McGraw-Hill Construction study shows aging infrastructure a primary driver

Strong growth in the use of asset management practices within the water industry is expected over the next five years, according the findings of a recently released study.

The study, "Water Infrastructure Asset Management: Adopting Best Practices to Enable Better Investments,” was conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction in partnership with CH2M HILL. Preliminary findings were released Jan. 17 at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting in Washington, D.C.

The study shows that over 80 percent of current practitioners expect to be using eight out of the 14 asset management practices identified in the study by 2017. The greatest area of growth is for the development of an asset management policy, with growth expected in use among practitioners from 46 percent to 84 percent, and growth among non-practitioners from 5 percent to 59 percent, signaling a clear commitment to the adoption of asset management practices across the industry.

The benefits that asset management practitioners are experiencing have helped encourage this adoption. The study shows that:
-  80 percent of respondents report an improved ability to explain and defend their budgets and investments.
-  67 percent have a better focus on priorities.

In addition, a higher percentage of utilities engaged in 10 or more asset management practices report achieving the benefits measured in the report.

"The more committed an organization is to an advanced asset management practice, the greater the results they are able to see in their organization,” says Harvey Bernstein, vice president of Industry Insights & Alliances. "With 43 percent of the practitioners currently only using four to six out of the 14 practices, there is a clear opportunity for utilities to reap more benefits in the future.”

The use of an asset management approach has a strong, positive impact on how utilities make decisions on asset investments, according to the study. It shows that 84 percent of practitioners consider risk assessment an important element in their decisions about investments in new or existing assets, compared to 58 percent of non-practitioners. It further shows that 59 percent of practitioners are looking more than 10 years out in their asset strategy planning, compared to 33 percent of non-practitioners.

When asked the single biggest driver of wider use of asset management by water utilities, 39 percent of respondents indicate significant needs in the industry to replace, upgrade or expand existing infrastructure, and 25 percent regard the need to determine capital investment and maintenance strategies and budgets as most important.

"A lot of people think of asset management as being about the infrastructure itself. While the focus starts there, it is much more holistic than that,” says Scott Haskins, CH2M HILL Director, Management and Strategic Consulting. "It really is a way of doing business. It involves organizational, operational and decision-making strategies.”

In addition to helping utilities focus on priorities, asset management practices increase the ability to explain and defend budget and investment proposals to governing bodies, and helps leadership better understand the risk and consequence of alternative investments, Haskins explains.

The study provides a unique approach for measuring asset management adoption by defining asset management practitioners by the activities they are currently using rather than by their own assessment of their practice. Based on this approach, 65 percent of the survey respondents are asset management practitioners (those doing four or more asset management practices out of the 14 practices provided in the survey.)

The 2013 Water Infrastructure Asset Management study was completed in conjunction with five industry associations that reviewed the survey and distributed it to their members: American Public Works Association, American Water Works Association, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Association of Water Companies and Water Environment Federation. The study included 451 respondents from the U.S. and Canada, from utilities ranging from those serving a minimum population of 3,300 to a population of over 500,000.

Go here for the full report.

About CH2M HILL:
Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations, and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm's work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environmental, energy, facilities and resources. With US$7 billion in revenue and 28,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering and environmental services by Verdantix. The firm has been named a FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For six times. Visit us at ch2mhill.com, twitter.com/ch2mhill and facebook.com/ch2mhill.Search for jobs at ch2mhill.jobs.

About McGraw-Hill Construction:
McGraw-Hill Construction's data, analytics, and media businesses—Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record, GreenSource, and Engineering News-Record— create opportunities for owners, architects, engineers, contractors, building product manufacturers, and distributors to strengthen their market position, size their markets, prioritize prospects, and target and build relationships that will win more business. McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers through its trends and forecasts, industry news, and leading platform of construction data, benchmarks, and analytics. To learn more, visit www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a financial intelligence and education company, signed an agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC in November 2012. Following the sale closing, expected in early 2013, the Company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval) and will be a powerhouse in benchmarks, content and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. The Company's leading brands will include: Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, Crisil, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company will have approximately 17,000 employees in more than 30 countries. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

CH2M HILL has been recognized for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies. The seventh annual list from leading international think-tank Ethisphere Institute highlights companies that outperform industry peers when it comes to ethical behavior. The 2013 WME companies are those that truly embrace ethical business practice and demonstrate industry leadership, forcing peers to follow suit or fall behind.

"We are certainly proud to be named one of the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies. This is a tribute to our employees who, in today's complex, global business environment, are making honorable choices,” says Lee McIntire, CH2M HILL Chairman and CEO.

As CH2M HILL continues to monitor and strengthen its programs , the company is proud of the progress made in 2012 in these areas:

• Expanding its ethics ambassador program in each of our office locations
• Enhancing the leadership team for ethics and compliance, including global representation and hiring a Chief Counsel for Ethics and Integrity Management
• Rolled out anti-corruption training to managers and anti-harassment and discrimination training for all employees
• Encouraging a commitment to sustainability as it pertains to company operations and the services provided to clients
• Fostering community investment and employee volunteerism

Chief Legal Officer Margaret McLean says, "CH2M HILL very much appreciates this award because it recognizes the importance we place on ethical conduct in our daily work and how we interact with our customers, partners and our supply chain. A reality of being a part of a large multinational organization is that we can never stand still and must always seek out new ways to deliver our message of doing business with integrity."

"Not only did more companies apply for the World's Most Ethical Companies recognition this year than any year in the past, which demonstrates that ethical activity is an important part of many of these companies' business models, but we are also seeing more companies be proactive and create new initiatives that expand ethics programs and cultures across entire industries, such as industry-based ethics associations and other activities,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of Ethisphere. "We are excited to see the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies take these leadership positions, and embrace the correlation between ethical behavior and improved financial performance.”

A record number of nominations and applications this year is evidence of both the World's Most Ethical Companies' growing recognition by various stakeholder groups and companies' desire to be recognized for their integrity standards and ethical cultures. The 2013 list is the largest list since the award's inception in 2007.

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed nominations from companies in more than 100 countries and 36 industries. The methodology for the World's Most Ethical Companies includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

Read about the methodology and view the complete list of the 2013 World's Most Ethical Companies at http://ethisphere.com/wme. The World's Most Ethical Companies list will also be featured in the 2013 Quarter 1 issue of Ethisphere Magazine.

About Ethisphere Institute

The research-based Ethisphere® Institute is a leading international think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability. Ethisphere Magazine, which publishes the globally recognized World's Most Ethical Companies Ranking™, is the quarterly publication of the Institute. Ethisphere provides the only third-party verifications of compliance programs and ethical cultures that include: Ethics Inside® Certification, Compliance Leader Verification™ and Anti-Corruption Program Verification. More information on the Ethisphere Institute, including ranking projects and membership, can be found at http://www.ethisphere.com.

The population will double over the next 20 years and this will place even stronger demands on water, energy, and food production. Learn what the term "water-energy nexus” actually means and how leaders of the water and power industries are planning to make a positive difference. Go to CH2M HILL's Access Water Blog.

BP Energy Outlook 2030 (BP)

Shale will continue to be disruptive to global energy markets; the United States will become the largest producer of liquid fuels this year; unconventional oil will provide all the growth in global supply to 2020 and 70-percent of the growth to 2030; and the fastest-growing fuels are renewables which will grow on average 7.6-percent a year from 2011 to 2030. Those are some of the findings of the BP Energy Outlook 2030. The report also finds that energy demand will grow by 36-percent between 2011 and 2030, with 93-percent of the growth expected to come from emerging economies. During the same time, the U.S. will almost become energy independent, thanks to the shale revolution, while India and China become more import-dependent.

Click here to view the article.

Click here to access the PDF version of the report booklet.

CH2M HILL is pleased to announce that Rob Berra has joined the company as President of the Energy & Chemicals Business Group.

In this executive leadership position, Berra will be responsible for overall operations, project delivery and profitability for the Energy & Chemicals Business Group. The group provides project and operations services that span the entire energy value chain, including upstream and midstream oil and gas, refining, chemicals and petrochemicals, gasification, biofuels, pipelines, terminals and mining.

Berra has an outstanding leadership track record as demonstrated by his ability to drive growth and profitability as well as lead organizations in new and existing markets. Working both for engineering and construction contractors and for a major international oil company, his experience spans upstream, midstream and downstream markets. He has worked in capacities ranging from engineering, construction, program management, business development, operations and executive management and crossed the full scope of possible services from concept development through installation and operations.

"Rob, with his wide experience and demonstrated leadership capabilities, is ideally suited for this role,” says Mike Szomjassy, President of CH2M HILL's Energy, Water, and Facilities Division. "Rob is the right person at the right time to help us excel and grow in this environment. The energy and chemicals markets are poised for substantial growth over the next 2 to 3 years as each segment we support has tremendous opportunities.”

The 6,000 employees of CH2M HILL's Energy & Chemicals Business Group successfully deliver solutions to challenging and complex projects in some of the world's most extreme environmental conditions and geographic locations. The group's recent experience includes program management of major oil and gas developments in the Middle East; EPC and oil field operations in the Arctic; operations and maintenance support for one of the world's largest mining projects in Mongolia; refinery upgrades and turnarounds in North and South America; program management for a multi-billion dollar natural gas pipeline safety enhancement program in the United States; pipeline and terminal projects on three continents; and delivery of first-of-a-kind processes for chemical producers around the world.

Most recently, Berra served as Executive Vice President at Willbros, an energy infrastructure services company, where he was responsible for all sales & marketing functions. He joined Willbros from Foster Wheeler USA where he was Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations. He also had responsibility for the company's heavy oil technology portfolio and chemicals business line. Prior to joining Foster Wheeler, he held senior leadership responsibilities for the capital project development function at ConocoPhillips. During his tenure, he was the portfolio manager for major pipeline projects and global manager of EPC contracting. Berra has previous executive management experience with two international engineering and construction contractors; The Shaw Group and KBR.

Berra will be working out of CH2M HILL's Houston office.

Click here to view the article.

In light of Superstorm Sandy and the devastation it caused, there's been lots of discussion as to what can be done to limit such destruction in the future. Hydrologists agree that a surge-protection barrier could be the answer. There are a number of possible solutions but, according to Malcolm Bowman, coordinator of New York storm surge prediction and modeling research, the most intriguing flood threat reduction option is one conceptualized by CH2M HILL's Halcrow unit. Read full article.

CH2M HILL is pleased to announce that Susan Martinovich, former Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Director, has joined the firm as Highway/Bridge Director for North America. Susan is highly respected throughout the industry and recognized for successfully leading NDOT to the forefront. Learn more about Susan Martinovich and what she brings to the CH2M HILL team.

CH2M HILL's joint venture with Jacobs Engineering received a contract from Sound Transit of Seattle, Washington for the Northgate Link Extension Project.

The 7-year construction management contract has a value of US$75.5-million.

This expansion greatly increases transit capacity to the highest ridership corridor in the region. The CH2M HILL/Jacobs team is currently working together on Sound Transit's University Link (U-Link) Project, a light rail extension connecting downtown Seattle and the University of Washington to the north. The Northgate Link Project will extend the line 4.2 miles farther north from the University to the urban village of Northgate, and includes two 3.6-mile twin bored tunnels, two underground stations, and an arterial guideway with a light rail station.

CH2M HILL's Transit & Rail Operations Director, Jay McRae stated, "Tunnel construction of underground light rail systems in urban environments are one of the most demanding and technically challenging forms of civil infrastructure today. CH2M HILL has a long history of successful projects with Sound Transit, and much of the reason for our selection on the Northgate Program is the resounding success, by all parties, on the ongoing U-Link Program."

With our world facing the challenge of decreasing fresh water supplies, it's imperative that all of us work together to figure out ways to conserve life's most precious resource.

With this in mind, CH2M HILL took innovative steps to tackle the world's water challenges by launching the grassroots, goodwill initiative WaterMatch – a program that's already received worldwide attention since its original launch in 2011. As a unique social network, WaterMatch helps connect water users with water generators, promoting the beneficial reuse of municipal effluent for industrial and agricultural purpose. Now, with the help of Net Impact and university students around the world, CH2M HILL is taking things to the next level!

We're excited to announce that CH2M HILL's WaterMatch program is now expanding to create the new WaterMatch Makers University Program – a first-of-its-kind program that channels the energy and creative thinking of students around the world onto water issues within their local communities. The students use social networking to connect people and promote water reuse.

With more than 300 volunteer-led chapters worldwide, our partner, Net Impact, will connect the WaterMatch Makers University Program with a vibrant network of universities and students to promote water reuse and productive action on local water issues. While promoting water reuse, the program also offers students real-world learning experiences that support local community, economic development, and help protect the environment – creating win-wins all around!

"This program is a great fit for our Net Impact campus chapters. It will provide our student leaders with the opportunity to build critical skills, learn about water sustainability issues, and make a tangible impact in their community,” said Liz Maw, CEO of Net Impact .

Intel, a WaterMatch Collaborator, is helping take things even further by partnering with Arizona State University. Together, they will work to engage local municipalities in Arizona and the U.S. Southwest to populate the WaterMatch Map and associated wastewater treatment plant profiles, and conduct research into the uses and benefits of WaterMatch.

"Sustainable water management is a key focus at Intel. We created the collaboration with CH2M HILL's WaterMatch, the Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) and Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) at Arizona State University to increase water sustainability in our local community,” states Gary Niekerk, Director, Corporate Citizenship at Intel. Intel believes that technology can play an important role in addressing the world's sustainability challenges.

The WaterMatch Makers University Program will leverage the learnings of the successful pilots at the University of California San Diego and Arizona State University. "Our students were eager to engage on the critical issue of water sustainability in our Arizona community and work on a grassroots project,” said John Sabo, Director of Research Development, Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University . "It's great to see the program our students helped to pilot expand globally.”

"We are expanding WaterMatch and the grassroots water reuse revolution to promote progress through partnerships and projects on the ground,” says CH2M HILL Vice President Jan Dell. "Our motive is simple: to promote beneficial water reuse. We hope that students around the world will join us and help make matches happen, because no water should be wasted.”

The WaterMatch website has over 21,000 potential water reuse sources and is growing daily. Check it out at www.ch2mhill.com/watermatch!

Khalifa Port, a new multi-purpose maritime facility, fully opened to commercial traffic in September, on time and on budget. The port now provides the necessary logistics infrastructure for Abu Dhabi's growing industrial and commercial markets.

Serving the Abu Dhabi Emirate and beyond, Khalifa Port, a multi-purpose maritime facility, was strategically located, designed, and constructed to meet the growing demands of global trade.
An opening ceremony was held to mark the culmination of the 740-day, US$1.8-billion project—one of Abu Dhabi's largest ever infrastructure projects. Port Chairman Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and CEO of the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), Tony Douglas, were among the assembled guests who witnessed a display of gantry cranes and stacking cranes performing synchronized movements to celebrate the opening.

"I am delighted to confirm that the port has been delivered within budget, on schedule, and to specification," Douglas told the crowd.

Halcrow, a CH2M HILL company, was retained by Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) to provide the planning, environmental, and management services for Khalifa Port, which is on an artificial island complex approximately 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) offshore. The entire port complex and industrial zone will be developed in five stages, and by 2030 the port will offer container, general cargo, roll-on-roll-off, and dry bulk berths (the September 1 opening ceremony marked the end of Phase I of the project).

The artificial island was created using material dredged from the access channel and port basins. It is linked to shore by a causeway with an opening spanned by a bridge to allow water to circulate. A 5.6-mile-long breakwater protects the environmentally sensitive area, the adjacent Ras Ghanada coral reef, from the effects of port operations.

Halcrow originally conducted a pre-master plan study in 2005 to determine the feasibility of a new port and industrial zone at Al Taweelah. Halcrow then completed four separate, but highly interdependent assignments: port master plan, marine infrastructure impact assessment, environmental impact assessment, and site investigations.

There were various other commissions including an Environmental Impact Assessment, followed by the design of all the marine facilities, reclamation, jetties, and bridges under a design for design-build commission with the Khalifa Port Marine Consortium. In addition, Halcrow secured two separate design for design-build commissions involving landside infrastructure.

The US$1.8-billion design for design-build project was delivered collaboratively across the regions and was led by Mark Glennerster, Global Technology Leader for Coastal Engineering. The Marine team consisted of Elise Pobjoy, Simon Everitt, Tom Hunt, Jill Gambrill, Hakeem Johnson, Tim Owen, and Chris Symes in the UK, and Liang He, Luce Bassetti, and Yang Zhang in the U.S., with management support from Chris King and Tim Nash and the marine structures team in Dubai led by Shekhar Vemuri. Regarding future port phases of development, the client, ADPC, is now focusing on further developing the industrial zone that the port supports; further opportunities for Halcrow staff members may exist with these additional projects and phases.

The new port facilities offer unrivalled access to global markets—companies based in Abu Dhabi now have access to nearly 3 billion consumers within four nearby time zones, as well as innovative and state-of-the-art marine facilities, designed and constructed around some challenging conditions. The key challenge of the project was the presence of the nearby protected Ras Ghanada coral reef, the area's largest coral reef (nearly 22 square miles), and home to 8 million corals. The project was subject to complex construction sequencing and protective measures governed by environmental modeling predictions undertaken by Halcrow. During construction there was an extensive monitoring program for compliance and system response.

In addition, the port was designed as a causeway, rather than constructed on land or by direct reclamation in front of an industrial zone. This innovative approach was driven by the need to ensure water circulation to the coral reef, to maintain the performance of adjacent intake/outfalls, and to maintain construction cost.

Khalifa Port will provide tremendous economic benefits to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and the entire region. The port is located 60 kilometers from downtown Abu Dhabi, and 85 kilometers from Dubai, and is notable for its state-of-the-art facilities, including ship-to-short gantry cranes and automated stacking cranes. Khalifa Port is the only semi-autonomous (computer operated) port in the Middle East/North Africa region, and one of only a handful worldwide.

Tony Douglas, Chief Executive Officer of ADPC, has high praise for the Halcrow team: "As anyone can see, Halcrow has played a big part in the success story of ADPC, part of the visionary team that looked far into the future to help us build Khalifa Port. We have now come full circle, with the opening of the port and we would like to offer sincere thanks to the experts at Halcrow who helped us and our many multi-national teams form strong alliances to build the Khalifa Port and Khalifa Industrial Zone megaproject. We hope that Halcrow employees who visit Khalifa Port in the future will feel that it is just as much a part of their work as that of ADPC.”

Khalifa Port is not only the jewel in ADPC's crown, but also an exciting success story for the Halcrow team. Its engineering achievements and innovations, and its immense size and handling capacity, make it among the world's most advanced marine ports. Congratulations to the Halcrow team on a job well done!

CB&I expects that by acquiring Shaw, earnings per share will increase by double digits in the first year alone and that employees, clients and shareholders will experience the overall added value to the new company. The firm will later change its name to CB&I Shaw, employ roughly 50,000 people, and collaborate efforts of the two individual companies to craft a prominent energy firm. View the full article.

CH2M HILL AlumniConnect | August 1, 2012

After years of meticulous and arduous preparation, CH2M HILL will see the fruits of its labor when the London Games begin later this month. Jacqueline Rast, president of international operations for CH2M HILL, explains how the Games have helped put people back to work and what makes the 2012 Games smarter and more sustainable. Read full article.

CH2M HILL AlumniConnect | July 2, 2012

Take a look at CH2M HILL's 2012 sustainability report, our fifth one since 2005. Read how we are helping the environment, local communities, and small businesses while also addressing global issues. For example, we conducted an enterprise-wide greenhouse gas inventory of our operations last year. We're also greening our supply chain by developing procurement tools to help our customers select more sustainable vendors. We have helped save our clients more than 11.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, 295,000 therms of gas, and 195.5 million liters of water annually.

Be well, be safe,
Lee McIntire
Chairman and CEO, CH2M HILL

In light of CH2M HILL being named the Mountain States Design Firm of Year for 2012, ENR's Jennifer Seward talks about CH2M HILL's innovative and creative work in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and beyond. Read full article.

Water reuse is the key to a sustainable future. Watch this seven minute video to learn why water reuse matters and how it effectively uses and conserves our planet's most precious resource.

With the goal of creating awareness of water as a precious resource and spreading a transparent and holistic understanding of urban water cycles, CH2M HILL's Linda Macpherson recently partnered with the University of Arizona and others on the WateReuse Research Foundation investigation project. Watch the video and access the full report.

Engineering News-Record (ENR) recently listed the 2012 Top 50 Program Management Firms, and CH2M HILL leads the list at No. 1 for the ninth year in a row!

The magazine's Top 50 Program Management Firms survey ranks companies based on total 2011 revenue for program management services performed as a professional service or fee. CH2M HILL reported to ENR that program management revenue in 2011 was $2,200 million. The total revenue is a 15 percent increase over 2010, when the company reported program management revenue of $1,867 million.

The new program management and construction management rankings were released June 11, 2012 in an ENR article by Gary J. Tulacz titled "Funding Woes Blunt Market – Owners continue to show interest in professional services, but worry deficits in the public sector – a prime CM/PM market – worry firms.” The ENR data shows a relatively steady increase in Program Management revenue since 2005. The article states that the top 100 CM-for-fee and program management firms that were surveyed generated $18.66 billion in fees in 2011 for those services, an increase of 6.3 percent from 2009. Domestic revenues grew at a higher rate than the international market, 7.4 percent for domestic revenue and 1.7 percent for international revenue, which is seen as an encouraging for the market.

Other rankings released by ENR in the June 11, 2012 issue listed CH2M HILL at No. 2 for Construction Management-for-Fee firms for the fifth straight year.

CH2M HILL-led joint venture selected by the Philadelphia International Airport for the largest new aviation program in the United States

The Global Program Partners joint venture, comprised of CH2M HILL, Delon Hampton & Associates (DHA), and CMTS, Inc. (CMTS), has been selected by the City of Philadelphia, Division of Aviation to manage the $6.4-billion Capacity Enhancement Program (CEP) at the Philadelphia International Airport.

CH2M HILL, is the lead company in the joint venture. DHA and CMTS are certified Minority Business Enterprise firms, and recognized industry leaders in program and construction management. Both DHA and CMTS are excited about opening their new Philadelphia offices; CH2M HILL opened its local office in 1974.

This is the largest new aviation program in the United States as well as one of the most complex. The CEP is intended to create a world-class airport for metropolitan Philadelphia that will serve as a new and modern global gateway to the region.

"The Global Program Partners joint venture brings the expertise and experience necessary in managing the project office for the Capacity Enhancement Program," said Rina Cutler, Deputy Mayor, Transportation and Utilities. "We are pleased to have them on board for the CEP, which is vital to our Airport and the Philadelphia region both in terms of economic viability and jobs growth. Having a project management office in place is the next big step in the CEP process."

CH2M HILL's International Division President Jacque Rast, serving in the executive role of principal-in-charge for Global Program Partners, said, "The Capacity Enhancement Program will be the city's largest economic development effort in a generation, creating tens of thousands of jobs for Philadelphia area residents. The program will also have a transformative effect throughout this great region, creating a modern domestic and international gateway. The Global Program Partners team is committed to seeing that the project's twin priorities—the physical transformation of the airport into a world-class facility, and the economic advancement of the local workforce—are realized. We are honored to help the City of Philadelphia deliver on these commitments.”The CEP, led by CH2M HILL's Jhan Schmitz, is anticipated to take 12 to 15 years to complete, and includes the following major infrastructure improvements:

• Construction of one new runway and the extension of two existing runways with associated taxiway and navigational aids improvements
• Reconfiguration, upgrade and expansion of the existing terminal complex in its existing location
• Construction of an Automated People Mover to transport people between terminals and parking facilities
• Construction of a new centralized ground transportation center, consolidated rental car facilities and associated parking facilities
• Construction of new airport support facilities, including aircraft rescue and firefighting, new corporate hangars, a relocated and expanded fuel farm, a new supplemental deicing facility, relocation of the Federal Aviation Administration's Air Traffic Control Tower, a new centralized airport maintenance facility, a new Cargo City facility and relocation of a UPS facility

A CH2M HILL-led consortium has been awarded a $929 million contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning of a combined cycle power plant, using GE technology, for the Ichthys Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project in Australia's Northern Territory.

This contract was awarded by JKC, which is comprised of JGC Corporation of Japan; Kellogg, Brown, and Root of Australia; and Chiyoda Corporation of Japan. The natural gas-fired power plant — which is being designed to meet reliability, availability, and lower emissions — will operate in island mode, generating enough power for the Ichthys LNG Plant to produce more than eight million tons of LNG each year. Approximately 70 percent of the LNG will be delivered to Japan.

"We are extremely pleased to be moving forward with JKC on the Ichthys Combined Cycle Power Project,” said Don Zabilansky, president of CH2M HILL's Power Business Group, "and particularly excited to be a part of helping solve Japan's energy needs.”

For CH2M HILL, the project follows on the heels of the completed Darling Downs Combined Cycle Power Station in Queensland with GE, and the Worsley multi-fuel Power Plant in Western Australia with GE Financial Services, currently in construction and commissioning.

The CH2M HILL team includes UGL, a Sydney, Australia headquartered company with expertise in engineering, property services, asset management, and maintenance for the power, water, transport, resources, and property sectors; and GE, who will engineer and supply gas turbines, steam turbines and heat recovery steam generators for the $34 billion Ichthys project.

CH2M HILL's contract for the power plant includes engineering, the installation of five GE 6B combustion turbine generator units, five heat recovery steam generators, three GE steam turbine generators, an air-cooled condenser, and complete balance of plant, including commissioning and startup. A 230 kV electrical switchyard will also be provided. Three utility boilers will be used to produce supplemental steam and burn isopentane from the LNG train.

The consortium has received a full release to proceed and construction will begin in 2013 with commercial operations targeted for the end of 2016.

CH2M HILL AlumniConnect | May 21, 2012

Independent analyst firm, Verdantix, conducts a study to reveal the leading U.S. providers in the environmental services market and identifies the metrics by which industry clients create their short-lists. Read full article.

As determined by a worldwide water industry vote, CH2M HILL has won the prestigious Global Water Award for Water Company of the Year.

CH2M HILL is pleased to announce that the firm has been awarded the Global Water Award for Water Company of the Year. In addition, a number of CH2M HILL clients and projects were recognized at the annual Global Water Awards, sponsored by the International Desalination Association and Global Water Intelligence, which distinguish outstanding achievements within the international water industry. The awards were presented at the Global Water Summit in Rome, which is attended by water leaders from around the world.

The Global Water Award for Water Company of the Year is given to the water company that made the most significant contributions to the development and advancement of the global water sector over the past year.

"This is a distinct honor for CH2M HILL,” said Bob Bailey, CH2M HILL Water Business Group President. "Several prestigious international water companies have received this honor in the past, and we are very pleased to earn this worldwide recognition. This recognition is a testament to not only the hard work and dedication of CH2M HILL's employees to solve our clients' challenges, but also to our clients and partners in the urban, industrial, energy and agricultural sectors who trust us to deliver solutions that balance social, economic, and environmental priorities.”

CH2M HILL was selected as Water Company of the Year based on the firm's numerous achievements in 2011 such as:

· Expanding its presence around the world with the acquisition of Halcrow, which added 80 offices worldwide, 6,000 employees, and a strong presence in the Middle East. The Halcrow acquisition has broadened and deepened CH2M HILL's influence – and value – for water users in all sectors.

· Launching "WaterMatch,” a specific water-related grassroots initiative that seeks to promote the beneficial re-use of municipal effluent by the industrial and agricultural sectors which collectively represent roughly 88-90% of global water consumption.

· CH2M HILL is one of the few engineering firms that can provide its clients with complete operations and maintenance services within the water/wastewater operations arena in addition to engineering technical expertise.

· Named World's Most Ethical Companies — 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 by the Ethisphere Institute.

· Growing its water work for industrial, energy and agricultural clients, including its growing practice of water management for oil sands operations in Alberta and bioenergy developments in Brazil and the U.S.

Additional Clients and Projects Recognized

CH2M HILL would like to congratulate all of this year's Global Water Award winners, and is honored to have a role or relationship with these award winning projects and organizations:

Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant, USA – Water Reuse Project of the Year

CH2M HILL's project for King County, Washington—the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant—was named Water Reuse Project of the Year. CH2M HILL, in partnership with Brown and Caldwell, led a team of over 20 firms to deliver preliminary design, final design, and services during construction of Brightwater, a new regional wastewater treatment facility near Seattle, Wash. The Brightwater regional wastewater system includes a state-of-the-art advanced wastewater treatment and reclamation facility, 13 miles of underground conveyance pipelines, and a marine outfall in Puget Sound. The 114-acre treatment plant site, reclaimed from automobile wrecking yards, has been transformed into a park-like area incorporating streams, wetlands, trails, overlook structures, and an Environmental Education/Community Center.

Southern Seawater Desalination Plant, Australia – Desalination Plant of the Year

CH2M HILL acted as Owner's Engineer and Representative for Water Corporation's Southern Seawater Desalination Plant in Perth, Australia, which earned the recognition of Desalination Plant of the Year. The facility is providing 50 billion litres of drinking water a year into the Integrated Water Supply Scheme to serve communities in Western Australia. With the completion of this project, more than 30 percent of Western Australia's water supply will come from climate independent sources, vital for a region with a history of drought and that is seeing indications that it will become even drier in the future. In addition, the facility is 100% powered by renewable energy resources. The facility was built by the Southern Seawater Alliance, a consortium of Técnicas Reunidas, Valoriza Agua, AJ Lucas, WorleyParsons and Water Corporation.

Gippsland Water Factory, Australia – Award of Distinction for Industrial Water Project of the Year

The Gippsland Water Factory, an innovative wastewater treatment and recycling system in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, was recognized with an Award of Distinction for Industrial Water Project of the Year. The Gippsland Water Factory uses state-of-the-art technology, including biological treatment, membrane filtration, and reverse osmosis, to treat nearly 9.3mgd (35ML/d) of domestic and industrial wastewater. The Gippsland Water Factory produces 2to 3mgd (8 to 12ML/d) of high-quality recycled water for use by local industry. Green engineering principles and design were incorporated throughout the project. The project was delivered using an alliance model, which included Gippsland Water as the principal sponsor and a consortium of CH2M HILL, Transfield Services and Parsons Brinckerhoff providing project management, design, construction and operations services.

National Water Company, Saudi Arabia – Award of Distinction for Public Water Agency of the Year

The National Water Company, a government-owned joint stock company providing water and wastewater services in Saudi Arabia, earned an Award of Distinction for Public Water Agency of the Year. The Company was recognized for investing heavily in its asset base, carrying out work on a number of significant projects to improve wastewater services to needy areas of the country. It also explored new energy-saving technologies, while improving customer services and moving closer to its goal of financial self-sufficiency. National Water Company is a client of CH2M HILL's, with the firm working on projects like the Jeddah Sewage Lake Clean-Up Project, which was recognized with the Reuse Project of the Year Award last year.

Learn more about all of these projects and organizations by visiting http://globalwaterawards.com/.

About the Awards

The annual Global Water Awards, sponsored by the International Desalination Association and Global Water Intelligence, recognize outstanding achievements within the international water industry. Through a rigorous selection process, projects and companies from around the globe are selected because of their innovation and contributions to the international water sector. From these nominees, four finalists are shortlisted in each category and the winners are determined from completed ballots submitted by readers of Global Water Intelligence, the Water Desalination Report, and members of the International Desalination Association and the International Private Water Association.

CH2M HILL AlumniConnect | May 3, 2012

By Steve Ludwig

Bob Card, Energy, Water & Facilities Division president and acting Energy & Chemicals Business Group president at CH2M HILL, recently visited the Shah Gas Development Program in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) awarded CH2M HILL the project manager consultancy for the USD$2.2-billion Program in 2010.

Within 16 months, around 40-million cubic meters of sand have been moved from massive dunes and replaced with a base camp and a 16.8 mile (27 km), dual carriage highway leading from the main highway to the newly cleared areas. Five areas of facilities were excavated, backfilled, compacted, and handed over ahead of schedule. The three well pads, which were completed by the eighth month, allowed the client to start the drilling operation ahead of schedule.

"You may have seen the impressive pictures of this project, but I must say there is no way to grasp the scale and complexity other than being there in person,” Bob said. "This project has a main pipe rack that is 12 km (7.4 miles) long and our scope, among many other things, included moving 50 million cubic meters (52.3 million cubic yards) of sand. That's about 25 percent of the entire earth moved for the Panama Canal and 25 times the amount moved for the London 2012 Olympics. Our team is doing outstanding work.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has the sixth largest proven natural gas reserves in the world, holding more than 200 trillion cubic feet of mostly sour gas reserves. Given the very sour nature of the reserve's gas, along with the magnitude of processed gas and produced sulfur, the program will set a new benchmark for the world's gas processing and treatment industry.

CH2M HILL AlumniConnect | April 26, 2012