Harbour View Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade
Location Chesapeake City, MD
Client Cecil County
Size 65,000 GPD
Costs $5,713,000
Date of Completion 2021
Services #Architecture #Construction Services #Consulting #Structural Engineering #Water / Wastewater Engineering
Sectors #Consulting #Funding Assistance #Government #Infrastructure #Wastewater Systems
GMB was tasked by the Cecil County DPW under an on-call services contract to provide a Preliminary Engineering Report and evaluation of treatment alternatives to expand the Harbour View service area. The initial purpose of this task assignment was to provide assistance to the County with the master planning process including the development of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for the Harbour View Service Area, but later became the supporting documentation for funding application to MDE as part of the Bay Restoration Fund Grant application. The options investigated to expand the Harbour View Service Area include replacing the existing Harbour View WWTP on-site, pumping to a new ENR WWTP on an alternate site, and retirement by pumping the service area flows to the Chesapeake City WWTP.
As a part of this project, GMB developed the build-out flow for the planned service area and established potential nutrient credits to help identify the future flows and treatment capacity required to serve the region. The Preliminary Engineering Report included delineation of the service area, development of preliminary layouts, estimates of probable costs, estimates of total present worth, and a recommended plan of action to implement the most feasible and cost-effective alternative for Harbour View service area. Based on the evaluation, construction of a new Membrane Biological Reactor (MBR) treatment plant on an alternative site outside the 100-year flood plain was recommended as the most cost-effective option. The recommended alternative was then evaluated under MDE’s Preliminary Environmental Screening Checklist.
After coordination with the County and MDE for grant eligibility and locating an alternate site for the new facility, GMB was tasked to design and permit the new Harbour View MBR WWTP as recommended in the Preliminary Engineering Report. The new facility will be located on an adjacent parcel acquired by the County allowing for construction of the MBR facilities outside the 100-year floodplain. The recommended alternative for this minor treatment plant is eligible for Bay Restoration Fund ENR Grant participation of over 70-percent of the project costs. The MBR treatment system is proposed to be enclosed in a building to minimize odors and noise to the surrounding community. In addition to the wastewater treatment system design, this project includes extensive permitting requirements for wetlands, floodplain, critical areas, stormwater management, erosion sediment control, and coastal smart planning.
