Washington, DC—The Peoria Butler Water Reclamation
Facility was recently named a Public Works Project of the Year by the American
Public Works Association (APWA). The City of Peoria, Ariz., managing agency,
along with primary contractor Sundt Construction, Inc. and primary consultant
Black & Veatch Corporation, will be presented with the award during APWA’s
International Public Works Congress & Exposition held in September in Columbus,
Ohio.
APWA Projects of the Year awards are presented
annually to promote management and administration excellence of public works
projects by recognizing alliances between managing agencies, contractors,
consultants and their cooperative achievements. This year APWA selected 19
projects in five categories: Disaster or Emergency Construction/Repair,
Environment, Historical Restoration/Preservation, Structures and Transportation.
The Peoria Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility project received the award in
the Environment category, more than $75 million range.
The Peoria Butler Water Reclamation Facility project
is the largest capital project in the City of Peoria’s history. The facility
became the largest Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) facility in North America when it
was commissioned in 2008. MBR was the selected method of treatment allowing the
City to provide high-quality, reliable effluent recharge in a small footprint.
MBR’s low-profile, compact structures are architecturally compatible with the
facility’s surroundings. The City also has started design work for a public park
on adjacent property, which will be irrigated with reclaimed water from the
facility.
The project stands out not only because the facility
serves the city’s need for sustainable water planning, it also retains water
credits necessary to sustain the city’s economic development. The plant features
state-of-the-art odor control technologies including covers for all major
process units. Much of the plant is below grade. The plant air is scrubbed and
deodorized before being released into the atmosphere.
The 10 million gallons per day (mgd) facility is expandable to 13 mgd. Flows are
delivered via a 25 mgd peak capacity remote pump station that has rough
screening capabilities. The new plant features fine screens, nitrogen control,
and UV disinfection. Solids are dewatered with three 275 gpm centrifuges. A
screw conveyor system conveys dewatered solids to truck containers that haul the
waste to a landfill. The dewatering process layout was sited to allow for a
future addition of high-level solids treatment to achieve a Class A biosolids
suitable for reuse.
About Peoria's Butler Water Reclamation Facility
In its first phase, the facility has the ability to
treat 10 mgd of wastewater, producing reclaimed water suitable for artificial
aquifer recharge or reuse. By recharging the aquifer, the city earns water
credits, which means that Peoria can extract the equivalent amount of water from
the aquifer to meet future water needs. With the simple installation of several
additional membrane cassettes, the facility will ultimately treat 13 mgd.
The Influent Pump Station (IPS) is located offsite
in a prime commercial area that was undergoing concurrent development of
high-end retail shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. The adjacent
intersection had suffered from odor problems in the past, and one of the primary
considerations for the operation of the IPS was that it prevent inherent odors
from impacting the adjacent development, as well as to structurally blend
aesthetically with the neighborhood. The solution to this problem was to
construct the facility with a focus on architectural continuity and the
inclusion of a low-profile odor control system.
The Butler Water Reclamation Facility was planned,
designed and constructed to be a good neighbor and environmental steward. As the
nation’s largest operational MBR water reclamation facility, it is accomplishing
this on a daily basis.
About APWA
The American Public Works Association (www.apwa.net)
is a not-for-profit, international organization of more than 29,500 members
involved in the field of public works. Originally chartered in 1937, APWA serves
its members by promoting professional excellence and public awareness through
education, advocacy and the exchange of knowledge. With 64 chapters throughout
North America, APWA is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, and has an office
in Washington, D.C.
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