Leveraging Current Technologies to Create Cost-Effective and Sustainable Solutions to the Implementation of 10.5 MGD Water Reclamation Facility Expansion for Nutrient Removal

Wastewater treatment plants are typically designed using proven technologies and standard construction methodologies to guarantee the required level of treatment to meet the effluent standards. Although this approach provides the level of comfort to the plant owners due to the lower construction and performance risks, it may not always produce the cost-effective treatment system. However, the innovative engineering thinking in the design and the project implementation can reduce the life cycle cost of the wastewater treatment system. The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the cost-effective, innovative and sustainable solutions were developed from the current technologies and implemented successfully in the wastewater treatment facility expansion for nutrient removal. Design and engineering expertise and process modeling skills were utilized to develop process and hydraulic configurations to minimize energy use, implement stormwater best practices to promote green infrastructure, develop a distributed control method for plant automation and implement alternative delivery for major construction work.