RH2 Engineering

RH2 Project Makes the Paper

Jessica — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 21:04:16 +0000

RH2 Engineering was retained by the City of Wenatchee to design and provide construction administration for a sidewalk project near Lincoln Elementary School. The project was funded by a Safe Routes to School Grant and a Community Development Block Grant and focuses on providing sidewalks for kids to walk to school. The construction of this project recently made the newspaper. Read more here…

http://www.wenatcheeworld.com/news/2011/oct/07/new-sidewalks-will-make-it-safer-for-kids-to-walk/?a

RH2 Wins Local Egg Drop Competition

Jessica — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:17:08 +0000

RH2’s East Wenatchee office recently competed in an egg drop event with 50 students from Lee Elementary School. The event was coordinated by Don Popoff as part of the Elementary Engineers program. Don supports the Elementary Engineers program because he feels it’s important to be actively involved in the community. The program gives students the chance to work outside their textbooks to solve real-life problems.

The Winning Contraption

Teaming with Erlandsen, Inc., the students received tours of the offices before witnessing the 35-foot egg drop. The students’ teachers, Tricia Donaldson and Angie Schmitten, and engineers from both firms entered the contest, for a total of 22 participants.

Pape’ Rentals loaned a man lift to the contest, and all eggs were dropped 35 feet onto a tarp. Of the 22 entries, 6 were successful, including Angie Schmitten. The lightest contraption protecting the egg was pronounced the winner. RH2’s Devon Petit won the competition with a device consisting of a plastic grocery sack, light foam and fishing line. RH2 narrowly defeated Erlandsen 3-2.

After the competition was over, Don went for the awe factor by dropping a watermelon from the man lift. Fun was had by all!

Lee Elementary School Students Watch the Eggs Drop!

Michael Voth Joins RH2

Jessica — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 21:27:17 +0000

RH2 is proud to announce that Michael Voth has joined RH2 as a staff engineer in our Bellingham office. Michael is temporarily working in our East Wenatchee office, but will move to Bellingham full time soon. Welcome Michael!

Michael comes to RH2 with two years’ experience working for WSDOT’s North Central Region. While at WSDOT, Michael focused on highway and bridge projects, including inspection services.

Michael graduated from Washington State University in May 2010 with a B.S. Degree in Civil Engineering. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife, Margaret, who is expecting their first child in February.

New Location for RH2 Headquarters

Dustin — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:06:49 +0000

RH2 Bothell is completely moved into our new offices in the Canyon Park Business Park. Our new office is located off just one exit north on I-405 from the old office.

We have settled into our new space which has larger conference rooms to accommodate even more guests and a floor plan that further encourages collaboration and interaction among RH2 staff.

Our technological capabilities, including interoffice video conferencing, remain fully functional.

If you want to see our new space just get in touch with us or simply stop by for a tour. We are conveniently located in the Canyon Park Business Park at 22722 29th Drive SE, Bothell, WA 98021 on the second floor. Our normal business hours are 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M, Monday through Friday. All RH2 Bothell staff have retained their same phone numbers and email addresses.

Dave Matz Joins RH2 as Project Manager

Jessica — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 22:36:44 +0000

RH2 is proud to announce that Dave Matz, P.E., has joined RH2 as a project manager in our Tacoma office. Welcome Dave!

Dave comes to RH2 with 24 years of consulting experience in Pierce, Kitsap, Thurston, Lewis and King Counties. During his career, he has acted as project manager, project engineer and senior review engineer for a variety of projects, including water system plan preparation, hydraulic modeling and mapping, well design and treatment, storage tank design, site development for water infrastructure, transmission and distribution main design and replacement, and booster pump design and sizing. Dave’s work will focus on Southwest Washington from Tacoma to Portland, but, like all RH2 staff, he will support projects in all geographical areas through our advanced communications technology.

Dave received his engineering degree from the University of Washington and is a licensed civil engineer in the State of Washington. He is active in the South Sound Subsection of the American Water Works Association, the Pierce County Regional Water Association and the Society of Military Engineers. Dave is a family man, spending most of his time with his wife, son and two daughters.

Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District Irrigation Lateral Enclosure 2010-2011

Jessica — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:43:42 +0000

The Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District Enclosed Lateral Improvement Projects (ELIPS) 2010-2011 laterals included installation of approximately 22 miles of pipeline, converting open channel irrigation ditches to enclosed pressurized irrigation mains. RH2 assisted in facilities planning, design, bidding and construction inspection on a very condensed timeline.

Winter construction was required to maintain service to all customers during the irrigation season. Hydraulic modeling was performed to size the pipes and identify the most cost-effective route and cost for the multi-year project. Eight alternatives were developed during predesign, and the chosen alternative reduced the overall length of the project from 55.7 to 53.7 miles, reducing the overall cost by nearly $12 million.

The 22 miles constructed in 2010-11 included significant dewatering, multiple city and county road and utility crossings, a railroad crossing and numerous state highway crossings. The project utilized multiple pipe sizes and materials to meet design conditions, including steel pipe up to 78 inches in diameter, HDPE pipe up to 63 inches in diameter, and PVC materials between 6 inches and 27 inches in diameter. The 2010-2011 laterals construction was completed on time, under budget and with only 1.2 percent change orders between four separate construction contracts.

The project was funded under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and involved coordination with numerous agencies and jurisdictions. The pipeline will provide local land owners with a new pressurized system that is completely metered from source to distribution and conserves water lost to evaporation, seepage and open channel inefficiencies.

78-inch Pipeline Installation

63-inch HDPE Irrigation Main

RH2 Headquarters is Moving

Jessica — Wed, 25 May 2011 20:51:41 +0000

RH2 is well known to save clients’ money through cost savings evaluations and they recently set their focus internally on their Bothell headquarters. The new office space will have larger conference rooms to better accommodate group meetings and client lunch-and-learn events; the office floor plan is strategically laid out to encourage staff collaboration and interaction; and the overall package is a more economical financial solution. RH2 will gain more value without sacrificing any of their services or technologies, such as interoffice video conferencing.

The RH2 Engineering headquarters will remain in Bothell, but the new building will be just one exit north on I-405 (Exit 26) from the old office. The new building is conveniently located in the Canyon Park Business Park at 22722 29th Drive SE, Bothell, WA 98021 and RH2 will be located on the second floor.

RH2’s Bothell office will close at noon on Friday, June 24, 2011 in preparation for the move. However, clients should expect a seamless transition as all RH2-Bothell staff will retain their same phone number and e-mail address when business resumes on Monday, June 27, 2011.

Please feel free to stop by get a tour our new building after the 27th. Our normal business hours are 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Monday through Friday.

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Congratulations to 2011 Tapping Competition Winners – Under Pressure

Jessica — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:31:26 +0000

Congratulations to Pacific Northwest Section American Waterworks Association Tapping Competition Winners – Under Pressure! Under Pressure competed against other tapping teams at the PNWS AWWA 2011 Section Conference in Boise, Idaho in May. Under Pressure team members are from City of Airway Heights and Vera Water and Power in the Spokane Valley.

RH2 was a platinum sponsor of the conference.

RH2 Proud Sponsor of Water for People

Jessica — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:37:00 +0000

For many years, RH2 has been a proud Sponsor of Water for People, the charity run by the American Water Works Association. Water for People is dedicated to promoting the installation of safe drinking water and sanitary sewer systems in developing countries, changing the lives of millions of people. Water for People is an exceptional charity with many projects in operation ten years later, which is an amazing feat. RH2 has sponsored Water for People events throughout Washington and Oregon, proudly promoting the charity and its goals of clean water for all. In addition to monetary support, RH2 employees also donate their time and talents to Water for People activities and functions.

On Friday, April 8, the Central Washington Subsection of the Pacific Northwest American Water Works Association held its first wine tasting event benefiting Water for People. The event was a huge success raising $3,000. Thank you to all sponsors, volunteers and guests!

RH2 Awarded Bronze for Engineering Excellence

Jessica — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 06:58:51 +0000

At its annual 2011 Engineering Excellence Award ceremony, the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) awarded RH2 the Bronze Award for the 2009–2010 Enclosed Lateral Improvements Projects (ELIPS) for Sunnyside Division Board of Control as an outstanding achievement for 2010. Our notable contribution was performing planning, permitting, engineering, environmental, and bidding services for the first 18 miles of the project in an extremely condensed, 4-month time frame. During this period, Sunnyside Division was making continuous changes to alignment, scope, service area and design criteria up to and beyond project bidding into the construction phase. RH2’s construction management team began shortly after the bid opening, coordinating changes and still enabling the first phase of the project to be completed on time, within 9 months of the initial authorization and prior to the normal start of the irrigation season.

While it is customary to name specific RH2 design, construction and administrative team members as key to our success, the reality is that at least two dozen professionals from all six RH2 offices were directly involved with this project. RH2’s ability to complete this project on time meant that the entire company put forth a great effort to meet other client’s needs while the ELIPS project was pulling in all other available resources. The bronze award we received was truly a team effort that we can all be proud of. Congratulations to all!

Read more about the 2009–2010 Enclosed Lateral Improvements Projects for Sunnyside Division Board of Control here.

Tacoma Water McMillin Reservoir No. 2.

Jessica — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:54:04 +0000

Tacoma Water needed to cover the last of its existing open air storage reservoirs. After an extensive study of various cover options, Tacoma Water decided to construct two 33 MG pre-stressed, strand-wrapped concrete reservoirs inside the footprint of the existing McMillin Reservoir No. 2.

Construction of the tanks will result in the world’s largest diameter, pre-stressed, post-tensioned tanks. The project includes 64 separate roof and floor slab pours, 664 columns, and more than 300 miles of strand wrapped around the tank.

Site work includes the demolition of portions of the existing 100 MG open top, concrete McMillin Reservoir No. 2, site grading to backfill the proposed reservoirs within 2 feet of roof levels, site drainage, and reconfiguration and extension of the steel inlet, outlet and drain piping, which measure 60, 48 and 36 inches in diameter, respectively.

Due to economies of scale in the design, RH2 completed engineering for less than 1.5 percent of the overall project cost. RH2 completed the design and permitting to within a day of the originally established project schedule. Funding for this project included bond sales, Public Works Trust Fund loans and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies.

The design of the two 33 MG concrete reservoirs was completed in the spring of 2009, and it is anticipated that the substantial completion date of the two reservoirs will be near the end of 2011.

Crest Reservoir, Treatment and Booster Pump Station

Jessica — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 07:44:25 +0000

The Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District needed a minimum of 500,000 gallons of additional storage, and a booster pump station and transmission main to redirect water to supply the new reservoir. As a result of a public outreach effort, the district decided to design the reservoir as a partially buried, reinforced concrete tank and dual-zone booster pump station on a site with a 0.29-acre buildable area. In addition, water quality sampling discovered arsenic at both supply wells and hydrogen sulfide at one supply well.

RH2 completed an analysis of several treatment alternatives for removal of arsenic and hydrogen sulfide based upon treatment effectiveness, cost and compliance with the district’s policy of providing a chemical-free water supply. The preferred arsenic removal alternative was iron-media sorption and the preferred hydrogen sulfide removal alternative was catalytic granulated activated carbon filtration. These alternatives were tested through a pilot study.

The reservoir was designed with a custom shape contoured to match site constraints and maximize the storage capacity. The booster pump station, treatment building and parking area were placed on top of the reservoir.

RH2 provided construction administration services and performed local and master SCADA and HMI systems design and programming. RH2 assisted the district in obtaining a Public Works Trust Fund loan, which provided funding for approximately 83 percent of the $5.87 million construction.

Crest Facility Rendering

Crest Facility Completed