Project name: Salmon Creek Treatment Plant Phase 5A: Package 2 – Columbia River Effluent Pipeline

Location: Vancouver, Washington

Completion: November 2024

Cost: $20,017,343

Owner: Clark Regional Wastewater District

Engineer: Jacobs

General Contractor: Tapani Inc.

Submitting Company: Tapani Inc.

Subcontractors: A-Line Asphalt Maintenance, Abernathy, Able Fence, Advanced American Construction, Copper Mechanical, Glacier Drilling & Dewatering, Gonzales Boring and Tunneling, Grayling Engineers, HD Fowler, Industrial Inspection & Services, Karvonen Sand & Gravel, Longhorn Geomatics, North 40 Fencing, North Fork Landscape, Pauley, Tap Master, Tyeco Home Services

After years of strategic planning, Tapani has completed a major infrastructure project that will serve Clark County, Washington, residents for the next half-century.

The Phase 5A: Package 2 project at the Salmon Creek Treatment Plant involved installing approximately 6,000 feet of 48-inch effluent pipeline, creating a new treated wastewater outfall system with unique engineering challenges. This project was both significant and unique due to its complex route and engineering challenges. Unlike typical outfalls that simply discharge into water, this one had to navigate two fish-bearing rivers and pass beneath an active railroad.

The project included a bored crossing of the BNSF railroad, crossings of both Salmon Creek and Lake River, and connections to existing infrastructure. Tapani collaborated with Clark Regional Wastewater District (CRWWD) and engineers to redesign aspects of the project before construction began.

In a significant cost-saving measure, the team replaced the originally proposed steel pipe with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), saving CRWWD approximately $350,000 while reducing the project schedule by three weeks.

Safety remained paramount throughout construction, with all team members completing specialized marine training before work began. Advanced American Construction provided critical support by constructing a bridge capable of supporting heavy equipment, allowing access to otherwise unreachable areas.

The completed infrastructure will support long-term population and economic growth in Clark County while enhancing environmental protection of local waterways. By increasing wastewater management capacity, the system now accommodates projected growth for the next 50 years while ensuring compliance with environmental regulations.

The investment strengthened the community’s foundation for continued prosperity while preserving natural ecosystems for future generations.

“The Phase 5A/Package 2 project builds on decades of planning to ensure that the Discovery Clean Water Alliance could meet the region’s long-term wastewater treatment needs and continue to ensure public health, environmental quality, and the local area’s economic future growth,” Bob Sanguinetti, CRWWD district construction program manager, said in the Top Projects submission form.

This project did not have specific minority contracting goals or requirements. However, Tapani proactively sought opportunities to engage DBE, SBE and WBE firms, exceeding 12.5 percent utilization.

The successful Package 2 project follows Tapani’s earlier completion of Phase 5A: Package 1 at the same facility, continuing a multi-year improvement initiative for the region’s wastewater treatment capabilities.

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