At the South Tempe Water Treatment Plant in Tempe, Ariz., Sundt recently finished installing a new, computerized control system that allows plant operators to manage activities from one centralized location. The work was part of a $28 million Construction Manager at Risk contract that modernized and improved the 50-million-gallon-per-day pant, which provides potable water to Tempe’s residential, commercial and industrial users.
During one of the plant’s planned shutdowns for maintenance, Sundt’s industrial construction project team worked double shifts to remove the old system and install, tie in, and test the new one – all in just six weeks.
“The plant control system needed to be upgraded,” said Sundt Project Manager Thomas Maher. “Most tasks were done manually, with employees going out into the field to turn things on and off. The new program provides a state-of-the-art control center that runs the entire plant, either manned or set to automatic mode. Installing it was stressful; six weeks is a very tight time frame. We did a lot of planning and worked double shifts to get it done right and on time.”
The South Tempe Water Treatment Plant was built over 30 years ago and was in need of improvements to make it more energy efficient and in line with today’s stricter environmental standards. The major components of Sundt’s work there included changing the plant’s programming and control system, replacing and installing 60-, 54- and 48-inch process valves, and installing new, 54-inch plant inlet flow meters. We also built a new satellite building, installed new finished water pumps, and made coagulation enhancements.