Mesa OKs first phase of water plant expansion
Mesa officials said the Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant expansion is needed to meet the city’s growing population’s needs. (Engineering News Record)
Mesa City Council has approved the first phase of the Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant’s expansion that could cost as much as $60 million.
The contract awarded to McCarthy Building Companies has a guaranteed maximum price of $56,603,484 but includes a change allowance of 5%, meaning the project could cost closer to $60 million.
Only four council members approved the contract as two were absent and Mayor John Giles abstained, citing a personal conflict that involved a family member who works for McCarthy.
The expansion aims to keep up with the water-related needs of Mesa’s rapidly expanding population. The first phase is expected to begin in late October and last roughly 29 months.
No date has yet been set for the project’s second and last phase.
“Part of the reason we did that was because demands are projected to increase pretty swiftly and that affects our pump station the most, being able to produce sufficient pressure in the system,” said Mesa Supervising Engineer Spencer Taylor said of the expansion.
The 2020 US Census put Mesa’s population at 504,258 people and that is expected to increase by 1.6% over the next two years.
That would be roughly an additional 8,000 people, not accounting for the newcomers who arrived in 2023.
The plant expansion has been discussed since the 2004 Mesa Water Master Plan was approved, but was solidified over the past four years, according to Taylor.
Both phases are expected to be complete by 2027.
“Building and maintaining water treatment capacity is essential to Mesa’s water stewardship strategy,” District 6 Councilman Scott Somers said in an email.
“The Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant expansion will support immediate demands and bolster economic opportunities for District 6.”
The plant currently is operating at maximum capacity to accommodate the growing community in Mesa, but residents and businesses are advised not to worry.
“They will always have enough water at the tap when they turn it on,” said Taylor.
“That’s kind of our goal, is that people don’t notice, that they just always have water available.”
The first phase of the expansion will include new features like upgrading the reservoir, pump station and other critical treatment items. The second phase will double the plant’s capacity from 24 million gallons per day to 48 million.
The construction team will be led by Tim Nicholl, a project director for McCarthy Building Companies. The phase one expansion will require, at most, 80 workers, with the second phase growing to 150 workers on the ground.
“McCarthy has more than 40 years of experience building water and wastewater treatment facilities,” Nicholl said.
“The firm’s successful track record and extensive experience of delivering nearly 100 water and wastewater projects to communities across the U.S. … positioned the firm as highly qualified for the Signal Butte project.”
Some people working at the Signal Butte plant are bracing for the challenges the project involves..
“It will certainly be challenging to bring new parts of the treatment plant online and work out all the ‘bugs,’” said Adam Schmitz, a water resources treatment process specialist at the Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant.
“However, the troubleshooting aspect is one of the best parts of this job,” he added.
“I get to work with a diverse group of experts in their fields who bring different sets of skills and ideas to the table.
“This makes our team here at Signal Butte very robust and fun to work with.”
The contract awarded to McCarthy Building Companies has a guaranteed maximum price of $56,603,484 but includes a change allowance of 5%, meaning the project could cost closer to $60 million.
Only four council members approved the contract as two were absent and Mayor John Giles abstained, citing a personal conflict that involved a family member who works for McCarthy.
The expansion aims to keep up with the water-related needs of Mesa’s rapidly expanding population. The first phase is expected to begin in late October and last roughly 29 months.
No date has yet been set for the project’s second and last phase.
“Part of the reason we did that was because demands are projected to increase pretty swiftly and that affects our pump station the most, being able to produce sufficient pressure in the system,” said Mesa Supervising Engineer Spencer Taylor said of the expansion.
The 2020 US Census put Mesa’s population at 504,258 people and that is expected to increase by 1.6% over the next two years.
That would be roughly an additional 8,000 people, not accounting for the newcomers who arrived in 2023.
The plant expansion has been discussed since the 2004 Mesa Water Master Plan was approved, but was solidified over the past four years, according to Taylor.
Both phases are expected to be complete by 2027.
“Building and maintaining water treatment capacity is essential to Mesa’s water stewardship strategy,” District 6 Councilman Scott Somers said in an email.
“The Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant expansion will support immediate demands and bolster economic opportunities for District 6.”
The plant currently is operating at maximum capacity to accommodate the growing community in Mesa, but residents and businesses are advised not to worry.
“They will always have enough water at the tap when they turn it on,” said Taylor.
“That’s kind of our goal, is that people don’t notice, that they just always have water available.”
The first phase of the expansion will include new features like upgrading the reservoir, pump station and other critical treatment items. The second phase will double the plant’s capacity from 24 million gallons per day to 48 million.
The construction team will be led by Tim Nicholl, a project director for McCarthy Building Companies. The phase one expansion will require, at most, 80 workers, with the second phase growing to 150 workers on the ground.
“McCarthy has more than 40 years of experience building water and wastewater treatment facilities,” Nicholl said.
“The firm’s successful track record and extensive experience of delivering nearly 100 water and wastewater projects to communities across the U.S. … positioned the firm as highly qualified for the Signal Butte project.”
Some people working at the Signal Butte plant are bracing for the challenges the project involves..
“It will certainly be challenging to bring new parts of the treatment plant online and work out all the ‘bugs,’” said Adam Schmitz, a water resources treatment process specialist at the Signal Butte Water Treatment Plant.
“However, the troubleshooting aspect is one of the best parts of this job,” he added.
“I get to work with a diverse group of experts in their fields who bring different sets of skills and ideas to the table.
“This makes our team here at Signal Butte very robust and fun to work with.”