Date
Monday, July 28, 2025
Time
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Location Name
Room 301C
Name
Memphis Regional Megasite - The State of Tennessee's Promise of Infrastructure
Track
Water Supply
Description
The State of Tennessee Department of General Services was tasked with providing water and wastewater infrastructure to all tenants of the Memphis Regional Megasite, including The Ford Motor Company and their on-site suppliers. While preliminary designs were in place for the WWTP, the Potable Water Plant, seven production wells and the elevated water tank plans had to be fast-tracked to completion once Ford committed to the construction of a production facility at the site in 2021. Their projected initial startup date was Winter of 2023 so time was of the essence. The session will cover the State’s procurement structure to support this expedited schedule and the Contractor’s challenges in procuring and managing major subcontractors for the various areas of construction. In short order, the team constructed the equivalent of an entire community’s water infrastructure, including seven drinking water supply wells, a 7 MGD water treatment plant, one new 1-million-gallon elevated storage tank, repairs and commissioning of one existing elevated storage tank, thirteen miles of underground piping, and a 5.1 MGD wastewater treatment plant that ultimately discharges into the Mississippi River some 37 miles away. Throughout the project, we faced many construction schedule changes from Ford, as well as varying needs to support their operations, including temporary treatment measures for both drinking water and wastewater. We will discuss the efforts of all team members to meet these needs, showing incredible flexibility, communication, and grit of all involved.