Graham Reservoir, Pump Station and Athletic Fields Project

Ardurra delivered design services for the City of Mountain View's Graham Reservoir and Pump Station project, successfully integrating critical water infrastructure with community recreation facilities within Graham Middle School limits. The challenging joint-use facility required innovative design solutions addressing neighborhood concerns while meeting municipal water supply needs through an 8 MG buried reservoir, 10,000 GPM pump station, 900 GPM well, and high-end athletic complex.

The project initially sparked community controversy due to residents' concerns about nighttime field lighting, spectator noise, and the impacts of event traffic. Working closely with city staff and environmental consultants, Ardurra developed robust CEQA mitigation measures to address visual, noise, and traffic issues while delivering infrastructure that meets the city's goals with minimal community disruption.

Key Project Components:

• Designed an 8 MG buried reservoir and appurtenant facilities providing critical water storage capacity within school campus constraints

• Engineered groundwater supply well and pump station, including 1,000 kW emergency generator for system reliability

• Integrated new athletic fields and sports facilities with co-located water infrastructure, maximizing land use efficiency

• Developed comprehensive CEQA mitigation measures addressing visual glare, noise impacts, and neighborhood traffic circulation concerns

• Coordinated complex stakeholder engagement, balancing municipal infrastructure needs with community quality of life priorities

• Created an innovative joint-use design demonstrating the successful integration of utility and recreational infrastructure

The project earned multiple prestigious awards, including the Helen Putnam Award for Excellence (2008), the ACEC Engineering Excellence National Finalist (2008), the CELSOC Honor Award (2008), the ASCE Outstanding Environmental Civil Engineering Project (2007), and the APWA Award of Merit (2006).

Overall, the project demonstrates exceptional engineering innovation in sensitive community environments while establishing new standards for multi-use infrastructure projects.