With the upgrades for Cox Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) that were specially designed to drastically reduce pollutants in local waterways, the quality of water discharged into Chesapeake Bay will be improved.
Black & Veatch is providing the construction management and inspection services, including design reviews, project controls, and budget and schedule management.
The facility upgrades are part of a historic United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiative to restore Chesapeake Bay’s clean water, whose watershed includes six states, namely Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The WRF’s new membranes and modified clarifiers are capable of removing millions of pounds of nitrogen, oxygen-demanding particles, and phosphorus discharge that may threaten wildlife and their respective habitats.
“Reaching this important milestone at the Cox Creek WRF ensures a cleaner wastewater discharge to the Chesapeake Bay area for years to come,” Darryl Dunn, Black & Veatch Construction Manager, said. “Since the project began in 2010, our team has worked diligently with the contractor to bring this extremely complex state-of-the-art technology to the community’s 38,500 homes and businesses.”
The innovative water membrane technology implemented at Cox Creek WRF will filter microscopic particles with a significantly smaller footprint requirement as compared to orthodox wastewater treatment technologies. The next two phases of the project, which are currently underway, include the construction of a new membrane bio-reactor facility, as well as site electrical distribution system that will provide additional efficiencies and site improvements. The project is expected to be completed by August 2018.
“The Chesapeake Bay restoration effort drove stringent water pollutant limitations for our region,” Bruce Wright, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Engineering, Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works, said. “Working in close collaboration with Black & Veatch allowed us to overcome challenges such as working with a confined site, ongoing construction while the plant remained operational and regulatory requirements. In addition, an engineering and constructability review resulted in significant cost savings and a streamlined project schedule.”
