What's New

Project Momentum Continues into Summer

A flurry of construction activity began in July for the Prairie Waters Project as additional construction begins to rev up and ongoing construction rolls along.

In July, work on the northern most section of pipeline commenced. Additional work at the three pump station facilities will also begin. These are two significant milestones for the project as it marks the beginning of the heaviest construction phase to bring the City’s South Platte River resources to Aurora homes and businesses.

Ongoing construction at the Aurora Reservoir Water Purification Facility and for the first segment of pipeline continues at a rapid pace. Construction of the new treatment plant is about 37 percent complete. Work on the middle section of pipeline near Denver International Airport is about 41 percent complete. Ongoing construction at the North Campus area of the project is about 5 percent complete.

In other project news; a series of educational banners are beginning to appear at various city facilities to help the public learn more about the project. These small banners will be hosted a various libraries and recreation centers throughout the project. The first banners appeared in the Aqua Lounge at the Aurora Reservoir in early June. Other banners are now at the Beck Recreation Center and at the Central and Tallyn’s Reach libraries.

Prairie Waters Project Wins Safety Award

Aurora Water recently received recognition from Liberty Mutual for having a spotless safety record on the first contract for its Prairie Waters Project—Aurora’s innovative and sustainable water project to deliver an additional 3.3 billion gallons of water to the city per year by 2010.

An honorary plaque was given to the city in recognition of an outstanding safety record during construction of the Aurora Reservoir Water Purification Facility Access Road contract. Constructed by Concrete Express, crews for the roadway project performed more than 27,000 hours worked with no accidents that resulted in workers missing time.

The roadway project began construction in December 2006 and concluded in September 2007. That project not only paved the way for construction of the new purification facility near the Aurora Reservoir, but also set the high safety standard for future Prairie Waters Project contracts. That is evident at the purification facility. Western Summit Constructors Inc. has worked more than 145,000 combined hours with no injuries resulting in workers missing time since crews broke ground in July 2007.

The Prairie Waters Project is the fastest, most cost-effective and environmentally sustainable way to meet Aurora’s water needs for the residents of today and tomorrow. The project consists of a natural purification area along the South Platte River near Brighton, three pumping stations, more than 34 miles of pipeline and a new water purification facility currently under construction just north of the Aurora Reservoir.

Busy 2007 Event Season Concludes
Prairie Waters Project staff wound down a busy 2007 outreach year for community events on Oct. 13 with an educational booth at PumpkinFest at Delaney Farm. Team members participate in community events as a way to answer questions and keep the public updated about the project. If you are interested in having a project representative give a presentation or host an informational booth at an upcoming event, call 1-866-262-0715.

Business fair a hit
The Prairie Waters Project held its second small and local business opportunity fair on Oct. 1, to educate the business community about subcontracting opportunities with pre-qualified firms on upcoming construction projects. To find information about specific bid opportunities that have been issued by the city for the Prairie Waters Project, along with other city of Aurora bidding opportunities, log onto www.govbids.com and access the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System.

Governor Ritter Tours Prairie Waters Project
Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter and other state representatives toured the Prairie Waters Project on July 12. Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer hosted the tour, giving an overview of the project that highlighted the projects sustainability and innovative approach for water management.