The City of Silverton, Oregon and Keller Associates worked together to complete a new raw water intake facility. Keller was hired to tackle the project and was able to design the replacement for the existing intake structure and pump station—which is expandable to a triplex system. With the City’s unique needs in mind, the design also incorporated a new fish screen and backwash system, nearly 1,500 feet of pipeline, and trenchless rehabilitation of approximately 300 feet of further pipeline.
Some key challenges our team worked around included shallow and hard bedrock, in-water work, urban construction, and navigating critical salmon habitat permits. Additionally, the City began the design of a third water treatment train. Keller quickly pivoted to assess the new head conditions through the system, avoiding costly delays. This project is complete with the intake fully constructed.
The Silver Creek intake system serves as backup to the main intake, which helps the City manage redundancy in the event of potential mechanical issues. Keller was able to complete this $5M project on budget and on schedule, resulting in an intake facility that significantly increases water producing capacity and extended the system’s life by more than 50 years.
