South Adams County Water and Sanitation District (SACWSD) marked the completion of the Klein Enhancement Project, an $86 million investment that established Colorado’s largest ion exchange treatment facility dedicated to removing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. A ribbon cutting marked the first day of operations for the upgraded Klein Water Treatment Facility.
Described by the District as the largest infrastructure investment in its history, the project increases the facility’s PFAS treatment capacity to 18 million gallons per day (MGD). The expanded system draws on 13 production wells to supply approximately 75,000 customers served by the utility.
The delivery team comprised Brown and Caldwell, which provided design services, and PCL Construction, which served as construction manager and general contractor under a construction manager at risk (CMAR) delivery model. The multi-year program encompassed pilot testing, detailed design, construction, and commissioning, and was completed ahead of schedule and under budget while maintaining uninterrupted customer service.
The treatment configuration relies on full-scale ion exchange using PFAS-selective resin, arranged into two independent trains for operational flexibility and performance. The north train includes four duplex units treating up to 10 MGD sourced from northern wellfields, while the south train includes three triplex units treating up to 8 MGD from central and southern wells. An equalization tank moderates fluctuations in well output before water enters the resin vessels, after which treated water is conveyed to the existing facility for blending, additional treatment, and distribution.
To optimize treatment efficiency, the design segregates flows from wells with higher and lower PFAS concentrations. The project also retains SACWSD’s existing granular activated carbon (GAC) systems for volatile organic compound (VOC) removal, a decision expected to extend media life and reduce long-term operating costs by aligning each technology with its target contaminants.
Project financing required assembling nearly $90 million in low-interest loans and grants. According to the project partners, this included $61 million from the State Revolving Fund’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law PFAS program, support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Emerging Contaminants in Small Disadvantaged Communities program, and federal earmarks. Brown and Caldwell’s funding team led efforts to secure and coordinate these funding sources.
