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City of Atlanta Water Supply Program

Providing water sustainability for the next 100 years

  • 500'

    Deep

  • 5

    Miles

  • 10'

    Diameter

  • Atlanta, Georgia

    Atlanta, Georgia

Moving raw water from the Chattahoochee River to two water treatment plants and storage facilities

Stantec is designing and providing construction administration for the underground aspects of the City of Atlanta's top priority infrastructure project—the Raw Water Supply Program. Current infrastructure includes components dating back to the 1890s, with critical portions well beyond their design life. The new system moves raw water from the Chattahoochee River to a quarry and the Hemphill and Chattahoochee water treatment plants providing water sustainability for over 100 years.

The project consists of 5 miles of 10-foot inside diameter tunnel in hard and abrasive Gneiss bedrock, a 2.4-billion-gallon quarry for raw water storage (one of the largest in the world), 10 shafts, raw water intake, pump station retrofit, and three new pump stations. The tunnel varies in depth from 250 feet to over 500 feet. The project is being delivered via a CM@Risk contract, making it the longest such tunnel ever built in North America.

Challenges include mining near the river and under the City's only active raw water reservoir, the Brevard Fault system, inability to shutdown treatment facilities, and construction near residences. To enhance project completion, we adopted an aggressive design schedule that includes multiple parallel activities, daily reporting of subsurface investigation results, geologic mapping of shaft and tunnel construction, and tunnel lining selection as mining progresses.

We are using the Envision rating system to incorporate sustainable design practices throughout the project.

At a Glance

Offices
Article
On A Grand Scale
Meet Our Team

Steve Fradkin, Tunneling Technology Manager

Although the work and results are generally unseen, the results of my work benefit everyone.

Mayra Giraldo, Process Engineer in Training

I always try to find efficient ways to work, and I try to put myself in the client’s shoes to predict their needs and questions.

Carley Humphreys, Senior Principal

I enjoy working in teams with staff, consultants, and clients. It’s impressive to see what we can accomplish when we collaborate.

Manuel Perez, Principal, GIS Manager

The value of geospatial and locational intelligence grows every year—we help clients make informed decisions to ensure they succeed.

John Take, Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer

Protecting entire cities from flooding or helping industries keep their processes running—for me, it’s all about moving water.
John Take Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer Read More

Adam Bedell, Principal, Tunnel and Trenchless Geologist

I believe the projects I work on should serve my neighbors whose taxes fund them as much as the larger regional community.

Steve Fradkin

Tunneling Technology Manager

Mayra Giraldo

Process Engineer in Training

Carley Humphreys

Senior Principal

Manuel Perez

Principal, GIS Manager

John Take

Executive Vice President, Chief Growth & Innovation Officer

Adam Bedell

Principal, Tunnel and Trenchless Geologist

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