Engineering Inc. - May/June 2005 - (Page 35)

HONOR AWARDS Morris Forman Wastewater Treatment Plant, Panhandle Road Constructed Louisville, Ky. Wetlands Project, Morrow, Ga. Black and Veatch Corporation K ansas City, Mo. CH2M HILL Atlanta The Morris Forman Wastewater Treatment Plant in Louisville was using The Clayton County Georgia Water Authority wanted to sustain its 1970s technology to treat sludge, which created disposal problems and pro- limited supply of raw water and decided to construct wetlands to duced an incredibly offensive odor that prompted complaints for more than receive treated wastewater. The natural biological and biogeochemical 15 years. The project team designed a new system in which three massive and mechanisms in the wetlands provided a final polishing for the treated outdated incinerators were replaced with a new set of heat dryers the largest wastewater. Special ponds were created to provide additional waste- in the nation and the second largest in the world. Drying technology was water effluent treatment before the water is discharged into Shoal coupled with the latest in anaerobic digestion. Mass and volume of solids Creek, the area's primary source of drinking water. The uneven terrain, were reduced, and the amount of sludge delivered to a nearby landfill was slopes and elevations of the wetlands, however, presented a significant minimized. The system also converts a portion of the waste biomass into challenge. The project team created a terraced, multi-cell wetland con- methane gas, which is combined with waste heat recovered from the drying figuration that helps blend the new ponds into the surrounding envi- operations to fuel plant operations and further reduce operation costs. In ronment. The completed wetlands have attracted increased wildlife addition, a marketable product called Louisville Green was created from the and a diversity of vegetation. waste byproduct. Louisville Green is comprised of dry, low-odor biosolid pel- lets that are sold as soil conditioner, fertilizer or fuel for electric utility boilers. Geysers Recharge Project, Santa Rosa, Calif. CH2M HILL Santa Rosa, Calif. Production of geo- thermal energy from The Geysers, at 25 square miles the largest steam field in the world, has declined steadily since 1987. Brackish Water Desalination Facility, The City of Santa Newark, Calif. Rosa also needed to CDM Walnut Creek, Calif. use its treated wastewater produc- tively. The project The customer base for California's Alameda County Water District team designed a has more than doubled over the past 30 years, making it imperative pipeline from Santa to find more sources of drinking water and improve the quality and Rosa's Laguna Treat- reliability of the water supply. The project team designed an energy- ment Plant to The Geysers that stretches 40 miles across vineyards, an efficient desalination plant that uses high-efficiency, low-pressure, Audubon Sanctuary and rugged wilderness. Every day, four pumping sta- reverse-osmosis membranes to remove dissolved solids from ground- tions send 11 million gallons of treated wastewater through the pipeline and water, transforming it into high-quality drinking water. The plant uphill 3,300 feet; it's then sent deep into the earth as much as 11,000 feet can process 8 million gallons of water per day and is the first large- through injection wells to replenish the aquifer and extend the productiv- scale brackish water desalination facility in northern California. It ity of the steam field. The Geysers now produce 85 megawatts of clean enables Alameda County to tap its own groundwater resources rather power, enough electricity for 100,000 homes. than purchase water from other agencies. M a y l June 2005 ENGINEERING INC. 35

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - May/June 2005

Table of Contents
From ACEC To You
News & Notes
Market Watch
Legislative Action
Common Ground
An Offer They Can't Refuse
Better to Be Safe
COVER STORY: Engineering Excellence Awards
Business Insights
Members in the News
One on One

Engineering Inc. - May/June 2005