Project Milestone at $112.5 Million Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant Revitalization

By Traci Peterson, Arlington Water Utilities

Posted on October 13, 2022, October 13, 2022

Big things are happening behind the fence at the City of Arlington’s Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant as part of the ongoing $112.5 million plant revitalization project.

On Friday, Oct. 7, the on-site contractor for the project, Archer Western, LLC, poured 2,600 cubic yards of concrete to construct the base of one of two underground clearwells on the southeast corner of the site. These clearwells will eventually store eight million gallons of water.

The concrete pour started about 12:30 a.m. and lasted into Friday afternoon, with about 280 trucks bringing in fresh loads of concrete throughout the day. Four massive pumper trucks were needed to deliver the cement to the right place inside base of the tank site.

The clearwell base is 198 feet across and 28 inches thick. Freese & Nichols, Inc. is the construction management company hired for the four-project, which kicked off in November 2021. (Time lapse video is courtesy of Albert Munguia.)

The Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plant, at 1901 Lakewood Drive, was built in 1972 and has a current water treatment capacity of 75 million gallons per day. The current upgrades will include the replacement of chemical feed facilities used during the water treatment process, clearwells where water is stored, and high service pumps used to send water to homes and businesses. Electrical improvements are also part of the project.

Arlington Water Utilities operates the John F. Kubala and Pierce-Burch Water Treatment Plants, producing more than 18 billion gallons of treated tap water for the City of Arlington each year.