PROJECTS

This design-build project, valued at $21,628,498, was for the construction of 64,000LF of HDPE reclaimed water conveyance pipelines. Orion as the design-builder, teamed with GHD as its designer of record for this project. The project included the construction of two pump stations, three storage reservoirs, six trenchless installations totaling 8,800 LF, new irrigation systems, road rehab, and work in culturally and environmentally sensitive areas. Orion/GHD identified design and construction methods to reduce impacts, complying with strict regulatory requirements. Orion identified early in the design process ecologically sensitive areas including vernal pools, salt marshes, riparian, and coastal sage, with numerous endangered species such as the arroyo toad, loggerhead shrikes, least bell’s vireo, clapper rails, yellow-breasted chat. Orion/GHD then developed design and construction plans to mitigate impacts, utilizing trenchless construction, including Horizontal Direction Drills. These were also used to install the new pipeline beneath three rivers as the method of choice for Army Corps approval, and an archaeologically important site. Orion restored disturbed areas in strict compliance with the revegetation plans developed in design and certified them at the one-year final inspection to the jurisdictional regulatory agencies that the required restoration success rates had been achieved.

Orion was the prime contractor on this $6,491,625 city project and the project intent was to upgrade the existing sewer system due to capacity deficiencies through their trunk main using open cut and micro tunneling installation methods. Orion installed 3096 LF of new sewer trunk main between 12” to 15”, and 22 new manholes, located and reconnected 16 existing sewer laterals, and excavated and shored the launching and receiving pits for micro tunneling. The project proved challenging due to the trench depths in narrow City streets, which varied between 12’-25’ deep during open-cut installations. Micro tunneling pits were excavated and shored to depths of 35’ with beam and plate. A total of 685 LF of 42” diameter steel casing was installed using micro tunneling with a 15” PVC pipe installed inside the casing.

Orion teamed with Harris and associates as the designer to deliver this $18,525,277 design-build project to remove and replace over 20,000 LF of PVC gravity sewer, abandon 1,500 LF of gravity sewer, and install 16,000 LF of PVC and CML&C 16”-24” watermain. This was a full utility corridor upgrade that included (6) different parallel pipelines at one project point. Work was performed using both open-cut and trenchless methods. An early challenge was that the Owner had the opportunity to secure a Homeland Security grant to install 16,000 LF of fiber optic line, with the grant timeline requiring simultaneous design and installation by a critical date. Orion/Harris worked with the City using a progressive design-build methodology to create a fast-track early start package for installing the fiber optic line, securing the grant on time.

The City of San Diego engaged Orion as a design-builder for this emergency waterfront repair at the picturesque Sunset Cliffs. Unstable portions of the cliffs threatened portions of the staircase leading to the water below. Orion, with its design partners, created a solution which protected beach goers and minimized impacts to the cliffs themselves. Orion lowered personnel, including a geotechnical engineer, in man baskets to the cliff faces and removed loose portions of the cliffs while ensuring that the cliff’s structural integrity was maintained.

This design-build project for the Navy consisted of demolishing 8 1950s era concrete open-bay barracks at Camp Pendleton and grading the area to match the existing topography to prevent ponding and providing a flat training area for the Marines. Before demolition Orion performed significant hazardous remediation before demolishing the structures. After demolition was complete, Orion graded the area, installed new sidewalks, and installed erosion control measures.

This design-bid-build project installed 7,000 LF of storm drain pipeline and a new pump station to mitigate stormwater issues at the San Diego International Airport. This project presented several distinct challenges unique to working at airports and in high water table areas. Orion worked closely with the airport authority to mitigate impacts to airline operations. Substantial dewatering was needed as groundwater was at or above 5ft throughout construction.

The complexity of this project required a multidisciplinary heavy-civil construction approach which utilized commercial scuba diving, directional drilling, paving of access roads, and deep excavations.

Orion built a water treatment plant and designed and built all conveyances in Camp Pendleton. CH2M Hill designed the treatment plant and Orion constructed it. Orion designed and built the treatment plant’s conveyance system. This highly complex project required a multidisciplinary team to construct an operations building with chemical laboratory, two one-million-gallon bolted steel tanks, an underground sewer lift station, a chemical storage facility, a pump station, and installation of over 90,000 LF of HDPE pipe, requiring directional drilling under multiple rivers and a freeway.

The Hector Avenue Storm drain failed during one of San Diego’s largest storms in recent years. When the storm drain failed, the embankment where it was located rapidly eroded and threatened private homes on the above canyon walls. The City of San Diego tapped Orion as an emergency design-builder to mobilize to the site, stabilize the area, and design and construct a permanent fix.

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Orion worked with local homeowners and through City easements to access to the steep slopes to remove the storm drain. The area was over-excavated and backfilled with fill soil which was later re-vegetated over a period of several months to prevent future erosion. This project was exceptionally challenging given the storm drain’s location on a steep embankment and the rapid mobilization needed to protect private property.

Portions of the Hale Avenue sewer had eroded over the years and, before the problem got any worse, the City of Escondido partnered with Orion to perform emergency repairs. The repairs were technically difficult because crews were working in high traffic areas and encountered incompetent soils in numerous areas. Orion worked with the local businesses and residents to ensure the repairs had a minimum impact on their daily lives and operations.

The Cummings Road was a potable water main project for the Navy that involved the repair of 2,900 LF existing 10” diameter AC and Cast Iron pressure pipelines using a cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) liner system. The scope of work also included new potable water gate and air release valves. During construction, Orion installed temporary water services to ensure that businesses and residents in the area were uninterrupted by the construction.

Orion was contacted by the Fairbanks Ranch Association to perform needed repairs to its existing gravity dam on a man-made lake. Years of sediment had built up in the lake rendering the lowest valves inoperable for the purpose of releasing water. Orion capped the unusable valves performed major concrete retrofits and stabilization to valves that were higher in water column. Orion dredged several feet of sediment to access the valves on the lake-side of the dam and installed a new fish screen.

This design-bid-build project for the Heilx Water District involved installation of over 8,000LF of new water main in both busy city streets and intersections and neighborhoods. Challenges included large areas of blue granite which Orion utilized large excavators and breakers to remove to make way for the new PVC main.

This design-build project was for the repair and replacement of failing sewer main in San Diego, CA. Orion immediately engaged with the City and determined that 1,900 LF of sewer main were suitable for trenchless (CIPP) replacement. This reduced construction impact on the area residents and businesses. Where CIPP methods were not suitable, Orion repaired by replacement of over 3,300 LF of sewer main. Finally, Orion installed by open-cut methods over 1,600 LF of sewer main.

This design-bid-build project for the Navy was for the demolition and replacement of a aeration and clarifier package system on San Clemente Island, California. San Clemente island is home to a small naval facility and is located 70 miles off the coast of San Diego. It presented unique logistical challenges in that Orion erected temporary housing facilities for its personnel, utilized barges to bring equipment to and from the island, and utilized a charter aircraft service to move people to and from the island.

This design-build project was for the complete above and below ground retrofit of La Bonita Park in La Habra, CA. Orion constructed a 250,000 gallon underground water tank, a new potable water pump station, new park restroom facility, and new large diameter water pipe. The complexity of this project required a multitude of construction disciplines. Orion demolished and rebuilt existing facilities including a roller hockey rink, restroom/mechanical building, tennis courts, and an above-ground pump station.  Substantial water and wastewater piping and appurtenances were also replaced.

This project required the refurbishment of sewage pump stations serving Piers 1 & 2 at Naval Base San Diego. The scope of work included demolition of existing pumps and electrical facilities, installation of a new sewage pump station, wet/dry well repairs, and electrical upgrades. Orion’s construction phasing and bypass systems allowed the piers to remain operational during construction with numerous naval vessels, including the hospital ship USNS Mercy, being docked during construction. Orion worked closely with the Navy to ensure that there was minimal impacts to the piers' missions. 

This design-build project was designed and constructed on an emergency basis for the City of San Diego. After a major storm event, a sinkhole opened on Park Village Drive. Orion repaired the sinkhole immediately, but was still faced with a failing storm drain underneath the roadway. Because the storm drain was in an ecologically sensitive area, Orion and its design partner opted to repair the storm drain using the second largest cured in place liner in California at 102″ in diameter and over 40,000LBS, minimizing impacts to the environment. The liner was installed overnight using a system of two cranes to lift the liner and pull it through the storm drain.

This design-build project was to repair and replace deteriorating sewer mains at 30 sites at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow. Orion engaged with the Navy early on and determined which sewer mains were to be replaced by open-cut methods and which were suitable for trenchless (CIPP) methods. Nearly 2,000 feet of sewer pipe were replaced or rehabilitated, and 10 manholes were rehabilitated.

This project was for the improvement of a sewage pump station in Laguna Beach, CA. The pump station’s interior was re-designed, the pump house was expanded, the existing steel tanks were replaced with fiberglass tanks, and the pump station’s single pump was replaced with a two-pump system. The pump station’s exterior was demolished, rehabilitated and included new retaining walls, new driveways, and new staircases. The pump station’s location next to a neighborhood adjacent to Shaw’s Cove Marine Park required extensive coordination with various City departments and homeowners to minimize impact on the community and environment.

This design-build project involved the construction of two new wooden pedestrian/light vehicle bridges in environmentally sensitive habitat in Vista, CA. Orion worked closely with its designer and the City of Vista to ensure that bridges were constructed in a manner that did not require substantial alteration of the habitat or existing access roads.

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After the bridges were constructed and installed, Orion restored all disturbed native vegetation.