Client: City of Galena
Location: Galena, Alaska
Project Completion: 2006
PDC Involvement:
- Master Planning
- Civil Engineering
- Structural Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental Document & Permitting
- Construction Administration
- Land Survey
PDC has designed several phases of improvements to Galena’s utilidors, sewage lagoon, wastewater collection and treatment systems, backup well, and water storage, treatment, and distribution system.
In 1999, PDC completed a master plan for the improvement of the existing City-operated truck-haul water delivery and community-wide sewage pick up. Water system recommendations included a new 200,000-gallon water storage tank and extension of piped water throughout the community. The sewer system portion involved developing and evaluating concepts for truck haul and gravity, pressure, and vacuum piped systems and on-site treatment systems. The capacity of the two-cell facultative sewage lagoon was evaluated and expansion alternatives were developed.
PDC’s sub-consultants evaluated the water treatment system and conducted subsurface explorations and geotechnical engineering studies. From this, recommendations for the water line construction, a foundation for the proposed water tank, and estimates of infiltration rates in the proposed area of the community leach field were made. The master plan report presented the existing conditions and a 20 year capital improvements plan. To date, the City has used this plan to secure funding for a backup well, lagoon dike improvements, on-site sewer, and piped water improvements.
Also in 1999, PDC designed improvements to the lagoon dikes to raise them above the 100 year flood level and evaluated discharge options (percolation cells, leach fields, and a river outfall) to handle future growth. A community leach field was selected to handle the effluent. In 2001, to implement the sewer improvements recommended in the master plan, PDC provided standard drawings for the City to use to install on-site wastewater treatment systems (septic systems), individual aerated treatment units (XSTPs), or holding tanks, as appropriate for each lot, as funding was secured.
In 2003, PDC completed final design documents for 2.5 miles of water lines to provide piped service to 110 existing homes and future service to 80 vacant lots. GV Jones and Associates assessed the water quality and recommended improvements to increase treatment efficiency in the water plant. From 2004 to 2006, PDC provided construction administration services during construction of the Phase II water expansion and water treatment plant improvements. The new water system has operated without a problem through its first two years of service.
