Sukut Breaks Ground on a Southern California Reservoir
Sukut Construction, Inc. has broken ground on a new $36 million reservoir to create an emergency backup water supply for 168,000 South Orange County families, according to project manager Jordan Sukut.
The company will build the reservoir under contract with the Santa Margarita Water District under the supervision of the California Department of Water Resources’ Division of Safety of Dams, a July 24 press release said.
The project, expected to be complete by December 2010, will provide enough emergency water to supply 168,000 families with 200 gallons of water per day for one week, Sukut said.
The reservoir will be located in the upper Chiquita Canyon near the intersection of Oso Parkway and the 241 Foothill Transportation Corridor.
The job requires excavation of 1.4 million cubic yards of dirt from the canyon floor. The excavated material will be reused as part of a 167-foot-high dam, which will be studded with electronic instrumentation to provide real-time monitoring of the structure, Sukut said.
The reservoir will be lined and protected by a floating cover. The company will lay more than 10,000 feet of pipe, which will connect the reservoir to South Orange County’s main distribution network.
The contract also includes construction of an intricate pump station, complete with chemical water treatment capabilities, as well as several concrete structures, including a spillway to capture any overflow.
Sukut, which turned 40 this year, is headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif.