Design-Build Contract Risk Allocation - Design-Build for Water and Wastewater Projects - page 119

Project: Fairplay Wastewater Treatment Facility
Owner: Fairplay Sanitation District, Fairplay, Colorado
Design-Build (DB) Entity: Burns & McDonnell (design-builder), Burns &
McDonnell (engineering), Moltz Construction Company Inc. (contractor)
Completion Date: January 2009
Description of Project
At an elevation of nearly 10,000 ft, the Town of Fairplay, Colo., is one of the coldest
locations in America. Consequently, new ammonia-nitrogen limits set by the State
of Colorado for the Fairplay Wastewater Treatment Facility were not being met by
the Fairplay Sanitation District's (District) 0.4-mgd (1.5-ML/d) aerated lagoon-type
wastewater treatment system. Inherent environmental requirements necessary for
proper performance of lagoon-type systems were not being fulfilled by the District's
existing system. Therefore, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Envi-
ronment (CDPHE) issued a compliance schedule to address the District's ammonia-
nitrogen discharge issue and to protect the receiving stream. The receiving stream is
the North Fork of the South Platte River, which is a “gold-medal” trout fishery. The
Fairplay Sanitation District needed a new solution within their budget and schedule
constraints.
The Fairplay Wastewater Treatment Facility is a mechanical treatment facility
capable of cold-weather, high-altitude nitrification and nitrogen removal. A 0.3-mgd
(1.1-ML/d) mechanical facility replaced the 0.4-mgd (1.4-ML/d) aerated lagoon-type
treatment facility. The new treatment facility includes influent pumping, screening,
grit removal, alkalinity adjustment, secondary treatment using integrated fixed-film
activated sludge (IFAS) with a modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process configu-
ration, ultraviolet light effluent disinfection, aerobic sludge digestion, and other site
improvements.
Why the Owner Chose Design-Build
After initially embarking on a traditional design-bid-build (DBB) project delivery
method, the Fairplay Sanitation District switched to the DB project delivery method
in order to meet an aggressive schedule and limited budget. The District required
a DB team with planning, permitting, design, construction, and operational skills
to successfully complete this project. The design-builder became a member of the
project team, which consisted of the design-builder, the District's project manage-
ment staff, other District staff, and the District's other professional consultants. The
design-builder was required to have a record of safe and successful projects, and
this record had to be recent, relevant, and verifiable. Further, the individual team
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