Water Systems Engineering

F&V’s watermain system experience is extensive and includes the design and construction of 6-inch to 42-inch supply and distribution mains, booster stations, treatment plants and filtration improvements. We also specialize in energy and water efficiency evaluation, asset management, water reliability studies and water system security planning. Our municipal engineers have designed over 500 miles (and counting!) of watermains ranging from 6-inch to 42-inch in their careers.

Drinking water treatment facilities are designed to provide a reliable and safe water supply to consumers. To accomplish this goal, redundancy is built into treatment systems to allow for continued operation while performing necessary maintenance on critical equipment and processes. Treatment facilities also utilize systems to properly disinfect the water and to control corrosion in watermains.

F&V has the ability to develop a long-term water supply system plan to integrate the overall site layout, building facilities, and various equipment components into the final design and operating water filtration facility.

F&V studies and designs water booster stations to improve the current and future capacity of the station, as well as identify alternatives for system operation to mitigate excessive pump cycling and pressure surges.

F&V has assisted over 80 communities with water reliability studies. We’re very proud of the quality and comprehensive nature of the water system reliability studies that we prepare for our clients. We create studies and associated maps that are very useful for our client’s long-term planning and budgeting. In addition to preparing a report that both satisfies the regulatory requirements of EGLE, they also serve as an easy to understand, useful planning document for the municipality. 

Surface water is water from lakes, rivers and streams and is used for drinking water supplies when water is drawn out of an intake. In Michigan, about 55% of the citizens are served surface water.   

Surface water systems are potentially at risk from many contaminant sources. To protect this valuable resource, the State of Michigan established the Source Water Protection Program. Communities that use surface water implement Surface Water Intake Protection Programs.

F&V is a clear leader in the preparation of Asset Management Plans (AMP). We have been assisting our clients with water asset management and Capital Improvement Planning in various formats for decades. Through this experience, we have developed a deep understanding of the meaningful and useful components of an AMP and have developed many internal processes and procedures to efficiently focus our efforts in developing a product that is useful to our clients.

Water systems asset management services include:

• Prepare an inventory of assets for each asset class including age, material, condition, and size. This inventory utilizes reliability studies, Capital Improvement Plans, field observations, interviews with staff and review of record drawings. 
• Establish replacement costs for each asset.
• Establish criticality for each asset based on probability of failure, likelihood of failure and remaining useful life. 
• Prepare a prioritized rehabilitation, replacement, and maintenance schedule for each asset based on risk.

F&V has assisted communities in the construction or rehabilitation of over 100 water storage tanks. Several very specialized skills go into the design of a water storage tank designed to supply potable water to a community such as appropriate sizing, elevation, and location relative to water supply. Additionally, several tank styles exist each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Lifecycle costing often plays a critical role in tank style selection as well as aesthetic aspects. F&V has experience guiding communities through these selection processes and coordination with regulatory agencies for permitting.