The Thornton Water Treatment Plant was designed to replace an existing plant constructed in 1955 that was near the end of its useful life. The new plant has a capacity of 20 million gallons per day and works in concert with the Wes Brown Water Treatment Plant to provide drinking water to a population of 166,000. 

The city required a resilient, flexible treatment facility that would isolate, combine and treat multiple water sources with varying water quality, taste and odor challenges. The new plant is designed to treat water from two raw water sources, Standley Lake and the East Gravel Lakes, and includes piping to accommodate additional water from the future Thornton Water Project. The facility uses advanced treatment technologies to remove 99.9% of taste and odor compounds. 

The project’s progressive design-build delivery model resulted in completion of both the design and construction of this 68,000-sq-ft water treatment plant in just 42 months.