Watershed Management Reaches Major Milestone for New Water Supply Program

Staff Report

The Department of Watershed Management is one step closer to increasing the City’s water reserves from three days to more than 30 days’ supply, after the Atlanta City Council approved a resolution to retain PC/Russell as construction manager at-risk. PC/Russell will work with the Department of Watershed Management to develop and design construction plans for the Water Supply Program.

“The Water Supply Program is a top infrastructure priority of Mayor Kasim Reed and will allow the Department of Watershed Management to serve its customers for generations to come,” said Commissioner Jo Ann Macrina. “Having the construction manager at-risk on board at this stage is a major step toward ensuring a reliable water source for the future.”

Under the Water Supply Program, Watershed Management will replace aging infrastructure, including water transmission lines more than 120 years old, and construct a new system to store source water delivered from the Chattahoochee River. The new five-mile system will connect the river intake facility and the Hemphill and Chattahoochee water treatment plants with a newly converted water storage facility located at the former Bellwood Quarry.

Once the $280 million project is complete, Atlanta’s water storage capacity will increase by up to 2.4 billion gallons, and Atlanta will lead the country in municipal water reserves. Phase I construction is scheduled for completion in December 2017 and includes a new pump station, the conversion of the water storage facility, and a 10-foot diameter underground tunnel from the water storage facility to the Hemphill Water Treatment Plant.