The grand opening for the CH2M HILL-designed International Water Quality Laboratory was held on May 10, 2006 by El Paso Water Utilities. Four smaller labs are consolidated at the new facility, which incorporates the state-of-the-art equipment needed for today’s sensitive and complex testing requirements. The laboratory also features an enhanced security system, a dedicated data management system and a modern, open design that includes exposed ceilings and glass partitions that fill the area with natural light.
The International Water Quality Laboratory was built adjacent to the Haskell R. Street Wastewater Treatment Plant in Central El Paso, Texas. The $7.6 million facility also houses the Industrial Pretreatment Department and Wastewater Division offices. Other firms who assisted in the design included: Perspectiva, Zamora Engineering, Gonzalo Aquilar Engineers and Bath Engineering. Construction was performed by SamCorp General Contractors.
CH2M HILL Area Manager Sam Irrinki attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor John F. Cook; Ed Archuleta, El Paso Water Utilities general manager; Fermnin Acosta Jr., Richard O. Martinez, Ruben E. Guerra and Maria F. Teran of the Public Service Board; Lorenzo Aguilar of Perspectiva; and Humberto Sambrano, SamCorp General Contractors.
Laboratory personnel receive almost 40,000 samples each year and perform more than 200,000 chemical and biological analyses. Some of the tests are required by agencies that monitor water and wastewater treatment plants. The number of tests has been steadily climbing and is expected to exceed 300,000 by 2012. The additional tests are the result of new and more stringent regulations and an increased number of requests for assistance from outside agencies. The new International Water Quality Laboratory will meet the challenges of current and future regional, state and federal regulatory requirements.
Source: CH2M HILL
