The Design-Build Institute of America honored CDM's St. Bernarnd Parish pump station rehabilitation project with the National Design-Build Award in the Rehabilitation/Renovation/Restoration category. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage to three flood control pump stations in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Through design-build delivery, CDM helped the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) repair and replace the pump stations, which are critical to protecting the community from flooding during a hurricane or tropical storm event. The project team successfully implemented a fast-track schedule to replace the lost pumping capacity-a total of 850,000 gallons per minute.
As part of the project, CDM identified and applied an innovative technical approach to inspecting existing discharge piping. Rather than send divers to visually inspect the pipes in potentially unsafe waters, CDM used sonar to determine that the pipes could be cleaned, rather than replaced-saving the client time and money. In addition, the team demonstrated emergency responsiveness during project execution to prepare for impending Hurricane Gustav. CDM, USACE, and the levee district successfully collaborated to install three pumps ahead of schedule, ensuring adequate pumping capacity during the storm.