BOSTON, MA, Jan. 13, 2006 -- MWH's Water Pollution Control Plant aeration retrofit in the town of Rockport, Mass., has been selected as a winner in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts (ACEC/MA) 2006 Engineering Excellence Awards. The awards recognize engineering achievements that represent the highest degree of technical innovation, client satisfaction, and contribution to the engineering industry. As a state chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies, ACEC/MA has recommended the project for consideration in the national ACEC 2006 Engineering Excellence Awards competition. National winners will be selected in February.
The town of Rockport Water Pollution Control Plant provides wastewater treatment at an average daily flow of 800,000 gallons per day and serves a population of approximately 7,800. The plant, which was constructed in 1976, is located in the midst of a residentially zoned area and has a history of serious odor complaints. MWH was selected as the prime consultant to conduct a comprehensive odor control study. The study identified the plant's aeration basins as the largest untreated odor source. In order to remedy the problem, MWH performed an aeration basin retrofit that included the conversion of mechanical aerators to a diffused air system and installation of low-profile aluminum covers over the aeration basins with ventilation beneath the new covers. The vented air was captured and treated utilizing in-ground biofilters, a type of odor control system that adsorbs and oxidizes odorous compounds using microorganisms growing in a compost substrate.
Prior to MWH's involvement, the Town of Rockport received an average of six complaints per week regarding odors from the facility. Subsequent to the completion of the modifications, no foul odors reached nearby residences during the warm summer months and there has not been a single resident complaint attributed to plant odors.
With headquarters in Broomfield, CO, MWH (www.mwhglobal.com) is a private, employee-owned firm with approximately 6,000 employees worldwide. The company provides water, wastewater, energy, natural resource, program management, consulting and construction services to industrial, municipal and government clients in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, India, Asia and the Pacific Rim.
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