Then operations will be shifted to the west side and work on the east half will mark the second milestone, with completion expected in late 2014 or early 2015.

WSMC project manager David Rieken says the team is on track to meet the bonus schedule but anticipates "a nervous balancing act" between October 2013 and February 2014, when operators integrate the new construction into the existing system and ensure that flows are adequate and properly sequenced.

To help keep track of the thousands of construction activities, the jobsite is being monitored by three Earthcam stations at 15-minute intervals. The work force will peak at nearly 350 this fall.

Although it is a much bigger construction project, the improved South Secondary complex will function in a manner similar to the upgraded north side, improving operational and monitoring capabilities with a more integrated and fully digital system.

Construction Facts

Concrete: Total – 86,000 cu yd (Milestone 1: 78,000 cu yd; Milestone 2: 8,000 cu yd)

Rebar: 16.6 million lb

Caissons: 20,000 lin ft of 24 in. to 36 in. dia in the primary effluent pump station, East Gallery and West Gallery

Aggregate Piers: 17,000 lin ft in the aeration basins

Earthwork: Excavation - 130,000 cu yd; Haul off - 60,000 cu yd; Backfill - 70,000 cu yd

Large Unique Pipe: Primary effluent pipe – 40 ft of 134-in. FRP; Air header – 150 ft of 84-in. SST

Bypass Pumping: 64 mgd under normal operationwith 128 mgd of capacity