April 16, 2004 -- The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) recognized four diverse Malcolm Pirnie projects as National Finalists in its 2004 Engineering Excellence Competition.
The projects, which won state-level competitions in order to compete in the National program, demonstrate approaches being taken by municipal and industrial clients to explore new opportunities and technologies to conserve energy, minimize resource use, protect public health, and prepare for future growth.
In New London, Connecticut, Pirnie's engineering of a new 2,100 foot-long intake pipeline for the City of New London made hundreds of millions of gallons of additional water accessible to drinking water customers. It increased the total usable storage from the City's Lake Konomoc Reservoir by nearly one-third, thus protecting drinking water customers against future drought emergencies and providing a water resource that prepares the City for future growth.
The firm was recognized for two projects in Ohio - a precedent-setting study in Cincinnati and the expansion of a unique water treatment facility in Cleveland. For the Greater Cincinnati Water Works (GCWW), Pirnie staff worked with university researchers to demonstrate the effectiveness of ultraviolet light (UV) disinfection as an additional treatment barrier to microorganisms in treated water, a critical step in the utility's planning to meet future regulatory mandates.
And, at Cleveland's 'vintage' Baldwin Water Works Plant, Pirnie's renovation of this registered historic landmark doubled the capacity of half of its filters and updated systems treatment and automation systems to 21st century technology, while respecting the integrity of this architectural gem.
Finally, in a pioneering project for the pharmaceutical research and development laboratory of Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (AMRI), Pirnie and Friedman Fisher Associates, P.C. installed an innovative geothermal cooling system to meet the facility's high-volume air cooling requirements. This is the first cooling system to use groundwater as condensing water in an "open-loop" recirculation system with nearly zero consumptive use of the water supply.
For more information, visit http://www.pirnie.com/.
[Editor's note: A feature about Pirnie's work with Albany Molecular Research, Inc., to install a geothermal cooling system will run in the May/June 2004 issue of Industrial WaterWorld]
