About the Project
The Silver Lake Reservoir Complex Replacement Program is a critical infrastructure initiative for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).
Delivered under a highly collaborative CMAR joint venture, the program enhances the city’s potable water reliability, capacity, and quality through advanced engineering, complex coordination, and precise system integration.
The project was completed on time and within budget, passing hydrostatic testing and immediately entering service to meet community needs.
Need
LADWP required modern infrastructure to replace aging storage and distribution systems serving the Silver Lake Reservoir Complex. The improvements addressed long-term water reliability and regulatory compliance while providing enhanced flow control, water quality protection, and operational flexibility for Los Angeles’s growing population.
Work
The program includes construction of the 70-million-gallon West Potable Water Reservoir (Phase II) and a Flow Control Station (Phase III) that regulates the distribution of safe drinking water across LA, increases system capacity, enhancing flow regulation, and ensuring the long-term integrity of municipal drinking water.
Phase II – West Potable Water Reservoir
- Constructed a reinforced concrete reservoir with 45,000 CY of permeable base and over 90,000 CY of NSF-61 certified, thermally controlled concrete.
- Utilized an onsite batch plant and in-house pumping operations for schedule-critical placements.
- Implemented a chevron-pattern pour sequence to minimize thermal cracking and accelerate delivery.
Phase III – Flow Control Station
- Built four deep cast-in-place vaults supported by a 9,000 SF tieback shoring wall and excavated 45,000 CY of earth to depths of 30–35 feet.
- Placed over 2,000 CY of structural concrete, sequencing the smallest vault first to enable early trunkline installation and maintain progress.
- Installed chemical injection ports, washdown piping systems, floating mixers, Duplex 2205 stainless steel stairs, transformer pads, conduit stub-outs, and site concrete for roads and equipment pads.
- Enforced strict contamination controls, including plywood runways, tire covers, and tool restrictions to ensure potable water protection throughout construction.
Innovations
- Minimized thermal cracking and accelerated schedule with a chevron-pattern concrete pour sequence.
- Stabilized deep excavation using a 9,000 SF tieback shoring wall adjacent to active infrastructure.
- Optimized sequencing by constructing the smallest vault first, enabling early trunkline installation.
- Prevented rework through early detection and correction of pipe elevation discrepancies.
- Maintained control of schedule-critical concrete work through in-house batching and pumping.
Collaboration
Executed within a CMAR joint-venture framework, the project required continuous coordination among multiple contractors and LADWP divisions.
- Collaborated closely with mechanical contractors and utility stakeholders to align concurrent scopes.
- Coordinated inspections and permitting with the State Division of Safety of Dams and LADWP’s power division.
- Integrated multiple subcontractor efforts to maintain cost, quality, and schedule objectives.
This cooperative delivery model established a benchmark for future CMAR water infrastructure projects in the region.
