Department of Utilities
Reference: Water Treatment Plant and Lutz Reservoir Update
To: Mayor Gregory Mills and Members of City Council
Through: Michael P. Martinez - City Manager
Prepared By: Scott Olsen - Director of Utilities
Date Prepared: April 21, 2025
PURPOSE
To provide an update to the City Council and Brighton residents on the progress of two major Utilities Department projects: the Water Treatment Plant and Lutz Non-Potable Reservoir.
BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION
City staff and our consultants and contractors have been making major progress on two important City projects. Site visits for both of the projects are scheduled to take place on May 27, 2025, from 4:00pm to approximately 5:45 pm.
Water Treatment Plant:
• The project broke ground at a ceremony held on July 26, 2022.
• City and Garney Construction entered into a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contract on August 17, 2022.
• Site grading and deep excavation occurred immediately after contract execution.
• Foundation work for the below-grade portions of the new plant took place.
• City Council approved a Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) amendment to the contract with Garney and the amendment was executed on February 22, 2024.
• Foundations and walls for the above-grade portions of the plant were constructed.
• Roofs for some of the auxiliary buildings were installed in late 2024.
• Treatment process equipment and yard piping continue to be installed.
• Construction of the Administration Building began in 2024 and continues to advance forward.
• Electrical service was brought into the site by United Power in the last several weeks.
• Walls and a roof at the main treatment building (also known as Area 20) are scheduled to be installed in summer 2025.
• Work on process equipment and piping, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, etc. will continue for the next few quarters.
• Meetings regarding start-up and plant commissioning have been taking place in 2025.
• The plant is contracted to be operational by February 2027, with final completion scheduled for June 2027.
• The project is currently ahead of schedule by several weeks.
• Three change orders have occurred since the execution of the GMP for a total amount of $609,716.88. The total contract amount between the City and Garney is now $167,878,940.88. This represents less than a 0.5% increase from the GMP.
• City staff are anticipating a change order to the contract between the City and Carollo Engineers in the near future to ensure Owner’s Representative support through plant start-up. At the time the contract was signed, the City was only planning to construct a plant expansion that was to be completed by December 2025. This plan was ultimately scrapped and a new facility was designed. This has been accounted for in the overall project budget, which included a contingency for such a large project.
• It is not anticipated at this time that any project budget overage will occur.
Lutz Non-Potable Reservoir:
• The project broke ground in December of 2024, shortly after the contract was approved by City Council and executed on November 7, 2024.
• An entrance road was constructed from 136th Avenue that will eventually be used for public access to the reservoir and recreation area.
• A change order to add additional scope of work for the S. 27th Avenue trail and parking facility for the recreation area, was executed on January 21, 2025. These funds came from the Parks and Recreation Department.
• Deep excavation for the pump station wetwell began in early 2025 followed by forming, rebar installation and pouring of the wetwell foundation walls.
• Work inside the reservoir for the intake pipeline that will convey water from the reservoir to the pump station and then out to the distribution system began in early 2025.
• Construction of the non-potable transmission main from the pump station to the intersection of S 27th Avenue and Eagle Boulevard began in 2025 and is still ongoing.
• Once the below-grade portion of the pump station is completed, the above-grade portion will begin with a foundation, block walls, a roof, and installation of the pump station equipment and piping. This work will continue through 2025.
• Finally, the parking lot and trail portion of the project will occur.
• Start-up and testing of the pump station will occur in early 2026 and final completion is currently scheduled for March 1, 2026, which is two months ahead of schedule. The pump station will be able to deliver water to the service area for the irrigation season of 2026.
• To date, approximately 40% of the line-item contingency has been used for unforeseen circumstances and additional scope needed for the pump station and transmission main portion of the project. This line-item contingency is included in all bids to allow for smooth construction progress without interruption for small-dollar changes.
ATTACHMENT
● PowerPoint Presentation