1. ENR MOUNTAIN STATES 2013 BEST PROJECTS AWARD
Project Description
The Southern Delivery System (SDS) is a Southern Colorado project that will bring water from
the Arkansas River to residents and businesses in the City of Colorado Springs, the City of
Fountain, Security Water District and Pueblo West Metropolitan District. The project is
needed to maximize the communities’ investment in existing water delivery infrastructure,
provide for a redundant method of delivery for Colorado Springs western slope water supply
and ensure capacity for the region’s forecasted future growth. This delivery is critical to
maintaining a healthy economy and quality of life, to ensuring an uninterrupted and reliable
water supply for both domestic and commercial use and to protecting the community against
future drought, particularly important in
the arid Western United States.
Colorado Springs Utilities and MWH staff
are working together as an integrated
program management team (SDS Project
Team) alongside the general contractor
and design engineer.
The project is divided into more than 20
separate work packages with delivery of
water to the project partners expected
by April 2016. In June 2011, the South
Pipeline 2 project, one of the most
complex phases of pipeline construction,
required the installation of 6.4 miles of
66-inch diameter, welded steel pipe
through a residential area in Pueblo
West, CO. The project involved trenching
and pipe laying in easements on more
than 125 properties, tunneling
underneath a busy state highway,
purchasing and demolishing five houses,
relocating two residential septic systems
and the crossing of existing potable
water pipelines serving the community.
Overcoming Challenges and Teamwork
As Program Manager, MWH outlined the key focus areas and expectations associated with
the delivery of South Pipeline 2 as safety, quality and public involvement. Garney
Construction was awarded the contract as general contractor and was quick to join the
integrated team approach to meet the challenges.

2. A significant challenge associated with this project was its proximity to the surrounding
residential community. The SDS Project Team collectively managed critical issues related to
community safety, such as limiting the use of and/or placing barriers around open trenches
during evenings and weekends; relocating school bus stops; mailing and hand-delivering
notices of haul routes and road closures/detours; and installing construction fencing
compatible with residents’ needs. The proactive team effort resulted in no lost-time or
recordable safety incidents for the contractor or the public.
Installation of the 66-inch pipeline crossed 15 asbestos potable water lines that serve the
residential community. By working closely with project partner Pueblo West Metropolitan
District, the SDS Project Team minimized disruption to the community by installing additional
valves and replacing lines on the existing water system before construction. Similarly
Colorado Springs Utilities and MWH staff worked with local utility Black Hills Energy to
relocate electrical lines before construction to minimize the risks associated with working
underneath and around power lines.
Another challenge while constructing South
Pipeline 2 was handling unknown buried utilities
such as telephone and cable services. Many
utilities were found to be unmarked and at
shallow depths due to the prevalence of rock and
shale. Construction resulted in occasional
disruption of utilities services for residents. When
these disruptions occurred, the SDS Project Team
quickly identified the service, contacted and
informed the affected residents and verified
when the utility company completed repairs.
Temporary cell phones and/or internet hotspots
also were supplied to residents as needed.
Safety Program Description
Colorado Springs Utilities and MWH pre-qualified seven contractors to competitively bid on
the South Pipeline 2 project. The bid documentation set a high standard for the site-specific
safety plan, clearly communicating to potential bidders the safety expectations of the SDS
Project Team.
The successful bidder, Garney Construction, presented a program with a clear expectation of
safety for all employees and subcontractors, setting a high safety standard that was upheld
through completion of the project. At the start of work, Garney Construction implemented a
daily Safety Task Analysis Card, which was distributed prior to commencement of any
construction activity. This prompted workers to analyze hazards and plan for the unexpected
during construction.

3. MWH supplied field inspection staff to oversee the execution of construction and provide
coordination for Colorado Springs Utilities. Garney Construction completed 87,000 hours
worked without a lost-time safety incident and without any recordable safety incidents. As
stated by John Fredell, the SDS Program Director, “This is particularly impressive considering
the potentially hazardous nature of conducting trenching construction operations through
residential communities. The South Pipeline 2 section was one of the more complex projects
in the SDS Program construction and Garney Construction’s team delivered this extremely
well.”
Innovation & Contribution to the Industry/Community
The SDS Project Team designed and implemented an innovative public involvement program
for the South Pipeline 2 project that focused on relationship-building with residents of
affected areas before, during and after construction. A key benefit of this process was that
staff were able to assess any needs – physical disabilities of residents that require special
access, for example -- and to prevent or resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Team members
communicated with residents via letters, door hanger notices, e-mail, newsletters, signage,
personal visits and several community appreciation events. Team members staffed a 24-hour
telephone hotline, which proved to be an essential tool. The team also collaborated with
regulatory agencies, emergency first responders and businesses to address concerns. The
public involvement component of the project served not just to prevent or resolve issues for
residents but also as a key tool in the project’s compliance with permits and other regulatory
requirements. This intensive approach enabled the team to mitigate and close out concerns
for the 125-plus properties associated with South Pipeline 2.
One innovative way to contribute to the community came from an unusual source – the
project’s need to purchase and remove five houses. After the former owners were relocated,
the SDS Project Team partnered with the local Habitat for Humanity to recycle fixtures and
building materials from the houses. Then the houses were offered to emergency services for
training. Area fire and police departments cut roofs for access, practiced many firefighting
techniques and performed mock SWAT responses for armed standoffs. The project team
learned during this collaboration that the first responders desired confined space training and
other emergency exercises. By
accommodating the requests, the
project team helped to improve the
training of personnel serving the
community and demonstrated the SDS
Project’s commitment to community
partnerships. The team also facilitated
regular meetings with first-responders
to discuss upcoming construction and
identify and identify information
needs for the multiple jurisdictions
along the pipeline alignment.

4. Construction Quality & Craftsmanship
The determination of probable construction costs during design was critical to Colorado
Springs Utilities. MWH requested that the South Pipeline 2 design engineer perform a
systematic value engineering of the pipeline, particularly the joint design, as this would
impact the construction schedule. Among the value engineering proposals accepted was the
use of weld-after-backfill (WAB), a construction technique for steel water conveyance
pipelines in which the bell and spigot lap joint is internally welded after the exterior joint
coating is applied and the pipe trench backfilled. WAB results in faster pipe installation,
minimizing construction disruption to the residential community, and a lower installation
cost. Welding and follow-up inspection on the inside of a large-diameter pipe can be safer
and more practical than welding on the pipe joint exterior, where work can be performed in a
shored trench and under unpredictable weather. WAB saved Colorado Springs Utilities
considerable cost and significantly shortened the construction schedule.
To control quality during construction, the SDS Project Team chose a number of specialized,
independent quality firms who provided quality inspections and oversight services such as:
• Certified Weld Inspection
• Geotechnical Materials Testing
• NACE-Certified Corrosion Protection
• Noise and Dust Background Levels and Monitoring
• Seismic Monitoring of Construction Vibration
• Revegetation Specialist Consultation
• Pre-construction Photography and Videotaping
The SDS Project Team also sponsored a number of workshops to attract locally owned or
small firms and/or those owned by minorities or women to participate in the quality work.
Another key quality step came when MWH coordinated consultant inspections and shared
the results with Garney Construction, thus eliminating the need for costly additional testing .
Colorado Springs Utilities, MWH and Garney Construction are currently performing annual
inspections for the four-year warranty phase of the project lifecycle.
Function and Aesthetic Quality of the Design
Colorado Springs Utilities is a dynamic, municipally owned utility with multiple specialist
divisions supporting water, wastewater, power generation/distribution and gas. These
specialist divisions were involved in the design reviews, providing expertise in health and
safety, security, corrosion protection, fiber-optic communications, laboratory services, raw
water operations and environmental services. The collaboration with those divisions was very
beneficial; among the ideas that came from the surveying and mapping group was to
reference all pipe joint locations with the global positioning system (GPS) during final
installation. The result is a detailed record for future maintenance use.

5. The South Pipeline 2 design engineer worked closely with Colorado Springs Utilities and MWH
to provide comprehensive design documentation that included feedback from multiple
stakeholders including local governments, various affected utilities and individual residents.
There are limited aesthetic features for a buried pipeline, however, all above-ground
features, such as air release vents, blow off and discharge chambers, were installed to
minimize the aesthetic impacts to landowners. The design engineer also designated haul
routes to minimize the impact of construction traffic on residential roads. One technique was
to use pilot cars to guide deliveries of pipe and large equipment so that the construction
traffic could more easily stay on the predetermined haul routes.
The final restoration and revegetation of the South Pipeline 2 disturbed area was of particular
importance to residents during outreach discussions. The SDS Project Team procured a
separate specialty contractor for this critical phase of construction to directly manage the soil
preparation, planting and irrigation needs. At the request of project partner Pueblo West
Metropolitan District, the SDS Project Team also improved an existing trail along the pipeline
easement for the community to enjoy upon completion of the project.