City of Lincoln Wins APWA Project Award

The Department of Public Works and Utilities (DPWU) for the City of Lincoln, Neb., has won the American Public Works Association (APWA) Public Works 2000 Project of the Year for its Salt Valley Trunk Sewer Project. The $4 million project received the award in the category of Environment for a project in the range of $2 to $10 million.

The Salt Valley Trunk Sewer Project represents an innovative combination of teamwork and ideas that significantly improved the sanitary sewer needs of those living in the Salt Creek Basin in the southern part of the city. Low lying areas along the existing line were subject to flooding during high rainfall events as the city's system still has infiltration and residential sump pumps that increase flow after a rainfall.

Montgomery Watson designed and performed construction services for 4,500 feet of 78 inch relief trunk sewer and 1,000 feet of 54-inch lateral interconnection in the city of Lincoln. The work included a three-barrel inverted siphon across Antelope Creek.

The project involved some unique challenges, such as making a 30-foot deep cut through the horseracing track at the State Fair Park. Tunneling was considered but rejected for cost reasons. To avoid settlement, which could have been disastrous on the racetrack, special care was used in developing the specifications for backfill in the pipe and trench zones. More than a year after completion, no settlement has taken place.

City Expands Reclamation Plant

The City of Harlingen, Texas, has recently completed an upgrade of its wastewater reclamation facility. The membrane-based facility was a 2.2 mgd plant originally commissioned in 1989. During the upgrade, Hydropro Inc. installed a new membrane skid that raised the plant's capacity to 4 mgd.

The new membrane skid includes multi-port pressure vessels that allow for reduced train size to accommodate the minimal space available in the existing facility.

The expansion was needed to serve a new Fruit of the Loom manufacturing facility that located in the area, which is primarily agricultural. The new equipment will also provide room for growth if other new industries choose to locate in Harlingen.