Construction Administration

Construction administration for Colorado land development

Construction administration is the engineer's work once the plans are approved and the build begins. The engineer answers contractor questions, visits the site, checks the work against the design and records what was built.

MES provides construction administration on Colorado water and wastewater projects. On recent jobs that has meant on-site construction observation, construction oversight with the owner and contractors, technical support during the build, and as-built drawings at closeout.

Mountain sites add winter weather to the schedule. Drone photos from one Routt County plant show its structure going up in deep snow in January 2023.

How CDPHE and local review shape construction

Domestic wastewater plants and lift stations over 2,000 gallons per day, and new or substantially changed drinking water facilities, need design approval from the CDPHE Water Quality Control Division before construction starts. The division's Engineering Section runs that review.

State review continues into the build. The Engineering Section's process also takes change orders and a construction completion form. A change to an approved design may need a change order sent for review.

Construction that disturbs one acre or more, or is part of a larger common plan of development, needs coverage under the CDPHE construction stormwater general permit, COR400000. The permit calls for a stormwater management plan and site inspections.

Cities and districts often inspect new public water and sewer lines before they accept them. In Thornton, for example, the city's Development Engineering group reviews submittals and inspects the improvements.

Colorado construction work

For a new 0.35 MGD wastewater plant in Routt County, MES provided on-site construction observation, checking progress and quality against the design. See the Routt County plant.

At a drinking water plant in Conifer, MES provided construction oversight for new filters, turbidity meters, booster pumps and SCADA upgrades. See the Conifer plant upgrades.

For a 40,000 gallon per day replacement plant at an RV park, MES answered design questions during the build and prepared the as-built drawings. See the RV park plant.

Common questions

What does construction administration include?

It is the engineer's role during the build. That means answering contractor questions, site visits, checking work against the approved design, and as-built drawings at the end.

Who applies for construction stormwater coverage?

Under COR400000, the application is signed by both the owner and the operator of the site. It is filed with CDPHE before land disturbance starts.

Why do as-built drawings matter?

They show what was actually built, including changes made in the field. The owner relies on them to run and maintain the system and to plan later work.