Currently in progress is the phase-three expansion of the Pumpkinvine Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF), in Paulding County, Ga. This next phase will provide a peak design capacity of 5.0 million gal per day (mgd). Originally installed in 2004, the confidence, ease of operation, and excellent biological performance of the Enviroquip membrane bioreactor (MBR) system continues to be demonstrated with the continued use of the technology in the facilities’ expansion plans.
Located near Atlanta, Paulding County remains one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S. Consequently, the county continues to see an increasing demand for potable water usage and wastewater treatment. It has been forecasted that the Pumpkinvine Creek WRF will someday treat 30 mgd.
The treated effluent provides irrigation back to local landscapes and golf courses. The reusable quality effluent has allowed Paulding County to dispose of their treated wastewater in a beneficial way and subsequently offset water demand on the municipal water system. This water advantage has been beneficial to local residents mindful of their own water consumption. This was particularly significant during the 2007 Georgia drought.
Growth within a service area is always difficult to project. Consequently, owners are faced with either excess treatment capacity that ties up capital or insufficient treatment capacity, which can limit growth or at a minimum result in continuous construction. The optimum answer is to match capacity with growth. The Enviroquip MBR process is highly compatible with phasing, as the basins can be constructed but not populated with the membranes until the flows dictate their installation. This allows for a reduction in the initial equipment costs yet allows for a quick expansion of the hydraulic capacity.
System cost, throughput flexibility, plant robustness and ability to reuse quality effluent demonstrate the ability of MBR systems to be competitive and reliable alternatives to conventional technologies.
