In an unusual move generally reserved for large and complex projects, the Southern Nevada Water Authority has decided to hire a single firm to design and build its new water intake at Lake Mead.
The so-called third straw, set to go on line by the end of 2011, will enable the authority to continue drawing water even if the lake shrinks below the level of the authority's two existing intakes.
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By going the design-build route, rather than bidding the job out to separate engineering and construction firms, the authority should be able to speed up work on the intake without sacrificing quality, agency officials said this week.
Marc Jensen, director of engineering for the water authority, said constructing the underground portion of the intake is a "very complex and risky project" that involves tunneling beneath the bed of Lake Mead for about three miles.
Jensen couldn't offer a firm cost projection but said he expects the 20-foot diameter intake tunnel to cost several hundred million dollars.
The water authority board approved the use of the design-build concept Thursday. The board also will have final say on which company is picked to do the work, slated to begin before the end of next year.
Jensen said the authority on Friday began contacting companies that might be expected to bid on such a job.
"We expect some of the world's largest companies," said water authority General Manager Pat Mulroy. "This is an enormous project."
By using the same company for the design and construction work, both activities can go on at the same time and in a more coordinated fashion, Jensen said.
That could trim six months from a job that is expected to take two to three years to complete.
The construction of the tunnel under Lake Mead represents only about half of the project. The water authority also will be going out to bid on the construction of a new pumping facility to draw water through the third intake and a new pipeline to carry that water to its Alfred Merritt Smith Water Treatment Facility at Lake Mead.
The total cost of the intake, pumping station and pipeline has been estimated at $650 million.
The two existing intakes provide the Las Vegas Valley with 90 percent of its drinking water supply, but one or both of the inlet pipes would be forced to shut down if the lake level falls another 80 feet.
