The East Valley Water District in Highland, California, named Balfour Beatty the agency’s design-build partner for construction of the $126 million Sterling Natural Resource Center wastewater treatment facility. The water district issued the Balfour Beatty-led team, which includes Arcadis, a $2 million contract for initial design and permitting until a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the full design and construction can be established.
The group will design and construct the facility so that it produces water to recharge the natural groundwater aquifer, the Bunker Hill Groundwater Basin. The Sterling plant will also include a community center that provides education, entertainment and leisure opportunities. The facility will be able to first treat eight million gallons of water each day, with the capability to expand to 10 million gallons a day, and will create a new habitat for endangered fish.
In May, the water district announced that it had secured the $126 million for the project through the California State Water Resources Control Board, which was able to take advantage of $119 million in low-interest state loans and almost $7 million in state grants. Work is set to begin later this year and is expected to create about 800 temporary construction jobs across three years.