CH2M HILL named Water Company of the Year

DENVER — CH2M HILL announced that it has won the Global Water Award for Water Company of the Year. The Global Water Award for Water Company of the Year is given to the water company that made the most significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global water sector over the past year. In addition, a number of CH2M HILL clients and projects were recognized at the annual Global Water Awards, sponsored by the International Desalination Association and Global Water Intelligence, which distinguish outstanding achievements within the international water industry.

The awards were presented at the Global Water Summit in Rome on April 30, which is attended by water leaders from around the world.

“This is a distinct honor for CH2M HILL,” said Bob Bailey, CH2M HILL Water Business Group President. “Several prestigious international water companies have received this honor in the past, and we are very pleased to earn this worldwide recognition. This recognition is a testament to not only the hard work and dedication of CH2M HILL’s employees to solve our clients’ challenges, but also to our clients and partners in the urban, industrial, energy and agricultural sectors who trust us to deliver solutions that balance social, economic and environmental priorities.”

CH2M HILL was selected as Water Company of the Year based on the firm’s numerous achievements in 2011 such as:
• Expanding its presence around the world with the acquisition of Halcrow , which added 80 offices worldwide, 6,000 employees, and a strong presence in the Middle East. The Halcrow acquisition has broadened and deepened CH2M HILL’s influence – and value – for water users in all sectors.
• Launching “WaterMatch ,” a specific water-related grassroots initiative that seeks to promote the beneficial re-use of municipal effluent by the industrial and agricultural sectors which collectively represent roughly 88-90 percent of global water consumption.
• CH2M HILL is one of the few engineering firms that can provide its clients with complete operations and maintenance services within the water/wastewater operations arena in addition to engineering technical expertise.
• Named World’s Most Ethical Companies — 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 by the Ethisphere Institute.
• Growing its water work for industrial, energy and agricultural clients, including its growing practice of water management for oil sands operations in Alberta and bioenergy developments in Brazil and the U.S.

Additional clients and projects recognized
CH2M HILL’s project for King County, Wash. — the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant — was named Water Reuse Project of the Year. CH2M HILL, in partnership with Brown and Caldwell, led a team of over 20 firms to deliver preliminary design, final design, and services during construction of Brightwater, a new regional wastewater treatment facility near Seattle. The Brightwater regional wastewater system includes a state-of-the-art advanced wastewater treatment and reclamation facility, 13 miles of underground conveyance pipelines, and a marine outfall in Puget Sound. The 114-acre treatment plant site, reclaimed from automobile wrecking yards, has been transformed into a park-like area incorporating streams, wetlands, trails, overlook structures, and an Environmental Education/Community Center.

CH2M HILL acted as Owner’s Engineer and Representative for Water Corporation’s Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Perth, Australia, which earned the recognition of Desalination Plant of the Year. The facility is providing 50 billion litres of drinking water a year into the Integrated Water Supply Scheme to serve communities in Western Australia. With the completion of this project, more than 30 percent of Western Australia’s water supply will come from climate independent sources, vital for a region with a history of drought and that is seeing indications that it will become even drier in the future. In addition, the facility is 100 percent powered by renewable energy resources. The facility was built by the Southern Seawater Alliance, a consortium of Técnicas Reunidas, Valoriza Agua, AJ Lucas, WorleyParsons and Water Corporation.

The Gippsland Water Factory, an innovative wastewater treatment and recycling system in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, was recognized with an Award of Distinction for Industrial Water Project of the Year. The Gippsland Water Factory uses state-of-the-art technology, including biological treatment, membrane filtration, and reverse osmosis, to treat nearly 9.3 mgd (35 ML/d) of domestic and industrial wastewater. The Gippsland Water Factory produces 2 to 3 mgd (8 to 12 ML/d) of high-quality recycled water for use by local industry. Green engineering principles and design were incorporated throughout the project. The project was delivered using an alliance model, which included Gippsland Water as the principal sponsor and a consortium of CH2M HILL, Transfield Services and Parsons Brinckerhoff providing project management, design, construction and operations services.

The National Water Company, a government-owned joint stock company providing water and wastewater services in Saudi Arabia, earned an Award of Distinction for Public Water Agency of the Year. The company was recognized for investing heavily in its asset base, carrying out work on a number of significant projects to improve wastewater services to needy areas of the country. It also explored new energy-saving technologies, while improving customer services and moving closer to its goal of financial self-sufficiency. National Water Company is a client of CH2M HILL’s, with the firm working on projects like the Jeddah Sewage Lake Clean-Up Project, which was recognized with the Reuse Project of the Year Award last year.

Learn more about all of these projects and organizations at https://globalwaterawards.com.