In April 2012, the newly updated Cave Creek, Ariz., wastewater treatment plant was named one of the American Public Works Assn. (APWA) Projects of the Year in the Environmental category.
The old plant was located in the middle of an affluent neighborhood with minimal setbacks and minimal odor control. It received numerous complaints and was due to be replaced.
In 2009, Burns & McDonnell and Garney Construction were selected to help Cave Creek solve this problem. The new treatment plant the designed had a capacity of 0.66 million gal per day (mgd), a six-fold increase over the rated capacity of the old plant. Moreover, the $26.6 million price tag for the new plant was approximately 9% below the original project budget.
The new plant enables Cave Creek to meet all its treatment needs for the foreseeable future while using 100% of the reclaimed water for beneficial use in irrigation of the neighboring golf course. The expanded capacity can accommodate up to 5,000 new residential connections and up to 2.25 mgd, if needed, in the future.
Source: Marketwatch