PROFILE | Sewage Treatment Plant Repairs

Buccini Pollin Group, Inc.

River Park Sewage Treatment Plant Tank Repairs and Design-Build Project

BACKGROUND

The River Park Sewage Treatment Plant of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, is a 15,000 gallon-per-day treatment system which was constructed to serve a multi-tenant office complex with over 800 employees. In addition, the complex also encompassed a 430-student private school for Grades 1 through 12 including teachers and staff, as well as an All-Campus Community Center with a full gymnasium and stage.

CHALLENGE

The treatment system, which includes a concrete, conical-shaped vessel with steel partition walls separating the various treatment processes, experienced a failure of a steel partition wall within the treatment tank. The wall, which separated the aerobic digester and aeration compartments, became dislocated for unknown reasons. Upon SSM’s full structural analysis after draining the tank one section at a time, it was discovered that the other partition walls were leaking and also slowly dislocating from the outer walls. Contributing to the urgency, the rehab of the tank had to be coordinated and completed in the short window of time during the school’s holiday break in order to limit flows to the treatment plant.

SOLUTION

SSM was the Engineer, Contractor, and Construction Manager in the Design-Build project for the analysis, repair, and rehabilitation of the River Park Sewage Treatment Plant. After draining the tank, it was determined that the steel partition was dislocated due to uneven loadings to the wall and the continuous filling and emptying of the treatment tank in the area of damage. Due to the other walls starting to fail, it was concluded that it would be necessary to incorporate new, stronger walls and leak-proofing to all sections of the treatment unit. Moving forward, SSM would provide the structural design, plans, specifications and repairs for the proposed tank rehabilitation and replacement of the steel divider wall and all other tank repairs. Imperative to the project was a construction cost opinion, Issuing contracts to several sub-contractors to ensure efficiency of the project, and coordinating the draining of the tank and construction. SSM arranged for the rental of frac trucks and necessary diversion of incoming wastewater, as well as measures to prevent freezing during the 3-week window in January, including insulated blankets and installing heat tracing. SSM successfully accomplished the structural repairs and leak-proofing on the River Park Sewage Treatment Plant. The project was completed in less than four (4) weeks, and the plant was back in full operation with the promise of structural stability and longevity for years to come.