Tetra Tech Recognized by CASFM for Preserving a Local Water Supply in Colorado

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At the annual Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM) Conference, Tetra Tech, the City of Loveland, and Ayres Associates received the Grand Award for Project of the Year for their combined efforts to save the water supply of Loveland, Colorado.

CASFM selects three projects to be presented at their annual meeting, and members choose the recipient of this prestigious award. Selection is based on multiple criteria such as enhancement to environmental surroundings and public safety, incorporation of innovative solutions or designs, and ability to serve as a model for future projects.

Saving Loveland’s water supply during severe flooding

In September 2013, torrential downpours in Colorado led to devastating floods that destroyed two out of three water transmission lines that supply drinking water to tens of thousands of people in the Loveland area. The only remaining water line was in danger of being compromised by the high velocity of water and rolling boulders hammering the pipeline as the water moved downstream. This dire situation created an unimaginable challenge—move a river at flood stage. 

Tetra Tech’s Dan Evans, a water resource engineer in our Fort Collins office, contacted a friend and former co-worker employed at the City. Evans volunteered whatever he and Tetra Tech were able to supply to help save the city’s compromised water supply.

Tetra Tech drafted a plan to re-excavate the original channel, create a man-made headcut, and work on the opposite side of the river to open a path for redirected flows from the spur dikes (temporary levees) being put in by the local engineering team. The team’s ability to work quickly and effectively allowed this project, which would have normal taken several weeks, to be completed in three days. The team’s combined efforts were successful in keeping Loveland’s water supply in operation.

Tetra Tech is honored to have worked on such a meaningful project and to help a community in a time of need.