As one of the largest water utilities in Georgia, the DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management (DWM) developed and approved a $2.4-billion capital improvement program (CIP) to maintain and invest in its water and wastewater infrastructure. Under a consent decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, the County’s CIP is focused on continuing consent decree compliance and long-term protection of public health and the environment. As part of a Joint Venture team with Engineering Design Technologies and RK Reeves, Wade Trim was selected for a 4-year Construction Management Services contract for improvements at the County’s wastewater collection system, wastewater lift and pump stations, water transmission and distribution system, water booster stations, and water and wastewater treatment and storage facilities.

The projects associated with the consent decree program include flow meter installation, sewer system CCTV inspections, rain gauge installation, manhole rehabilitation, lift station upgrades and rehabilitation, sewer pipe relocation, and emergency point repair. Oversight and administrative management were delivered on all Ongoing Sewer Assessment and Rehabilitation Program (OSARP) projects, Proactive Reactive Assessment and Cleaning (PRAC) contracts, and sanitary sewer cleaning contracts throughout the county’s collection system. We also oversaw the County’s Valve and Hydrant Exercising program and Consent Decree Linear Data Asset Data Management efforts. Each project required detailed site-specific safety plans, a performance tracking log, creation of a weekend work request template, updates to existing standard operating procedures, creation of new detail sheets, and development of a standard traffic control and safety reference sheet for field staff to quickly access on-site. Additionally, the Joint Venture provided project training for workplace safety, entering confined spaces, DWM OSHA required certification, construction management, erosion and sedimentation control, and sewer system infrastructure assessment via the National Association of Sewer Service Companies (NASSCO).