EBJ Business Achiever of the Week: Black & Veatch

This week we recognize Black & Veatch (Overland Park, KS), winner of a 2009 project merit award for three large water and wastewater projects demonstrating innovation in treatment facility design. First, Black & Veatch performed various studies and provided engineering design and construction-phase services for the Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility, the single largest capital project ever undertaken by the city of Peoria, Arizona. The 10 million gallon per day (mgd) Butler facility uses membrane bioreactor technology to produce high-quality effluent in combination with a much smaller footprint, process stability, operability, and improved noise and odor control compared with other conventional technologies, according to the company. Second, Black & Veatch assisted Thames Water in the modernization of the 800 million liter per day (mld) Hampton Water Treatment Works in west London. Following numerous assessments and studies, Black & Veatch recommended the refurbishing of 32 rapid gravity filters (RGFs) rather than the replacement of the 70-year-old filters. According to Black & Veatch, the upgraded facility exemplifies the “three Rs” of sustainability—reduce, recycle, reuse—through reduced power and water consumption, the reuse of existing assets, and the recycling of reclaimed materials. Finally, Black & Veatch completed Stage 1 of the Sembcorp Changi NEWater Plant (SCNP) in Singapore, the country’s fifth and largest NEWater facility, which started commercial operations in July 2009. The plant supplies Singapore with 69 mld of high-quality recycled water. The design of the SCNP minimized land use and construction costs by placing the main NEWater facilities on the roof of the Changi Water Reclamation Plant (CWRP). The treated water from the CWRP is pumped directly to the SCNP as feedwater, minimizing the extent of pipework for conveyance. SCNP relies on advanced water treatment process steps, which include microfiltration membranes, reverse osmosis membranes, and ultraviolet disinfection.