CLAREMORE, OK — The City of Claremore, in coordination with the Claremore Public Works Authority, today marked the completion of $28 million in improvements at its water treatment plant. This project delivers clearer, better-tasting water to homes and businesses across the community.
"From the day we started, the goal was clean and clear water for every home and business in Claremore," says John Feary, city manager for the City of Claremore. "We hope residents will notice the difference at the tap. Employers deciding where to invest will see a community that has made critical investments in its infrastructure, including a water system with the quality and capacity to support its growth."
Burns & McDonnell, a 100% employee-owned engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting firm, delivered the project through a progressive design-build approach, working with the city and third-party plant operator Inframark, an Azuria Water Solutions Company, from project kickoff in October 2021 through startup of the new systems. Financing for the project was provided by the Oklahoma Water Resources Board.
This project focused on adding unit process improvements to better allow the plant to handle seasonal water quality challenges. A new greensand filtration system targets manganese removal, a mineral responsible for discolored water, while enhanced coagulation from a new chemical feed system reduces organic compounds that may cause undesirable tastes and odors.
The project also included constructing new buildings for the two new systems, deepening the existing treatment lagoons, rerouting the lagoon outfall, and renovating existing facilities. These upgrades improve operational efficiency and treatment reliability, giving the city room to serve continued residential and commercial growth.
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"Claremore is one of the first cities in Oklahoma to take a progressive design-build project through the state's flexible permitting process, and that positively impacted the outcome," says Jason Garder, project manager at Burns & McDonnell. "It allowed us to set pricing early, lock in long-lead equipment ahead of the market and adjust scope as costs moved, so the City delivered the improvements on time and within the overall budget without cost-additive change orders."
Managed by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, the flexible permitting process allows authorized design-build projects for public water supply and wastewater systems to proceed using multiple distinct design packages. Claremore was one of four Oklahoma municipalities to pilot the alternative delivery method; Burns & McDonnell was selected for two of those initial projects.
