Knoxville deploys CMAR procurement as $169 million water treatment redundancy plan hits 60% milestone

Knoxville deploys CMAR procurement as $169 million water treatment redundancy plan hits 60% milestoneThe Knoxville Utilities Board is advancing the next phase of its 16-year Water Supply Master Plan to eliminate single points of failure at its sole water treatment facility, tapping a Construction Manager at Risk approach for complex raw water improvements.

KUB's $169 million Water Supply Master Plan aims to build a fully redundant second treatment train at the 100-year-old Mark B. Whitaker facility by 2033.

The utility recently selected a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) contractor to partner with design consultant CDM Smith on a complex raw water distribution and clarification project.

Construction on a new filter building housing filters 11 through 16 is slated to conclude in the coming weeks, pushing the master plan to 60% completion by total spend.

A $4.5 million electrical upgrade phase is also underway and expected to finish by spring or summer of 2027.

The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) is nearing a major milestone in its $169 million Water Supply Master Plan, advancing alternative procurement strategies to secure redundancy at its only water treatment facility. During a March 19, 2026 board meeting, Noah Newport, KUB's Water Systems Engineering Team Lead, detailed the utility's strategy to eliminate single points of failure at the Mark B. Whitaker (MBW) water treatment plant, which turns 100 years old this year. The facility, which serves approximately 83,000 people and currently averages 36 million gallons per day (MGD) against a permitted capacity of 62.9 MGD, has historically relied on a singular treatment train. To address this vulnerability, KUB is executing an eight-project master plan spanning 16 years, slated for completion in 2033. The strategy centers on constructing a complete second treatment train within the existing footprint, facilitated by the utility's acquisition of the adjacent General Shell property. For its next major phase—raw water distribution and clarification improvements—KUB is pivoting from its traditional design-bid-build model to a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) approach. Newport noted that the complexity of the project, which involves moving water between multiple separate facilities, drove the decision. KUB selected a CMAR contractor in February 2026 through a request for qualifications process. The contractor will collaborate with design consultant CDM Smith on the project, which is currently at 60% design and will add a fourth clarifier, a subgrade raw water distribution structure, and large-diameter yard piping. Overall, the master plan is approximately 60% complete by total spend. KUB is preparing to bring a new filter building online in the coming weeks. The 'Filters 11-16' project acts as a standalone treatment process that will normally operate in tandem with the existing facility, providing operators with critical flexibility. The new building features forward-thinking design elements, including hoists for 54-inch pipes and specialized window ports for replacing sand and anthracite filter media without routing hoses through the facility's doors. Also currently in construction is a $4.5 million Phase 2 electrical upgrade, which replaces aging equipment and adds redundancy. That project is expected to conclude in the spring or summer of next year. The final projects in the master plan—a high-service pump station and clear well, followed by a raw water intake and low-service pump station—are scheduled for completion by 2033. Newport added that the current site development preserves enough space to build an additional sister filter building in the future, ensuring KUB can accommodate regional growth over the next century.