Prairie Waters - Aurora, Colo.
At $192 million, and located on 80 acres, Prairie Waters is the largest project ever undertaken by Western Summit without a joint venture partner. When finished, this state-of-the-art water purification facility will increase water supply by 20 percent, or about 3.3 billion gallons per year.
One of the most environmentally sustainable water supply systems in the West, Prairie Waters will use water from the South Platte River, naturally purifying it using a unique process that creates no waste to discharge. Up to 50 million gallons of water per day will be treated and then blended with flow from the nearby Aurora Reservoir.
The plant will be supported by more than 39,000 linear feet of piping, ranging in size from 4 inches to 72 inches in diameter, and buried up to 45 feet deep.
One unique aspect of the project is a contract worth $50 million that required simultaneous construction of three separate pump stations. A pipeline carries the water, from the South Platte River to the pump stations - one in Brighton, another near E-470, north of Pena Boulevard and the last one in Aurora, near Gun Club Road. The pump stations lift the water almost 1000 feet so it can make its way over a ridge and ultimately to the Binney Water Purification Facility, located near Aurora Reservoir.