From 1950 to 1970, the Phoenix metro’s population nearly tripled. This led to increased urban development, a booming economy, and a need for nearly 30 billion gallons of reliable, clean water a year. To quench this thirst, the City of Phoenix, chose Sundt to build the Val Vista Water Treatment Plant in Mesa, Arizona. It opened in 1975 and delivers 200 million gallons of water a day (MGD) to the surrounding communities. And they’ve continued to tap Sundt for various upgrades and renovations.
 

1975 – A NEW WTP RISES TO MEET THE VALLEY’S GROWTH

 
The City of Phoenix selected Sundt as the prime contractor for the original 80 MGD facility that sat on 193 acres. Over the next half century, Sundt provided improvements and upgrades to grow the facility to almost three times the capacity.

 

2010 – BIG UPGRADES TO MEET FEDERAL STANDARDS

Thirty-five years later, Val Vista needed an update to keep up with federal water quality standards. Regulations required that the plant remove substances that can create harmful by-products during water treatment, so the City of Phoenix elected to use post-filter, Granular Activated Carbon (GAC). Sundt also installed and replaced process piping in the filter gallery to improve operations.

2010 Upgrades:

• 220 MGD GAC contactors and 220 MGD pump station
• Two backwash equalization basins that collect and balance dirty water from the filter-cleaning process before it is treated or reused.
• Chemical feed systems that safely store and add treatment chemicals to the water to help clean and disinfect it.
• 3 miles of pipelines ranging in size from 12 inches to 108 inches in diameter.

 

2013 – SPLITTING THE FLOW, SHARING THE WATER

 
Sundt modified the existing plant’s treated water discharge system to split the finished water flow, allowing Reservoir 1 to operate independently from the main plant system. A new flow split structure was constructed over the existing finished water channel while maintaining plant operations. This modification provides the facility with greater operational flexibility by allowing Reservoir 1 to be independently isolated, disinfected, maintained, or taken out of service without disrupting overall plant operations.

Additional upgrades:

• Motorized slide gates
• Modifications to existing plant electrical systems
• Water quality monitoring

 

 

2014 & 2018 PLANT REHABILITATIONS

Sundt performed significant rehabilitation and renewal of large portions of the plant to increase performance. Our team refurbished sludge collectors, upgraded screens and conveyors, and repaired the influent pump’s discharge header.

Modifications included:

• • Refurbishing 4 existing low-efficiency traveling bridge sludge collectors to higher efficiency
  • Modifications to a 20 MG clearwell
  • Upgrading two of four influent screens and conveyors to more efficient units

 

Building on a strong history of successful projects, the City of Phoenix chose Sundt again to handle the rehabilitation and renewal of mechanical, electrical, and structural assets for the plant.

2018 Updates:

• A new East Plant Electrical Building with switchgear and electrical upgrades.
• Replacement of final sedimentation basin launders and collectors.
• GAC conversion in East and West Filters including underdrain replacement.

This work improves reliability and helps modernize the facility to help provide clean drinking water to the community.

 

2023 – VAL VISTA TREATMENT PLANT REHABILITATION

 

Sundt is currently on site at the Val Vista plant working on a rehabilitation project to repair aging components of the facility.

Teams are upgrading bar screens used to remove large remove large debris from incoming water, replacing sludge collectors and channels for treatment basins, and repairing equipment and concrete structures across both the East and West plants.

 

HIGH-QUALITY PARTNERSHIP, HIGH-QUALITY RESULTS.

Since 1975 when the Val Vista Water Treatment facility was first constructed, our teams have delivered high quality, efficient work. Open communication, deep expertise, and a proven track record give our clients the confidence to trust us with building and maintaining critical infrastructure. A 50-year partnership goes beyond a job well done; it takes a culture of building with integrity.

 

Learn more about Sundt’s water & wastewater treatment experience and capabilities.