Photo Courtesy of Malcolm Pirnie/CH2M Hill Joint Venture

Each of the 56 UV units has a 40-million-gallon-a-day capacitysaid to be the largest built to date.

New York City's $1.3-billion new water system stands as the world's largest-capacity ultraviolet disinfection plant. It is also the country's largest unfiltered surface-water facility, treating and controlling the flow of 2.2 billion gallons of drinking water every day.

The project included several firsts, including the installation of equipment thought to be record-setters for size. For example, each of the plant's 56 UV units has a 40-million-gallon-a-day capacity—said to be the largest built to date.

The judges said this project presented "above-average difficulty with a decent safety record."

Project Team

Owner New York City Dept. of Environmental Protection

Lead Designer Hazen & Sawyer-CDM Smith joint venture, New York City

General Contractor SEW Construction: a Skanska USA-ECCO III-J.F. White joint venture, New York City

Construction Manager CH2M Hill-Malcolm Pirnie (now part of Arcadis) joint venture, White Plains