The Salton Sea Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project is a significant, man-made, saline wetland habitat and water management system. The goal of the project is to improve the air quality and critical environmental habitat for birds along the Pacific Flyway. The State of California Department of Water Resources (DWR) undertook the Salton Sea SCH Project and is completing it under the design-build delivery method.
In 2020, MWH was brought on to serve as the on-site client representative for DWR to provide construction project management services.
These restrictions limited construction during sensitive breeding seasons for protected species like the Burrowing Owl, California Least Tern, Yuma Clapper Rail, Yuma Ridgway Rail, Desert Pupfish, and others. Activities near nesting sites and in waterways were tightly regulated, requiring constant biological monitoring and the potential for costly work stoppages.
Through these collaborative sessions, we negotiated workable solutions—such as real-time field adjustments and phased construction sequencing—that allowed crews to operate safely around active nests and habitat zones. This collaborative delays and saved DWR $15M CMS Contract Value in potential downtime and rescheduling costs.
“As the lead Construction Manager on the project, I have had the pleasure of working with a great group of professionals at not only DWR, but also with other federal, state, and local governments and agencies on the design and construction of one of the largest environmental water projects West of the Mississippi River. The day-to-day challenges of weather, environmental permit restrictions, and COVID have made this project difficult to construct. It is very fulfilling to see water flowing to the East Pond and East Pond 1 as it creates some great aquatic habitats for the local species we look to protect and enhance.”
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