Cities have obligations to their citizens to make an area a good place to live. Among those responsibilities is providing sufficient clean drinking water. Edmond, Oklahoma, which is approximately 12 miles north of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is expanding the Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant so it can continue to meet the water needs of its growing population.
Arcadia Lake is a man-made lake that opened in the mid-1980s. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, “this lake was constructed as a cooperative effort between the City of Edmond and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers." The website also notes that "the lake has a surface area of 1,820 acres and has about 26 miles of shoreline."
While the lake offers visitors a wide range of recreational activities, it also quenches Edmond residents’ thirst for water.
The Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant was originally constructed in the 1980s, but Edmond has grown considerably since then. The population was approximately 52,000 in 1990. By 2024, the population had nearly doubled, as it was over 99,000. Of course, population growth requires city resources of all kinds to grow along with it.
Currently, the water treatment plant treats 12 million gallons daily. When the team completes the expansion, it will be able to treat 50 million gallons. This will occur after Phase 3 (chem feed improvements) is completed on the same site. The current expansion will double the capacity for treatment.
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"The expansion will make Edmond water independent," said Joey Coburn, who oversees the project’s day-to-day activities and is a Project Manager with Archer Western Construction, a part of The Walsh Group. "Currently, the town supplements what they get from the plant with water wells around the town."
When demand is high during the summer, Edmond buys water from neighboring Oklahoma City so residents do not have to deal with low water pressure or water restrictions. However, buying water from another entity makes Edmond dependent.
"[When the project is finished] they'll be able to take care of themselves and manage their supply rather than counting on others," Coburn said.
Besides ensuring Edmond has enough water for current and future anticipated needs, the project will put the town ahead of the game. The new granular activated carbon (GAC) filter building can be used in the treatment to remove polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
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According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS are “widely used, long-lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time. ... Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals." Currently, PFAS is not subject to regulations.
"Edmond is getting ahead of the potential regulatory concern by building the GAC contactor, which polishes the water and can remove PFAS," said David Nine, a Project Executive for Archer Western.
Besides the GAC filter building, the project includes:
- Constructing a 50-million-gallon-per-day high-lift pump station. Upon project completion, there will be 15 pumps (previously there were six) with the capacity to add four more.
- Building a recycle pump station.
- Adding 10 million gallons of clearwell storage capacity.
- Site paving.
- Constructing an electrical building with backup generators and paralleling gear, making the city power independent if the grid goes down.
- Owner: Edmond Public Works Authority
- General Contractor: Archer Western Construction, Chicago, Illinois
- Designer/Engineer: Carollo Engineers, Walnut Creek, California
- Other Key Contractors: Oil Capitol Electric, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Preload, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Prime Controls, Lewisville, Texas Photos courtesy of Archer Western and Trey Cambern Photography
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The team has installed 750 steel pilings (650 for the GAC building and 100 for the recycle pump station). They had to drive the piles 55 feet to get to rock refusal, Coburn said.
The project involves a mix of construction modes and materials.
The precast concrete wall and roof panels for the high-lift pump station, recycle pump station, and electrical building are made off site. They are then trucked in for use. Other structures have CMU-blocked walls with brick veneer and translucent panels.
"Because there are so many different aspects to this project, there's more to manage," Coburn said. "We're managing a significant number of subs. For example, it's not just a mason who comes in and does block walls, but another subcontractor who is focused on precast. We need to stay on top of each to ensure their quality is up to the level we demand.”
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There are 30,000 cubic yards of structural concrete on the project and over 40,000 linear feet of underground process piping. Archer Western self-performs all of the concrete work and process piping.
“We have every piping system on this project — steel, HDPE, fiberglass, ductile iron, stainless steel, and PVC. This project includes all kinds of piping systems," Nine said. "The owner likes HDPE because of its functionality. It is fully restrained pressure pipe that doesn't corrode and wears better."
That is important because the soils at the Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant are “hot” soils, meaning they have a low PH, which is very corrosive to steel pipe and ductile iron pipe. However, it is challenging to lay inside an existing plant due to all the existing pipe that is in the way.
The team is installing 40,000 linear feet of pipes ranging from 12 inches to 66 inches.
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Finally, the project includes some architectural features such as a Kalwall translucent panel system, precast walls with masonry veneer, and architectural concrete.
"There's more aesthetics than typical on a project of this type, which requires the team to pay close attention from an architectural standpoint," Nine said.
The Walsh Group has previously worked with the City of Edmond and in the area.
"This is the biggest project we've done with them — the other one was small — and we're glad to be part of it," Coburn said. "They're a good and respected owner that others talk to about their system."
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"We're one of the few contractors in the area that can handle this type of project," Nine added.
The team also includes Carollo Engineers out of Walnut Creek, California. Walsh has worked with them previously and is comfortable with how they operate.
The construction contract was $191 million. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality — which is funded by the EPA — is providing the majority of the funds. Federal funds and the state revolving fund are supporting the project.
Currently, the project is on budget. One factor that has enabled the team to keep the project on budget is the absence of any major change orders. Archer Western has also found ways to save money, which then was used as needed to fill gaps. Coburn explained one way the team has saved the owner money.
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"The project includes the removal of lots of dirt — 450,000 cubic yards,” he said. “The plan was for us to haul it off site [10 miles away]. We developed a plan in conjunction with the owner to move the dirt to a property the owner had that was only half a mile away. This saved the owner some money and gave them some breathing room as other issues came up. The main reason we were able to implement this change was because we have a good working relationship with the owner.”
Construction on the project began in July 2022, and it is scheduled to conclude in January 2026. The team is three months behind schedule, but they are confident that they can ultimately get it back on track.
“Hauling the dirt to the new location saved the owner money, however it added almost three months to the excavation of the site, as it took time to build new haul roads and clear the 40 acres where we placed the dirt,” Coburn said.
City residents will have good water and sufficient capacity due to the Arcadia Lake Water Treatment Plant expansion. The project ensures Edmond's population will continue to have adequate capacity, even as the town grows. They will not need to count on other municipalities and can determine how water is treated internally.
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