Plant 128 Reservoir and Electrical Replacement Moving to Construction

Suburban Water Systems

In May 2021, Suburban Water Systems, supplies over 300,000 customers through 76,000 connections in east Los Angeles, was searching for a consultant to aid in this water and electrical improvement project. Luckily, Civiltec covers both of those necessary service lines in-house. On May 18th, 2021 we were awarded the contract to help better serve these areas. Our water engineering services designed the replacement of a 0.5 million gallon (MG) concrete reservoir as well as the design for the 0.5 MG welded steel reservoir. In addition to the reservoir, our electrical and controls engineering staff was a huge help in the replacement of all the existing electrical gear at the Plant 128 site.

Plant 128 Reservoir needs replacement due to age and deficiencies in seismic protections. The existing 0.5 MG concrete reservoir is 100 feet x 100 feet x 7.5 feet and is partially buried occupying most of the property. The existing reservoir will be demolished and backfilled before the permanent 0.5 MG above-ground steel tank can be constructed. Due to the importance of the existing reservoir that serves the 520 Zone, temporary tanks will be constructed along with bypass piping to keep the Plant 128 booster station operational and provide the required net positive suction head to the pumps. Additionally, the existing electrical equipment for the booster station has been deemed unsafe and requires replacement.

The scope of this project included the preparation of a complete PS&E package, bidding support, construction support, and full-time construction observation services. The design was completed in June 2022. July 2023 will mark the beginning of construction. Check back in as the project moves into its final stages of completion.

Staff members involved included David Song, PE (Project Manager), Sanjay Verma, PE (Project Engineer) Tim Kwan, EIT (Staff Engineer), Charles Devine (Staff Engineer), Atenas Reynaga, EIT (Staff Engineer), and Chris Duncan, PLS (Survey Manager). Electrical portions were designed by Sky Younger, PE, and Heber Torres, PE. We also collaborated with the following sub-consultants in order to achieve this project outcome: Armstrong & Walker, Leighton Consulting, Inc., and Meridian Consultants. The project is located right next door to La Puente County Water District (another client of Civiltec) and required a lot of coordination with them to keep moving the project along. Our trusted working relationships with both of these clients were significantly helpful in this process.