Design of Tampa Bay Water's 66-million-gallon-per-day (mgd) surface water treatment plant earned CDM the Grand Award in Design at the American Academy of Environmental Engineers 2003 Excellence in Environmental Engineering competition.
Implemented through one of the nation's largest water treatment design-build-operate (DBO) contracts by the team of USFilter, CDM, and Clark Construction, the plant is a state-of-the-art advanced treatment facility providing high-quality water for nearly 2 million Tampa Bay, FL, area residents. The 15-year, $144 million project includes approximately $83 million in capital costs and $61 million in operation and maintenance fees, and was operating in only 28 months.
Designed by CDM, the facility uses an innovative combination of Actiflo® high-rate ballasted flocculation, ozone disinfection, and biologically active granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration that efficiently handles a wide range of flow rates and effectively treats Florida's variable and difficult source water.
The facility treats water at a cost of 53.9 cents per thousand gallons - significantly lower than projected estimates- and meets Tampa Bay Water's stringent water quality standards, which are superior to Safe Drinking Water Act and state regulations.
Project innovations include the Actiflo® process, a compact, high-rate water clarification system that is 20 times smaller than conventional clarification systems of similar capacity; common-wall construction providing cost savings, reduced construction time, and a facility footprint 1/5 the acreage of a conventional plant; a highly automated control system; and a large-scale, 6-week pilot testing program that proved the design's superiority and facilitated timely permit issuance.
Tampa Bay Water estimates its total project savings to be 21 percent or approximately $85 million over the 15-year life cycle of the project.
The water treatment plant is the linchpin of Tampa Bay Water's master water plan, which will develop at least 58 mgd by 2003 and an additional 53 mgd by 2008. It will help fulfill Tampa Bay Water's mission of environmental stewardship by reducing stressed groundwater supplies while accommodating a projected 3-mgd annual growth demand.
CDM is a full-service, global consulting, engineering, construction, and
operations firm helping public and private clients improve the environment
and infrastructure.
For more award information, visit http://www.cdm.com/Ideas@Work/Recent+Awards.
