Wastewater Improvements
Provided full-service design as part of a design-build team for the new $10.2M wastewater treatment plant for pet food production effluent. The project scope included full civil engineering services, structural foundation, building design, architectural design for a pre-engineered metal building, and permitting services. NUTEC utilized a partner engineering firm for the detailed wastewater process design and related electrical and programming design. NUTEC also provided construction management services, holding all contracts and managing all work to deliver the project within the client’s determined budget and schedule.
About the facility
The facility generates process wastewater, primarily from cleaning and rinsing at the extruding process area to produce wet and dry pet food. The process wastewater is treated on-site and discharged to the nearby River. The existing treatment process utilized an aerated lagoon constructed within an earthen berm for organics removal and ammonia-nitrogen oxidation (nitrification). The lagoon had reached the end of its functional life expectancy and after an alternatives analysis was performed, a replacement system was designed. The new treatment system utilized the existing bar screens and dissolved air flotation (DAF) unit, with automation for improved efficiencies. A new 450,000-gallon equalization tank was installed at the plant area. Adjacent to the existing lagoon, two new 150,000-gallon anoxic tanks, a 1.2M-gallon aeration tank, a clarifier, chlorine contact chamber, and related infrastructure were constructed. The tanks required concrete vertical piers to bedrock to mitigate poor soils in the area. A new building was constructed to house electrical equipment, blowers, pumps, and a new office for the treatment manager. New programmable logic controllers (PLC) and automation were included, designed to integrate fully with existing systems. The existing treatment system was maintained in full operation until the new system could be brought online to protect the production and operation of the facility.