Implementation of Montana's 1st Membrane Bioreactor Facility

The rapidly growing community of Bigfork, Montana had an aging trickling filter facility on a very small site. The plant discharge is into one of the most pristine water bodies in North America, Flathead Lake. Due to these factors, the facility was upgraded with a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) to achieve more stringent nutrient discharge limits while also maximizing treatment capacity on the constrained site. A unique aspect of the design was that the entire MBR facility was constructed on the site without disturbing the existing treatment operations. The plant is also in the middle of a residential neighborhood with lake front access. This resulted in very tight construction constraints, and careful coordination with operations staff and the community. This project resulted in the first MBR facility in the state of Montana.