Reno taps HDR Engineering for $2.89M owner's rep role on $266M advanced purified water facility

Reno taps HDR Engineering for $2.89M owner's rep role on $266M advanced purified water facilityThe 36-month professional services agreement will provide staff augmentation and construction oversight for the OneWater Nevada project at American Flat.

City Council approved a $2,897,822 agreement with HDR Engineering for the OneWater Nevada Advanced Purified Water Facility (APWF).

The contract is funded through the city's Sewer Fund and is part of the facility's $266 million total construction budget.

HDR will provide on-the-ground staff augmentation to monitor budget, schedule, and technical issues over a 36-month construction period.

The council also adopted an area-specific sewer connection fee to transition Rivermount properties from septic tanks to the municipal sewer.

The City of Reno is advancing the construction phase of its OneWater Nevada Advanced Purified Water Facility (APWF) at American Flat, tapping HDR Engineering to oversee the site. On August 12, the Reno City Council approved a $2,897,822 professional services agreement with HDR to provide owner representative services for the large-scale water project. Nick Brothers, a senior civil engineer with the city's utility services department, told the council that the APWF is a "dynamic and very involved" project requiring dedicated oversight. HDR will provide full-time, on-the-ground staff augmentation throughout the anticipated 36-month construction period. "They're being our eyes and ears on the job the whole time, keeping us apprised of any issues in this construction that would impact delivery of the project or potentially budget, schedule, [or] technical issues," Brothers said. He clarified that the contract is strictly for professional engineering services to support construction management, not for the purchase of chemicals or physical construction materials. The project will be subject to prevailing wage requirements. Funding for the HDR contract will be drawn from the city's Sewer Fund. According to Brothers, this expense was already accounted for within the facility's $266 million total construction budget, which was presented to the council in May. The agreement passed unanimously among voting members. Councilmember Kathleen Taylor recused herself from the discussion and the vote, citing a conflict of interest because HDR Engineering is a current client of her private consulting firm. In separate utility business, the council also adopted an ordinance establishing an area-specific sewer connection fee for the Rivermount neighborhood. The ordinance adjusts Title 12 of the Reno Municipal Code to implement an infrastructure program transitioning local properties from private septic tanks to the municipal sewer system.