Fort Lauderdale—s WaterWorks expected to be completed one year ahead of schedule

DENVER — CH2M HILL partnered with the city of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to create WaterWorks 2011, a $690 million citywide program management initiative to overhaul Fort Lauderdale’s water, wastewater, and sewer infrastructure. The project was originally scheduled for completion in 2011, but CH2M HILL expects to fully deliver its commitments one year ahead of schedule.

The city of Fort Lauderdale boasts an intricate network of canals, miles of beaches, and coral reef systems. WaterWorks 2011 will help to safeguard its valuable tourism industry, protect the public’s health and safety, enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses, and ensure a sustainable future for its community. When WaterWorks 2011 was established in 2001, the program team committed to the following missions:

• provide modern wastewater service to all customers;
• improve the quality and reliability of drinking water for all customers, maximizing the benefits to the community;
• optimize use of financial resources and assure financial viability of the program;
• leave capabilities in place to sustain continued development of the infrastructure; and
• communicate effectively with stakeholders and implement practical ways to help the community cope with construction impacts.

According to CH2M Hill, the program team has achieved these goals by utilizing program delivery approaches to utility infrastructure, financial management, community involvement, local small business outreach, and team integration, which included skills transfer through staff co-location.

According the CH2M Hill, the program helped spur economic development by implementing a contractor outreach program to maximize local business participation. Almost 40 percent of the cost for program management services was paid to local subconsultants, and more than 180 locally based firms worked on the program. Strong contractor management and prequalification strategies minimized disruption to residents, improved schedule performance, and reduced the overall cost of delays.