Potable Water Treatment

An engineering specialty of WWE’s is potable water treatment. We have extensive experience with water treatment systems including small and remote public water systems. WWE’s treatment system designs range from simple groundwater disinfection to advanced surface water treatment for complex water chemistry. We strive to stay abreast and ahead of this rapidly changing regulatory, treatment technique, and technological environment and to maintain positive working relationships with the state health engineering staff.

Potable Water Storage

WWE sizes and designs water storage tanks for routine operational storage, emergency backup storage, and storage to meet fire department requirements for fire protection. Our work includes site selection for system hydraulics and review of site constraints, such as geologic hazards, property ownership, access, and site grading. We have designed tanks ranging from a few thousand gallons to millions of gallons; the tank materials include fiberglass, reinforced plastic, welded steel, bolted steel, and reinforced concrete in both above-ground or below-ground applications.

Water Distribution

WWE has comprehensive water distribution system planning and design experience. With advanced modern software, we determine necessary nodes and pressure zones to meet peak flow demands.

To serve water distribution systems for potable water service, including systems with high demand requirements for fire protection, WWE has designed, permitted, and coordinated construction on many pump stations ranging in size and complexity.

WWE also has experience with the design of pipelines supplied by groundwater supply wells and pump stations, including yard piping design, distribution network piping, and associated system modeling.

Water Quality and Corrosion Control

Corrosion is the degradation of a material due to a chemical reaction with its environment and is a real problem faced by public works, industries, and communities. At WWE, we often help clients with water quality and infrastructure degradation issues related to corrosion.

Within a water system, components can corrode or water quality can be altered based on the chemistry of the water, the chemical composition of the pipes, fittings, or other components in the system, and/or other conditions such as flow rates, temperatures, etc. WWE Chemist Dr. E. Robert Weiner (author of Applications of Environmental Aquatic Chemistry: A Practical Guide) and WWE senior engineers have long experience with the analysis of corrosion problems and the development of cures.

Water Rights and Hydrology Evaluation

The firm of WWE has over 50 years of experience in water rights engineering, with four staff members who each have been practicing water rights engineering for over 30 years. Our clients include federal, state, and local entities in Colorado and throughout the U.S. including, as examples, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. WWE water rights services range from preliminary evaluation of water rights through engineering to testimony for water court decrees. WWE’s staff of engineers, hydrologists, and hydrogeologists provide full capability in analyzing water rights. Analyses are performed efficiently with the use of GIS mapping and data management. WWE works closely with water attorneys to effectively serve the needs of our clients.

Reservoirs and Dams

WWE has conducted dam and reservoir planning, permitting, water rights/operations studies, design, and rehabilitation assignments throughout the West for over 50 years. We maintain a close working relationship with the Colorado Office of the State Engineer and have strong familiarity with the Rules and Regulations for Dam Safety and Dam Construction, not only in Colorado but also in other states. WWE’s work ranges from small augmentation ponds to impoundments with thousands of acre-feet. A specialty of WWE’s is retrofitting existing low-head dams to enhance public safety.

WWE has provided these services for more than 50 dams and reservoirs. We have designed and provided construction-phase services for numerous lakes and gravel pit reservoirs where minimization of water loss was critical. Our company prides itself on designs that are economical to construct and that receive swift regulatory approval.

Groundwater Wells

Approximately 20 percent of the nation’s water supply is derived from groundwater. This supply is retrieved using wells and infiltration galleries. Permitting, design, and construction oversight of these facilities are services offered by WWE. Appropriate design brings together the right combination of drilling/construction method, material selection, and design concepts to maximize withdrawal efficiency and production from each water supply facility. In addition, WWE provides assessment of the potential influences that the water supply source (aquifer) may have on the well (e.g., water quality and permeability limitations).

Water Conservation

WWE has been performing water conservation planning since our company was founded in 1961. WWE professionals not only understand the importance of water conservation in principle, but they have the technical expertise and skills to turn theory into practice when developing water conservation plans. WWE also understands the challenges of long-term water supply planning for local governments throughout Colorado and recognizes the substantial water savings that water providers can obtain through effective water conservation planning, including increasing efficiency and stretching water supplies through use of reclaimed water. WWE has played a leading role in landscape water conservation in Colorado, working closely with landscaping industries to establish within-industry water conservation and water quality best management practices (BMPs) and training programs, in both English and Spanish. WWE staff members frequently instruct courses on related topics such as Colorado water rights, landscape water conservation, stormwater management, and other topics. WWE’s Jane Clary was named 2008 Green Industry Person of the Year for her work in landscape water conservation.