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Water Reclamation District launches $1.3 billion in projectsNew resorts will add millions of gallons of wastewater to systemIt's the other water district -- the one no one talks about until there's a problem. People flush toilets and take showers without a second thought about it. But it's the Clark County Water Reclamation District that collects and treats 100 million gallons of wastewater daily from thousands of homes, schools, and businesses throughout the Las Vegas Valley. It's also responsible for half of Southern Nevada's return flow credits to the Colorado River. "We're an unobtrusive service," District General Manager Richard Mendes said. "If people know what we are doing, then there is usually a problem. They should be able to go about their business, and we'll take care of the waste." The district is undertaking a five-year, $1.34 billion capital improvement program to ensure that its presence remains invisible. The program is the largest, most ambitious construction undertaking in the agency's 52-year history. The work is needed to keep pace with the valley's growth. The agency's customer base has more than double since 1996.
The agency 14 months ago awarded its single largest contract to date -- a $119.3 million solids dewatering facility -- to M.M.C. Inc. of North Las Vegas. The three-year, multiphase project is at the district's 600-acre main treatment plant at 5857 E. Flamingo Road. Construction calls for a sludge pumping station, underground pipelines and a five-story building with more than $50 million worth of high-tech equipment. The new plant will be capable of treating up to 190 million gallons of wastewater daily upon completion in January 2010. "The capital program is needed to keep pace with all of the Strip construction," Mendes said. "A large resort project can add up to five million gallons of wastewater daily to our system." There are roughly $39 billion worth of hotel, resort and high-rise projects planned between 2008 and 2011, which will add 41,921 rooms, 2,002 time share units and 3 million square feet of convention space, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reports. And there is an additional $13 billion of proposed projects that could add another 36,703 rooms and 164,000 square feet of convention space during that same period. The district, as it stands, oversees operation and repair of 2,200 miles of local sewer pipeline as well as various other facilities in unincorporated Clark County, Overton, Laughlin, Searchlight, and Indian Springs. The agency consists of a 300-person staff with an $87 million annual budget mostly financed by connection and service fees. Some of its capital improvement program will go toward upgrading 54 miles of outdated sewer lines, many of which are 50 years old. Several of those unlined pipes are crumbling and corroded from the toxins and acids that people pour down the drain over the years, such as rat poison and paint thinner. "The program renovates our aging infrastructure," District Assistant General Manger Samuel Scire said. "About half of our stoppages come from the accumulation of grease in our sewers. Those caustic liquids slowly eat away at unlined concrete causing pipes to collapse." The district hopes to prevent future wear and tear by installing special heat-cured pipe linings. Newer products consist of an ultramodern composite resin that has a 100-year life span. The agency has 54 projects under way, about $284 million this fiscal year. It plans to spend $332 million on construction the following year. The building bonanza, much of which is underground or out-of-site, should allow the district to serve the region's growth demands for another 20 years, while still meeting federal and state water quality standards. "We must continue growing our capacity, otherwise we'll top out in another couple of years," Mendes said. "And we want to remain an unseen service." tonyillia@aol.com 303-5699 |
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