Burns & McDonnell completed Missouri's largest membrane bioreactor system as part of the city of Republic’s $145 million wastewater infrastructure program, according to an Oct. 29 news release.
The Kansas City, Missouri-based contractor has completed improvements on the city’s water reclamation facility, which has increased treatment capacity to 5 million gallons per day, according to the firm. The expansion features a first-of-its-kind treatment solution in Missouri that will help the city address compliance challenges and prepare for future projects.
The $145 million wastewater infrastructure program also includes peak wet weather improvements and three collection system projects. The city financed the improvement program through direct allocations, state revolving fund loans and revenue bonds, per the announcement.
Burns & McDonnell completed the project via progressive design-build, a first for Republic, per the announcement. When early estimates exceeded the project’s budget, the building team used value engineering tactics to bring the price down while preserving the original treatment objectives, per the news release. The city began working with the builder on a water and wastewater master plan in 2017.
“Working as one team helped us respond to cost pressures, plan construction around ongoing operations and prepare staff to operate the new systems,” said Alli White, operations manager at Burns & McDonnell, in the news release.
A steady stream of water projects have taken off around the country, driven by aging infrastructure and environmental concerns, according to Jaren Murphy, president of water for McCarthy Building Cos.
“Today, almost every large municipality, water resource district, whatever it may be, has a billion-dollar-plus capital improvement plan and is trying to improve infrastructure, building new plants,” Murphy told Construction Dive in August. “The overall growth of this market has really been incredible the last five years.”
For Burns and McDonnell’s part, the company is bullish on the water market going into 2027.
“The industry is looking for innovative thinking and complete delivery capabilities, from identifying the right water quality for a particular use to bringing projects through construction, startup and operational support,” Ron Williams, vice president of water operations, told Construction Dive via email. “Republic illustrates that broader approach.”
