Clean and reliable drinking water is the driving force for the City of Clewiston to upgrade the infrastructure in the central part of their community, with more to follow. The residential and commercial areas along Alverdez Avenue and Commercio Street in the City of Clewiston will soon have improved water service reliability, increased water pressure, and will have 11 new fire hydrants throughout the area. Previously, the water flowed through small diameter water mains, outdated pipe materials, and had little to no fire hydrants for fire protection.
 
Johnson Engineering’s utilities team designed a potable water system extension of 5,300 linear feet of water main throughout this portion of Clewiston. The new PVC and HDPE water main pipe material, ranging from 3-inch up to 12-inch, will improve the City’s existing system that consists primarily of obsolete pipe materials. Working closely with the contractor, Johnson-Davis, our team oversaw the installation of two subaqueous horizontal directional drill crossings underneath Canal C-4 and Alverdez Avenue, and one horizontal directional drill crossing underneath the Ventura Avenue roadway. Construction began in April 2022 and is anticipated to be completed in February 2023.
 
The team divided this project into three construction phases allowing for various segments to be constructed and placed into operation consecutively. This method of scheduling was beneficial to allow portions of the new system to be placed into operations once they were completed. In addition to the aforementioned improvements, the water main installation also provided the adequate flow and pressure needed to meet fire flow requirements; this upgrade will facilitate redevelopment and future investment in the central business district and adjacent properties. The City received a federal grant through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to fund the construction cost of this project in the amount of $1.4 million.
 
The City of Clewiston realizes the importance of public utility infrastructure enhancements and has leveraged approximately $9 million to improve and extend necessary water and wastewater infrastructure facilities along the US 27 Highway corridor throughout the City and surrounding areas, as well as at Airglades International Airport. These improvements will positively impact their future economic development efforts and will provide more reliable water and wastewater service to communities for years to come. For more information, contact Billy Saum at [email protected].