What do you get when you combine: 1. A well-managed rural utility (Union-Fork Bakewell Utility District - winner of the TAUD Region 10 Best Tasting Water) located in the path of Chattanooga’s rapid urban growth 2. Aging infrastructure posing structural challenges 3. Fast population and water demand growth (~10% per year for 5 years) 4. Proactive awareness by UFBUD that continued growth would require strategic improvements to water production and storage capacity, leading to … 5. Kimley-Horn’s hydraulic model recommendations (in February 2025) that included the design, permitting, and construction of two new groundwater wells and water treatment plant improvements before the Summer of 2025 To complete these projects, Kimley-Horn worked closely with UFBUD and supporting industry partners to design, permit, and construct raw water and pumping capacity improvements ahead of the 2025 summer season. These improvements supported UFBUD’s ability to meet peak day demands, ensuring reliable service for the utility’s customers while positioning the system for continued growth. What ingredients led to this fast-track success? 1. Listening to the Client 2. Rapid engineering design 3. Thinking “outside the box” – Kimley-Horn worked around the aging, smaller diameter pipe within the plant, by connecting to yard piping and bypassing the older treatment plant piping. 4. Active coordination with UFBUD and our familiar industry partners (contractors and suppliers) to verify constructability and timeline 5. Expedited permitting through frequent coordination with TDEC plan reviewers 6. Expedited construction & commissioning 7. Verification of proposed system capacity upgrades by field testing against model results 8. Intangibles – It helps to work with an organized utility with well-maintained GIS data, that communicates effectively, and makes quick decisions for the benefit of their customers 9. A current Long-Term Capital Improvement Planning effort will build upon the completed hydraulic model and recent system upgrades, to further ensure system capacity and resilience in this quickly growing utility district.