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Brown and Caldwell, Black & Veatch team up for next-generation Class A wastewater digester facility
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) has engaged a team of Brown and Caldwell and Black & Veatch to deliver professional design services for a new temperature-phased anaerobic digestion (TPAD) facility at its Plant No. 2 in Huntington Beach, California.
With the sixth-largest wastewater collection, treatment, and recycling infrastructure system in the U.S., OCSD provides wastewater services for 2.6 million people in central and northern Orange County.
The 144-million gallons per day (MGD) capacity rated Plant No. 2 consists of eighteen digesters built from 1959 through 1979. Due to their age, the digesters require significant rehabilitation to ensure protection against seismic hazards, comply with code, and be resilient to sea-level rise, as outlined in a 2015 structural/seismic hazard evaluation study by OCSD advising it to be more cost-effective to build new digesters than rehabilitate the existing. Subsequently, OCSD’s 2017 Biosolids Master Plan (BMP) was developed to evaluate future biosolids management options and recommended capital improvement projects to upgrade solids handling facilities at the plant. The new Class A TPAD facility is the largest of several projects resulting from the BMP and will be capable of processing all wastewater solids generated from Plant No. 2 until 2045.
Effecting significant improvements in biogas and methane production, solids and organic removal, pathogen reduction, and dewaterability over conventional digestion practices, the TPAD system will provide long-term resource recovery and operational benefits to OCSD. The Class A TPAD system involves high temperature thermophilic anaerobic digestion at 131 degrees Fahrenheit followed by a 24-hour holding period in the batch tanks, sludge cooling, and mesophilic anaerobic digestion at 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The process provides greater solids process capacity and higher-quality Class A biosolids, and the TPAD system allows OCSD to mitigate the seismic risk while maximizing the use of their existing digesters.
“This important project supports OCSD’s commitment to providing a reliable service to our ratepayers, expanding resource recovery, and prolonging the life of our assets or replacing them with improved technology and innovative solutions.”
OCSD Director of Engineering Kathy Millea
The $300 million project involves the construction of six new thermophilic digesters and six new Class A batch tanks at Plant No. 2, allowing the facility to generate Class A biosolids that meet U.S. EPA guidelines for land applications, including fertilizer on farms, vegetable gardens, and for residential use as compost or fertilizer. Digested sludge from the thermophilic digesters or Class A batch tanks will then be cooled and pumped to the existing mesophilic digesters before dewatering. In the event of a failure of the existing mesophilic digesters (e.g., seismic activity, structural failure), the new thermophilic digesters will be capable of processing all of the plant’s solids, thus mitigating seismic and operational risks with the existing digesters. The project will offer operational flexibility to feed the existing mesophilic digesters while future projects replace and demolish other mesophilic digesters as identified in the BMP. The project also includes updating the master plan for the ultimate replacement of the existing digester complex.
Brown and Caldwell, in association with Black & Veatch, will develop and provide OCSD with a preliminary and final design for the new TPAD facility at Plant No.2. The final design will include configuration of the designated facilities, facility parameters, operation and maintenance information, and calculations required for construction.
“Our highly qualified team is thrilled to have been chosen for this project which represents a unique opportunity for OCSD to implement a next-generation biosolids facility in sync with its long-term goals,” said Brown and Caldwell Principal-in-Charge Dan Bunce.
After the design phase concludes by summer 2024, construction and commissioning of the TPAD facility is expected to start in 2025 and be complete by 2030.
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About Brown and Caldwell
Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., Brown and Caldwell is a full-service environmental engineering and construction firm with 52 offices and 1,700+ professionals across North America and the Pacific. For more than 70 years, our creative solutions have helped municipalities, private industry, and government agencies successfully overcome their most challenging water and environmental obstacles. As an employee-owned company, Brown and Caldwell is passionate about exceeding our clients’ expectations and making a difference for our employees, our communities, and our environment. For more information, visit www.brownandcaldwell.com
About Black & Veatch
Black & Veatch is an employee-owned engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people in over 100 countries by addressing the resilience and reliability of our world’s most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2019 were US$3.7 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.
About OCSD
OCSD is a public agency that provides wastewater collection, treatment, and recycling for approximately 2.6 million people in central and northwest Orange County. OCSD is a special district that is governed by a 25-member Board of Directors comprised of 20 cities, four special districts, and one representative from the Orange County Board of Supervisors. OCSD has two operating facilities that treat wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sources.
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Brown and Caldwell strengthens industrial water team with experienced hire
HOUSTON — Leading environmental engineering and construction firm Brown and Caldwell announces Samir Davé has joined the company as senior director, client services focusing on industrial water services in the energy and chemicals sector.
During his 29-year career, Davé has built an impressive resume of diversified water and wastewater experience in the downstream oil and gas and chemicals markets. His experience includes consulting, technology application and solution development, project and program management for capital projects, sales and strategy leadership, client account management, operations management, and market sector leadership.
As a key addition to Brown and Caldwell’s industrial water group, Davé will lead the firm’s industrial water business in the energy and chemicals sector. In this capacity, he will be responsible for growing the company’s full-service business in the sector, managing both project development and delivery.
“I am excited to welcome Samir to our large and talented team of industrial water experts serving the energy and chemicals sector. His deep experience of the water and wastewater sector is unparalleled, and he brings a highly focused client service orientation.”
Brown and Caldwell Director of Industrial Water Si Givens
Davé has an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s in civil (environmental) engineering from the University of Missouri, and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Saurashtra University in India.
Brown and Caldwell to design pioneering water treatment upgrades in the Rockies
BRIGHTON, Colo. — Leading environmental engineering and construction firm Brown and Caldwell has been approved by the City of Brighton, Colorado to design improvements and expansions to the City’s drinking water treatment plants (WTPs).
Serving more than 41,000 citizens over a 27-square-mile area, the City owns and operates two WTPs; the Reverse Osmosis (RO) WTP and the Greensand WTP. As Colorado’s population continues to soar (seventh fastest-growing state per U.S. Census Bureau), so does the need for a reliable supply of safe, quality drinking water.
“To meet rising local demand and continue to provide customers with excellent service and system reliability, the City is embarking on a once-in-a-generation project to improve and expand our drinking water treatment system.”
City of Brighton Assistant Director for Utilities Brad Dallam
As prime consultant, Brown and Caldwell is leading a multidisciplinary team to conceptualize, pilot, and design a biological denitrification treatment system, softening process, and facility expansions. These improvements will fulfill Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment compliance date requirements for RO brine discharge and accommodate Brighton’s future treatment and capacity needs while meeting water quality goals. Integrating the design into the operating plants without interrupting services is key to the project’s success. The Brown and Caldwell team includes construction manager at-risk Garney Construction, and public outreach and engagement specialists GBSM.
“The team commends Brighton’s visionary approach, and we look forward to partnering with the City to support future growth and development by delivering a project that is efficient, cost-effective, and transparent,” said Brown and Caldwell Rocky Mountain Area Leader Joe Casias.
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Ulliman Schutte, Brown and Caldwell design-build team to rehabilitate section of Potomac Interceptor
WASHINGTON D.C. — The design-build team of Ulliman Schutte and Brown and Caldwell has been awarded a contract by DC Water to provide design, engineering, and construction services for the rehabilitation of a deteriorating segment of the Potomac Interceptor.
The Potomac Interceptor (PI) is a critical component of DC Water’s sewer network, conveying an average daily wastewater flow of 60 million gallons per day (MGD). Its 50-mile service area extends from the Washington Dulles International Airport through multiple northern Virginia and Maryland counties to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, where flows are treated before safe discharge into the Potomac River.
Following its inspection of the entire PI, DC Water is performing numerous sewer rehabilitation projects as part of a Capital Improvement Program to improve the District’s sewer infrastructure. For this effort, a buried section of the PI along the historic Potomac Heritage Trail, which accepts flows from Virginia’s Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, and Maryland’s Montgomery County, will be rehabilitated and renewed to prolong the life of the 60-year-old system and provide continued long-lasting resiliency.
The project will use the progressive design-build collaborative delivery approach, a first for a DC Water pipeline project. This method allows the contractor to be fully engaged during the design phase of the project.
The reputable and highly experienced Ulliman Schutte/Brown and Caldwell design-build team will design the repair and renewal of 600 linear feet of 54 to 78-inch diameter pipe as deep as 65-feet below grade. Using corrosion-resistant lining while incorporating energy-dissipating measures will help quell turbulence and control corrosive sewer gas. A key aspect of the project involves the design of a temporary pump and flow control system or permanent diversion structures to bypass segments of the PI during construction and maintain uninterrupted service. Additionally, the team will coordinate with DC Water to develop a stakeholder outreach program to proactively engage the community to help shape the project’s path forward.
The Ulliman Schutte/Brown and Caldwell team have a proven history of delivering award-winning infrastructure projects. Recent partnerships include repairing deteriorated sewer tunnels below downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and the $78 million Southwestern Parkway Combined Sewer Overflow Basin project, hailed by the Design-Build Institute of America as 2019’s best engineering design feat.
“In the true spirit of collaboration, the team is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the success of DC Water’s long-term asset resiliency planning.”
Brown and Caldwell Senior Vice President Carey Allen
Design phase activities are expected to be completed in 2021. Upon design finalization, construction activities will be methodically scheduled to reduce impacts on neighboring communities and a popular regional park.
Draft environmental impact statement published on Stibnite Gold Project
BOISE, Idaho — A much-anticipated Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for Midas Gold’s proposed Stibnite Gold Project has been released by the United States Forest Service (USFS) for public comment.
Using modern mining techniques and a restoration focus, the Stibnite Gold Project is a plan to restore a historic mining district impacted by over 100 years of activity to mine gold and critical minerals considered vital to the nation’s security and economic prosperity. If permitted, the project would provide the United States with its only domestically mined source of antimony and bring over 500 local jobs and economic stimulus to rural Idaho.
The project would be located on 3,400 acres of patented private lands and National Forest Service lands in Valley County, Idaho, managed by the USFS. The EIS discloses the effects of approving the project and potential alternatives on the environment in keeping with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations and following USFS regulations for locatable minerals operations and surface management.
“The Draft EIS illustrates the remarkable opportunity we have to use responsible, modern mining as both a path to restore the ecosystem at the Stibnite site, and also provide the family-wage jobs, capital investment, and critical minerals our nation so clearly needs.”
Midas Gold Idaho, Inc. President & CEO Laurel Sayer
Brown and Caldwell, a full-service environmental engineering and construction firm, is serving as the first-party permitting program manager to support Midas Gold in the development of the EIS that provides objective information and transparency to the permitting process. The firm is providing project management support and technical expertise in addition to coordinating project communication and collaboration with Midas Gold, state and federal agencies, tribes, community members, and local stakeholder groups. Key focus areas of Brown and Caldwell’s scope of work are comprised of water resource studies and modeling to include site-wide water balance, groundwater and stream temperature modeling, water treatment, environmental monitoring and management plan development, engineering design, regulatory guidance, fisheries technical studies, NEPA compliance, and Endangered Species Act process support. In addition to overseeing wetlands, fisheries, and wildlife mitigation planning, the firm coordinated ancillary permitting efforts to address water discharges, cyanidation, groundwater point of compliance, financial assurance, and water rights support.
“Our team is extremely proud to support Midas Gold, the mining industry, and the Valley County community on this important environmental review process,” said Brown and Caldwell Mining and Waste Market Sector Director Todd Glindeman.
Following the 60-day public comment period for the Draft EIS, the USFS and cooperating agencies will respond to all comments and publish a Final EIS and a Draft Record of Decision (ROD). Upon publication of the Final EIS, there will be a public objection period and resolution by the USFS before the Final ROD is published.
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