The Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) promotes the integration of design and construction services through design-build (DB) project delivery to create lasting value for owners and the communities they serve. Wade Trim served as the engineer on fixed-price DB teams for three water and wastewater facility improvement projects that were recently honored by DBIA National and the DBIA Florida Region. DBIA awards recognize projects and teams that improve our industry and raise the bar for cost and schedule performance, quality, innovation, owner satisfaction, and triple-bottom line success.

In Michigan, the Great Lakes Water Authority’s (GLWA) Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Facilities Structural Improvements DB project received a DBIA National Award of Merit. This long-term maintenance program was undertaken to improve structural elements at nine CSO treatment facilities that protect the Detroit and Rouge Rivers during wet weather events. As Engineer of Record for the DB team led by Pullman, Wade Trim assessed the condition of these facilities using traditional and reality capture inspection techniques. When the identified repair needs exceeded available funding, the team created a risk-based matrix comparing each defect’s probability of failure with its potential consequences. This framework allowed GLWA to direct funding first toward conditions posing the greatest structural, safety, or operational risk. By allowing investigation to define the scope, DB helped GLWA direct limited public funds toward the repairs that reduced the greatest systemwide risk.

In Florida, The Tampa Bay Water Desalination Intake Pump Station – Phase 2 DB project received a DBIA Best in Small Projects Award and National Award of Merit, as well as a DBIA Florida Region Project of the Year Award. Tampa Bay Water faced a critical challenge: ensuring the long-term reliability of one of the region’s only desalination facilities amid increasing drought conditions, growing infrastructure demands, and coastal vulnerability. Wade Trim was the lead designer for the Archer Western Construction DB team to deliver a 50-MGD seawater intake system, seamlessly integrated into an active power generation facility undergoing conversion. Delivered ahead of schedule and under budget, this project demonstrates how innovation, collaboration, and disciplined execution can overcome extreme logistical, environmental, and operational challenges.

Hernando County’s Lockhart Water Treatment Plant Expansion DB project received a DBIA Florida Region Merit Award. System reliability, operational flexibility, and long-term capacity were improved to support rapid community growth and increased fire flow demands in the County’s Northeast region. A 6.65-MGD high-service pump station (HSPS) and 2-MG pre-stressed concrete ground storage tank (GST) were delivered by the DB team of Wade Trim and Archer Western Construction. Additional components include a new well house with a vertical turbine groundwater pump, liquid chemical storage and feed facility, new generator, raw water piping, and extensive site improvements including soil stabilization and stormwater management.