The Prineville Airport Industrial Park is home to several massive data centers. With existing water and sewer systems near capacity, the City of Prineville knew it had to provide additional utilities to support these facilities and other development. The City used a progressive design-build delivery method to design and construct 33,000 linear feet of water, sewer, brine, and reuse mains through steep, rocky terrain in just 10 months.

The City’s wastewater treatment plant, water system, and other essential facilities are located approximately 400 feet below the bluff where the development is occurring. The challenge was to route the utilities approximately 8,000 feet horizontally and 400 feet vertically through steep, rocky terrain. The route also crosses an irrigation canal and state highway.

Parametrix, teamed with Taylor NW as the contractor, led early alternatives analysis and water modeling to locate and size four separate mains, including 16-inch high-pressure water and 30-inch gravity sewer, 14-inch force main, 12-inch brine, and 12-inch reuse mains. We also designed 3,400 linear feet of 16-inch water main through the airport to improve hydraulics on the plateau serving the data centers, which was added later in the project. Modeling determined the booster pump sizing and pump location.

Constructability, materials, pipe sizing, and pipe availability were all considerations during design, as well as equipment and operator ability to safely work on the 40% slopes. The design addressed significant thrust at pipe joints and fittings, high pressures associated with steep variable topography, and vacuum protection of the pipeline on the steep slope.

The project provides other benefits for the City, including a method to supply a groundwater recharge and storage project. During winter months, the City will use a new pump station to pump water from the City’s lower pressure level up to one of the City’s airport wells for aquifer recharge. During summer months, this water will be readily available for use by the airport. It also provides facilities to transport used cooling water from the data centers to the City’s wastewater plant for treatment, and to return the water back up to the industrial park to be reused for cooling.