2010
Residents might not know by looking at it, but the Lighthouse Point Water Reclamation Facility treats nearly all of Blaine's wastewater. At 23,000 square feet and with most equipment below ground level, the facility occupies an unusually small footprint, minimizing its impact on surrounding ecosystems—and views from the surrounding park and marina.
Harris provided construction oversight, coordination, quality assurance and contract administration on the facility to guide to fruition what was then the largest municipal project in the city’s history. The result: a new facility that treats a peak flow of 3.1 million gallons per day—producing an environmentally friendly and safe effluent while maintaining the area’'s iconic waterfront panoramas.
From the start, Harris employed a scrupulous approach. Before even going out for bid, we performed a comprehensive review of the project design documents, plans and specifications. The review team included discipline specialists in specifications (Division 0 to 1), geotechnical, civil/earthwork, architectural, electrical, mechanical and instrumentation. Ultimately, the review generated 374 comments—estimating a $650,000 cost savings for consideration.
Once construction began, Harris' services included management of submittals and RFIs, schedules, estimates and monthly status reports. Throughout the two-year construction phase, Harris performed daily site inspections to confirm compliance with plans, specifications, approved submittals, permit requirements and best management practices for environmental protection.
In June 2010, the Lighthouse Point Water Reclamation Facility began treating all city wastewater (except for a small portion of the city that a 30-plus-year-old wastewater treatment plant treated). The facility’s completion made possible decommission of the aging plant.
Core Elements
Built on approximately one acre of city-owned property within Marine Park, the Lighthouse Point Reclamation Facility is surrounded on three sides by water. The facility contains all physical and biological processes needed for complete wastewater treatment and reclaimed water production.
Specifically, the $30 million facility includes:
- GE Zenon MBR membrane equipment
- Centrifugal blowers
- Influent and effluent pumping
- Aeration basins with high-efficiency turbo blowers, diffusers, mixers and pumps
- Chemical storage tanks
- Electrical and instrumentation systems
- Odor mitigation towers
- Administration and maintenance buildings
Beyond the Blueprints
Due to the project’s sensitive nature, Harris requested regular inspections from city inspectors, design team representatives and the Department of Ecology. The surrounding marine environment meant construction operations were restricted to specific working hours, and Harris team members paid special attention to lighting and noise levels. Bird fencing was also installed to screen nesting areas of endangered waterfowl.
Harris played a vital community outreach role as well, updating city officials and the public as the project developed. Communication efforts included attending city council meetings, providing in-progress photos and partnering with Blaine’s public works department to offer guided tours during construction.
