The Texas Council of Engineering Companies presented its highest honor, the Eminent Conceptor Award, to the team of Moreno Cardenas Inc. (MCi) and Camp Dresser & McKee Inc.(CDM) for the design of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Facilities.

04/20/2008 — The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Facility is owned by the El Paso Water Utilities and located on Fort Bliss.The Eminent Conceptor Award recognized the desalination facilities as the top engineering project in Texas for 2008 and was presented at the annual meeting held on April 4 in Irving, Texas. A distinguished panel of judges from around the state selected the El Paso project from a large field of statewide engineering projects for its uniqueness, originality, technical complexity, value to the engineering profession, success in meeting the project needs of the client, and the project’s value to the community where the project is located. In the 33-year history of the Texas Engineering Excellence Awards Competition, this is the first time an El Paso project has won the coveted state-wide award.

The MCi/CDM team was selected by El Paso Water Utilities in 2001 to begin the planning, design and construction management of the $87.5 million project which features a 27.5 million gallon per day desalination plant, supply and blend wells, transmission pipelines and an innovative remote deep-well injection concentrate disposal system. Named after Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, the plant is the largest inland desalination facility of its kind in the world. MCi provided the overall program management for the project and coordinated all phases with Fort Bliss officials and numerous local and state agencies. They were also responsible for the design of over 50 miles of off-site pipelines and other infrastructure associated with the project.