The proposed WWTF will process the wastewater via an activated sludge process with nutrient removal, and the existing 19 acres of lagoons will be decommissioned. RH2 calculated that transitioning to the new wastewater treatment facility will reduce the amount of water lost to evaporation by eliminating the large open water lagoons. A water budget comparison of the existing and proposed WWTF determined that the difference in evaporation will be 47.9 acre-feet per year (afy) distributed throughout the year. This water can be reclaimed and put to a consumptive use without causing impairment to other water right holders or impairing the minimum in-stream flows set in WAC 173-545 for the Wenatchee River.

The Washington State Department of Ecology concurred with RH2’s water right impairment analysis on June 29, 2011. RH2 assisted Cashmere with preparing the permit application for reclaimed water use to request to have exclusive right to the 47.9 afy. The uses of water applied for include direct irrigation of city-owned property near the treatment facility and streamflow augmentation of the Wenatchee River that will be used as mitigation for obtaining a new water right in the future. The application was filed with the Washington State Departments of Health and Ecology in March 2012.

To use an existing MESA-type retaining wall as a foundation, the bridge loads needed to be less than the weight of a standard commercial truck since an H20 load rating was designed into the wall backfill system. Through location selection, careful design detailing, and clever structural design, the finished bridge was installed at a cost of $340,000, less than a third of the original cost of the proposed bridge.

The bridge, which was built off-site in a computer-controlled manufacturing facility, was shipped intact and lifted into place during a 2-hour road closure. The structure is the definition of efficient infrastructure in that O&M costs are virtually eliminated (no painting, no corrosion) and pedestrians are free to move about the retail/commercial core without impacting capacity on the arterial roadway.

After being awarded the best tasting water in Washington State in October, the Mt. View – Edgewood Water Company was recently invited to the National Rural Water Association’s (NRWA) Great American Water Taste Test in Washington, D.C.

The 38 state winners were whittled down to the top 5 for a televised contest to choose the top 3. The NRWA selected the prestigious panel of four judges for the event, including staff from the Department of Agriculture, House of Representatives, and the Senate. The judges sampled each of the top 5 for clarity, bouquet, and taste on stage in front of the audience and TV cameras.

After tasting the top 5, the judges announced the 3rd and 2nd place winners. Anticipation filled the room as the 1st place title would either be awarded to Mt. View – Edgewood or one of the remaining two contestants. The judges then announced they had selected the Mt. View – Edgewood sample as the best tasting water in the nation! The Water Company brought home a trophy inscribed with “Best Tasting Water in the U.S.A.” The Mt. View – Edgewood Water Company and its customers can truly be proud of this award.

While many water purveyors treat their water to rid it of any pollutants or unwanted minerals, the Mt. View – Edgewood Water Company doesn’t need to add any chemicals before delivering water to its customers due to the quality of the water extracted from its 10 wells.

RH2 is proud to call the Mt. View – Edgewood Water Company a valued client and congratulates the Water Company and its customers on the best tasting water in the nation.

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

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!

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.

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 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.

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

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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RH2 was a platinum sponsor of the conference.

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!