Broomfield, Colo., November 20, 2009 – MWH, the global wet infrastructure sector leader and provider of environmental engineering, construction and strategic consulting services, announced today that it has been selected by King County to provide pre-design and design services through a $5 million to $6 million contract for the rehabilitation or replacement of the Fremont siphon pipeline. The contract is part of the county’s $30 million planned improvement for the 95-year-old siphon pipeline that passes beneath the ship canal leading from Lake Washington to Puget Sound.

The Fremont siphon pipeline conveys approximately half of the total load from King County’s West Point Water Treatment Plant, which serves the City of Seattle and many surrounding communities.  The siphon, which provides a capacity of up to 220 million gallons per day, is comprised of two cast iron pipelines in a concrete-lined tunnel that also carries a water main owned by the City of Seattle.

Since the ship canal must remain in operation during the project and there’s no alternative route for the siphon, the MWH engineering team will be incorporating design techniques to keep the siphon in operation at all times.

“We’re pleased to have been selected by King County for the Fremont siphon project,” said William Cranston, project manager and Bellevue-based MWH engineer. “Capital improvements such as this provide us with the challenge of ensuring the uninterrupted service for local residents, as well as the opportunity to improve infrastructure operations for years to come.  We look forward to working with the County on this project.”