Best Civil Works Project in the Mid-Atlantic Region Announced
The Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant (WRP) Addition No. 7 project—designed and engineered by Atkins for the Howard County Bureau of Utilities in Maryland—has been named the Best Civil Works/Infrastructure Project of 2012 in the Mid-Atlantic Region by Engineering News-Record. On Dec. 11, the Atkins team was recognized at an awards ceremony in Baltimore, Md. Atkins served as the lead design and engineering consultancy for this seventh addition of improvements to the Little Patuxent WRP.
The project helps protect water quality in the Chesapeake Bay by removing excess nutrients from reclaimed water. The objectives of Addition No. 7 were to design and construct improvements that increase treatment performance to meet enhanced nutrient removal (ENR) standards, expand treatment capacity to 29 million gpd and treat a significant organic waste load from a large industrial discharge. The Little Patuxent WRP serves 56% of Howard County’s population of approximately 295,000.
Upgrading wastewater treatment plants to achieve ENR standards is integral to the Chesapeake Bay Program, a partnership created in 1983 to restore the bay’s ecosystem. The Chesapeake Bay’s water quality has been declining over the last 50 years, largely due to the impact of excessive nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment loads from sources such as treatment plants. The bay is known for seafood production and recreational fishing, and restoring its water quality is critical to helping the commercial and sport fishing industries recover some of their lost economic viability.
To meet the state of Maryland’s permit requirements for ENR implementation by February 2012, the Howard County Bureau of Utilities selected a construction manager at-risk project delivery method to facilitate and expedite construction. The facility’s denitrification filters were successfully tested and on line by January 2012.
The county’s long-term goal is to reuse a greater portion of its effluent in order to reduce potable water demand for non-potable water applications such as landscape irrigation and cooling water service.
The project’s success was the culmination of the teamwork practiced by all stakeholders. Stephen Gerwin, Howard County Bureau of Utilities chief, said, “The collaborative efforts of the project team produced a first-class treatment plant that benefits the environment, the community, and our staff.”
The project’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 23, 2012. “This project was completed ahead of schedule and under its original $111 million budget,” said Doug Fredericks, Atkins senior practice manager for water infrastructure.
Source: Atkins