Chandler sets out $55.8m water reclamation rehabilitation package
Chandler Municipal Utilities Department, Arizona · Meeting date: October 12, 2026 · Published: October 13, 2026
Chandler City Council reviewed contracts worth up to $50.8 million for construction and $4.96 million for construction management on Water Reclamation Facility Improvements Phase 3. The programme will renew aging treatment assets, primarily at the Airport Water Reclamation Facility, while maintaining operations.
Key points
- McCarthy Building Companies is proposed for a CMAR construction-services agreement capped at $50.8 million; Wilson Engineers is proposed for construction-management services worth up to $4.96 million.
- The works will focus principally on Chandler's Airport Water Reclamation Facility, built in 1998, while also including improvements at the Ocotillo Water Reclamation Facility.
- Planned works include diffuser-system rehabilitation, headworks upgrades, odor-scrubber improvements and installation of the internal components for a sixth disc filter.
- Staff said the three-year project will be sequenced to take sections of the plant offline during low-flow seasonal periods before equipment fails.
- The programme was presented as an important driver behind proposed utility-rate increases and as necessary to meet Aquifer Protection Permit requirements and continue reclaimed-water supply.
Full report
Chandler is preparing to commit up to $55.76 million to the third phase of water reclamation facility improvements, a three-year rehabilitation programme aimed at preserving wastewater-treatment capacity, regulatory compliance and reclaimed-water production.
The City Council study session considered a proposed $50.8 million construction manager-at-risk agreement with McCarthy Building Companies and a companion construction-management services contract with Wilson Engineers worth up to $4.96 million. The construction-management assignment represents 9.75% of construction cost and would provide a team of up to 34 professionals over the programme, according to staff.
The bulk of the investment will be at the Airport Water Reclamation Facility, although the phase also covers work at the Ocotillo Water Reclamation Facility. Staff said the airport plant was built in 1998 and is approaching 30 years of operation. Rebuilding it from scratch at current prices would cost more than $1 billion, staff said.
The scope includes rehabilitation of the diffuser system that supplies air to the biological treatment process, headworks improvements, odor-scrubber upgrades and the addition of internal equipment for a sixth disc filter. The filter had always been planned and space already exists for it, staff said. The installation is intended to support compliance with the city's Aquifer Protection Permit and production of A+ reclaimed water.
The work will cover about half of the plant and be staged so that individual sections can be taken offline during low-flow seasonal periods. Staff said this approach is intended to complete rehabilitation before assets fail while allowing the facilities to remain operational.
Council members used the presentation to link the capital programme with proposed utility-rate increases. Staff said failure to replace and rehabilitate aging equipment could ultimately leave the plant unable to treat wastewater, meet water-quality standards under its permit, recharge water to the aquifer or deliver reclaimed water to customers.
Questions over whether the construction-management contract created an oversight conflict were answered by distinguishing the two procurements. McCarthy would perform the construction work, while Wilson Engineers would provide independent professional services. Staff said the management team would include structural, electrical and civil engineering expertise, alongside inspection and documentation responsibilities. Engineers must document changes and certify the completed facility to the state for approval of construction, staff said.
Staff described planned rehabilitation as less costly than responding after a complete equipment failure.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Study Session, Chandler Municipal Utilities Department