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CH2M Hilll Wins Project of Year Award

Water and wastewater design-build-operate project recognized for both regional and national DBIA awards

DENVER, Oct. 20, 2008 -- CH2M HILL, a global full-service engineering, procurement, construction and operations firm, received the Project of the Year Award from the New York Tri-State Region of the Design-Build Institute of America. The firm was recognized for its work on the Ave Maria Water Treatment Plant and Water Reclamation Facility in Ave Maria, Fla.

The Project of the Year Award was granted in the water and wastewater category, and was presented at the New York Tri-State Region DBIA Award Dinner in Newark, New Jersey, on Oct. 16.

Ave Maria is a new, master-planned community built in southwest Florida that includes a university, more than 1 million square feet of commercial property, and about 11,000 homes. The development represents a unique approach to building a town because it has been developed in conjunction with a new university and oratory, which form the center of the community.

CH2M HILL was chosen to design, build and operate the utility infrastructure. It led the permitting, design, construction, and operation of the centrally located 1.67 million gallon-per-day water and 1.25 million gallon-per-day wastewater facilities, including a wetlands treatment system. The wastewater treatment plant produces reclaimed quality water for public irrigation including residential lawns and landscaping.  CH2M HILL also designed a natural treatment wetland system to provide a sustainable, environmentally beneficial, wet-weather storage system.

The completed wetlands system results in the hydrologic and ecological restoration of 160 acres of cypress wetland and marsh using highly treated reclaimed water. Public-use facilities include hiking trails, boardwalks, information kiosks and overlooks. CH2M HILL also performs comprehensive administrative services for the Ave Maria Utility Company, LLP.

Last November, CH2M HILL was awarded the national Merit Award from DBIA for the Ave Maria project, in the category of water and wastewater projects over $15 million.