Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System Project
About the Project
In 2018, as part of the Rocky Boy’s/North Central Montana Regional Water System Project, AE2S began design efforts for the Rocky Boy’s Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Project. During the design process, the need for 3 million gallons of on-site storage was identified. With the approximate size of the tank determined, tank material and construction types needed to be evaluated.
Project Details
Date: 2018 – Present
Client: Chippewa Cree Construction Corporation
Key Project Elements
- Fire Protection Considerations
- Aesthetics and Visual Appearance Evaluation
- Geotechnical Design and Underdrain Systems
- O&M Considerations and Evaluations
- Design Concept fit the Owner’s Overall Project Budget
Determine the need and establish costs
AE2S collected and evaluated pricing information, constructability concerns, operations maintenance and replacement (OM&R) considerations and aesthetic possibilities on three primary tank options. Through this process, two separate types of tanks were considered, in addition to glass fused bolted steel tanks. During the initial quoting process, the cast-in-place tank was determined to be a more expensive option to the precast tank. To meet the Owner’s objective to keep costs low, cast-in-place tanks were eliminated from consideration.
Full quotes were then gathered for a 3 million-gallon precast tank as well as a 3 million gallon glass fused bolted steel tank. After evaluation, glass fused bolted steel tanks were determined to have a higher OM&R cost due to the need for more frequent maintenance of the coatings and sealants used in comparison to precast tanks.
Following the evaluation of pricing, constructability, operations and maintenance and replacement (OM&R) considerations and aesthetic possibilities on the three primary tank options, AE2S concluded that a precast tank represented the best path forward for the 3-million-gallon ground storage reservoir. Full design of the tank, site, piping and appurtenances commenced and was completed ahead of schedule.
