building is helping the City meet the MDEQ’s water supply firm pump capacity requirements.
• To greatly enhance fire flows and pressures to the northern neighborhoods, two primary four-inch mains flowing under the Paw Paw River were replaced with two 12-inch mains and several eight-inch mains were added to feed that portion of the City.
• City-wide, water main improvements create a looped system of 12-, 8-, and 6-inch water mains to supply water in ample amounts in all directions with hydrant replacement and other appurtenances.
• Construction involved three directional-drill river crossings and two bore and jacks beneath the CSX railroad.
• WAI completed a USDA/MDEQ-required water system reliability study with testing and modeling, as well as preparation of the USDA, Rural Development application.
  

Services Provided:
Reliability Study - Design Engineering - Permitting - Planning - Right-of-Way - Environmental Assessments - Construction engineering - Resident Project Representation - Grant Application - Funding Assistance

• The expansion included an additional vertical pressure filter and modifications to the piping and controls.
• The original plant design consisted of four vertical pressure filters, with pre and post chemical feed, two wells and a 3000 sq. ft building with a laboratory.
• The feasibility study included the evaluation of multiple sites for production wells and alternate treatment methods.

Services Provided:
Feasibility Study - Surveying - Engineering - Architecture - Inspection - Planning - Right-of-Way - Construction Engineering - Start-up assistance - Permitting - Maintenance - Monitoring