Shaws Creek water plant 40% complete; contractor says equipment installation next quarter

The Aiken City Council received a quarterly construction update on the Shaws Creek Water Treatment Plant on Gun Range Road, where the contractor said the project is roughly 40–41% complete and remains on schedule and on budget.

Harper, the general contractor, told council the treatment-structure concrete is complete, and two 1,000,000-gallon clear wells are in place. One clear well has been leak tested and passed; the other was being filled and expected to be tested during the week of the presentation. The contractor said much of the remaining schedule will be equipment delivery and installation, which is planned for the next quarter.

Contractor representatives showed progress photos and described the treatment flow — rapid mix, flocculation, sedimentation, five filters — and the locations for bulk chemical tanks, the chemical building and high-service pumps. The contractor reported about 65,000 man-hours on-site to date and said 22 trade partners have worked on the job so far, with about 20 more expected to complete the remaining work.

City staff said the project remains on budget and reiterated the construction contract’s target completion date of Feb. 8 (contract target), with the goal to begin producing water in 2026. Council members asked about structure heights, depths and the location of the intake pump station; the contractor said portions of the treatment structure reach about 22 feet and that some piping runs about 24 inches beneath the structure. The project team said the site will be backfilled and that a road will run near the treatment structure when finished.

No formal action was required; the presentation served as an informational quarterly progress update.