Innovations of EchoWater: Program Standards and Innovations That Led to the Successful Delivery of Projects on a $1.7 Billion Program

Abstract Summary
EchoWater is a $1.7B program to deliver enhanced wastewater treatment at the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant (SRWTP) in Elk Grove, CA. To meet compliance deadlines, the program required a phased approach involving multiple designers and contractors working within the confines of an operating facility. Successful delivery of the EchoWater program was made possible by implementing a combination of best practices and innovative standards to meet obligations to both the environment and the rate payers. This paper goes beyond the traditional aspects of the Program Management Plan (PMP) and highlights the key innovations that went into the PMP. EchoWater had significant innovations for the following topics: - Project Controls - Asset Management - Risk Management - BIM/Visual Design/4D/5D
Project Background
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District (Regional San) provides regional wastewater conveyance, treatment, and disposal through the operation of the SRWTP. Approximately 1.6 million people are located within the Regional San service area. As a result of permit requirements adopted by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) and as amended by orders, Regional San is required to substantially reduce total nitrogen and ammonia effluent levels and to also install tertiary filtration treatment for enhanced pathogen removal. Full compliance with the adopted and amended permit was required by May 2021 for ammonia and nitrate removal, and May 2023 for Title 22 tertiary filtration and disinfection. To achieve these major treatment changes, multiple design and construction packages were envisioned and scoped. EchoWater is comprised of 22 projects with values from $1M to over $400M.
Innovation in Project Controls
The EchoWater Program Management Office (PMO) selected PMWeb for the Program Management Information System (PMIS) platform and highly customized the system. In addition to scheduling and cost control elements, the software included document control that initiated the migration of data and documentation into Regional San's existing data management systems. The customized PMWeb system included 90 functions (e.g., RFI, test reports, commissioning, access request, etc.) and the workflows had to be tailored for each project. The system experienced an average of 500 logins per day by all different parties (owner, PMO, designers, contractors).
Innovation in Asset Data and Document Transfer
A key success criterion in the EchoWater Program Management Charter was the transfer of O&M manuals, product submittals, and asset data in step with project commissioning. For programs of this scale and complexity, delivery on this lofty goal required a Data Management Manual as part of the PMP. This document provided a roadmap for the PMO, designers, and District staff to follow for consistent, comprehensive asset data management. The PMO used the Manual to establish a common understanding of the functionality of the asset management design database (AMDD). The AMDD provided means and the quality control steps to successfully migrate the data from PMWeb into the computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) (i.e. Maximo). As outlined in the Data Management Manual, the PMO also developed a submittal metadata database (SMDB) system, a web-based application that enabled the digital transfer of EchoWater documents from PMWeb into Regional San's existing electronic document management system (EDM), FileNet. This application also provided Regional San QC review capabilities prior to migration into FileNet.
The asset data and document workflow model is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1 – Innovation in Risk Management Risk management was integrated into the culture of the EchoWater project from Day 1 and involved a shared commitment from Regional San and the PMO. This meant that everyone shared the responsibility of identifying and planning for risks to the program's cost and schedule. Risk management was seen as an integrated activity in both project and program management. Well-established methods of risk analysis were performed to assess the understanding of and feedback on the impact of risks. However, risk management ultimately involves active communication about these risks as well as detailed plans for avoiding or minimizing negative impacts, or potentially exploiting opportunities. In this regard, PMWeb functioned as an innovative and essential tool for collecting, updating, and presenting information on risks. To support a consistent approach, the Risk Management Plan was integrated into the PMP, but day to day activities were visible in the PMWeb via dashboards and reports as shown in Figure 2 below. Figure 2 –
Innovation to Implement Full Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Early in the EchoWater planning process, Regional San made the decision to use intelligent 3D BIM modeling as part of the project design requirements. To facilitate design, construction, commissioning, and eventual operations and maintenance, the PMO created a BIM policy and standards for the design teams. These standards included processes for updating model data from design through construction and eventual transfer to operations. In addition to the planning and design benefits of the BIM models, Regional San integrated schedule and cost information as additional capabilities to improve management and meet construction time, cost, and quality goals.
Benefit: Issue Visualization Pre-construction use of BIM is very effective in visualization of design options and site utilization planning. All stakeholders, including plant operations and maintenance staff, could see what was being designed, and they could more effectively identify issues to be addressed. The PMO leveraged virtual reality headsets allowing stakeholders (operators and managers) to 'walk through' the designed facilities. In lieu of having operators sift through 1,700 drawings late in contract development, the headsets allowed Regional San staff to identify issues before the construction contract was put out to bid.
Benefit: Schedule Analysis Taking the 3D models to the next level of 4D and 5D is achieved through the linkage of BIM model entities to schedule activities. During construction, requiring the contractor to use the 4D tools to review their own baseline schedules allowed the contractor to identify and resolve problems before submission to Regional San. By combining all the BIM models and the various project schedules, a 'federated' program model and schedule provided up-to-date cash flow diagrams and allowed Regional San to plan for contractor staffing levels.
Summary
The implementation of innovative standards has contributed to delivering EchoWater on schedule and on budget. To date, the regulatory milestone for ammonia and nitrate removal was met one month early (April 2021). The milestone for Title 22 tertiary filtration and disinfection is anticipated to be achieved in October 2022, more than 7 months early. Once completed, Regional San will have the largest tertiary treatment facility of its kind in the country. The technology implemented on the EchoWater Project delivery saved Regional San significant costs, and will continue to pay dividends in the future.