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Wastewater Treatment

Spring Creek Water Pollution Control Facility

Challenge
During the past decade, the population of the Centre region increased by more than 10,000 people with even greater growth anticipated in the coming years. The only stream in the area large enough to provide an adequate discharge point for the region's wastewater is Spring Creek, one of the Eastern United States ' blue ribbon trout streams. To preserve this natural resource, the University Area Joint Authority (UAJA) needed an innovative solution to handle the increased sewage flows while complying with the thermal impact limitations imposed to protect Spring Creek. Out of this need was born the beneficial reuse alternative.

Solution
Beginning in 1991, HRG worked with the Centre Region Planning Agency (CRPA)to consider a variety of options that would address the communities' concerns about growth, wastewater treatment capacity, and environmental impacts. Through our partnership with the CRPA and the University Area Joint Authority, it was determined that the best approach would be to expand UAJA's facilites without increasing discharges to Spring Creek. To do this, HRG designed a wastewater treatment plant for the University Area Joint Authority utilizing microfiltration and high pressure reverse osmosis technologies to treat the additional secondary clarified effluent to drinking water standards. This water can then be reused in a variety of agricultural and industrial applications such as irrigation, industrial heating and cooling, and groundwater recharge. By reducing the amount of water needed from the local aquifer in this way, the design also addresses declining baseflow conditions in Spring Creek and its tributaries.

As the largest water reuse project of its kind in the Northeastern United States, the Spring Creek Pollution Control Facility continues to be at the leading edge of technological innovation in the wastewater treatment industry. Solutions delivered include:

• designing a 10.34 million gallons per day wastewater treatment plant that exceeds all Chesapeake Bay goals for biological nutrient removal.
• pilot testing and implementing membrane water treatment technologies that meet all U.S. , Pennsylvania and California Title 22 benchmark regulations for water reuse.
• assisting with the development of new state regulations for water reuse and anti-degradation for high quality and exceptional value streams.
• designing an expansion to the EPA award-winning compost facility for beneficial use of biosolids.
• designing a septage receiving station engineered to handle sewage waste from 3,000 authority residents subject to a Septage Management Plan
• coordinating the goals of all stakeholders through a blue ribbon panel of community leaders, national experts and state regulators.

Because of our local presence, we are able to provide personalized service and conduct on-site meetings regularly …
Having an office located in close proximity to the authority has allowed HRG to conduct design team meetings every two weeks and organize the project management team monthly to keep the client and community informed. As construction progresses, HRG's team is on-site to provide construction phase services and conduct weekly meetings with the client and contractors to help keep the project on track and on budget.