Water treatment plant—s administration and operations building achieves LEED Gold certification

BROOMFIELD, COLO. — MWH Global announced that Sacramento County Water Agency’s (SCWA) Vineyard Surface Water Treatment Plant administration/operations building achieved LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The administration/operations building and process areas were designed by MWH.

LEED certification is based on a number of green design and construction features that positively impact the project and the broader community. The plant’s 38,000-square-foot administration and operations building features extensive use of natural lighting, reduced use of water, onsite solar panels, and computer-controlled lighting heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. The design team specified sustainable products with low VOCs, and achieved an overall 20 percent recycled materials content.

“LEED Gold certification for the Vineyard Surface Water Treatment plant is a huge accomplishment for Sacramento County Water Agency (SCWA) and for our project team,” said Bruce Howard, Americas president of government and infrastructure for MWH. “As part of our commitment to building a better world, MWH looks for opportunities to infuse sustainable design and construction principles into each of our projects around the world. The result: reduced costs through more efficient use of resources and an infrastructure that will meet the needs of future generations.”

The 50-mgd Vineyard Surface Water Treatment Plant (WTP) was built as part of SCWA’s conjunctive use program. The aim was to reduce dependency on local groundwater resources by building a surface-water treatment plant that provides high-quality drinking water from the Sacramento River. Consistent with the region’s heritage, the plant’s administration and operations building design incorporates Tuscan-style architecture and landscape features. MWH provided preliminary and final design as well as engineering services during construction.

In March, the Vineyard Surface Water Treatment Plant project was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) California Region as an outstanding water treatment project for 2012. The award recognizes projects from around the state that demonstrate the greatest engineering skill and represent the greatest contribution to civil engineering progress and to society.