Los Angeles Reservoir Ultraviolet Disinfection Plant (LARUV)
Los Angeles
AWARD OF MERIT
Submitted By: Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power
Owner/Lead Design Firm: Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power
Contractor: Steve P. Rados, Inc
Consultant: Arcadis U.S., Inc
Consultant: Tetra Tech Inc/IBRA-RMAC Automation Systems
Electrical Engineering Associate: De Nora Water Technologies Inc
The Los Angeles Reservoir Ultraviolet Disinfection Plant (LARUV) has a maximum treatment capacity of 650 MGD, multiple backup power supplies, 3-leg flow control station, flexible trunk line joints, ultraviolet system, underground chlorine injection vault, and a network of controls and mechanical systems.
From a project management perspective, this was a massive undertaking. The project team used Navisworks to identify construction conflicts during design. They managed five different contracts, tracked approximately 27,000 activities on Primavera 6, installed more than 740 pieces of equipment and 600 valves and laid almost 118 miles of conduits. The team additionally conducted more than 440 loop tests, performed 21 different field acceptance testing scenarios, and held over 1,000 project meetings. As a result of the project team's efficiencies, the $123 million facility is one of the most cost-effective UV treatment facility projects in the nation, according to the project owner.
As owner, the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power (LADWP) emphasized safety and quality control. Their construction manager made sure that every piece of equipment was coated and painted properly, every weld was done per specification, and every quality control test result was acceptable. In addition, the mechanical design lead and electrical design lead were also stationed on site to oversee the installation of their equipment. One example of quality control was when a 48-inch flow meter was rejected because it was giving sporadic readings. The contractor was given time to repair the equipment but was not successful. As a result, the CM directed the contractor to procure a replacement.