When the wastewater treatment system in Batesville, Arkansas, reached the end of its life span, city officials made a bold decision. Rather than simply patching and expanding the 30-year-old system or replacing it with something similar, they decided to infuse innovation into the city’s vital infrastructure.
The city worked closely with Olsson to design and engineer a moving bed biofilm reactor wastewater treatment system — the largest MBBR system in the U.S. It delivers a flexible, cost-effective, easy-to-operate system that can be quickly expanded as needed.
“The MBBR wastewater treatment system uses a more sophisticated process that treats a higher capacity of water in a smaller footprint of space,” says Jim Ulmer, engineering technical leader at Olsson, who served as project manager.
High-quality effluent
The MBBR treats wastewater through an organic process by applying vigorous aeration to the wastewater system tanks, which contain millions of small plastic media. The plastic media create an enhanced environment, which in turn improves the efficiency of the treatment process.
The plant’s discharge goes directly into the White River, and the system works so well that it discharges a much higher quality than that required by the permit. The amounts of ammonia and nitrogen have been reduced to nearly immeasurable amounts.
“We are leaps and bounds below our permitted levels, and we reached those levels with minimal effort,” says Damon Johnson, Batesville’s city engineer. “Very few plants come online and work instantly like our wastewater treatment did. It’s a good plant, and we’re very happy with it.”
Olsson provided the project’s engineering and design work, devised the facility plan process, and secured environmental permits.
Olsson is a nationally recognized engineering firm made up of people who craft expert solutions and designs that improve communities. The firm offers design and consulting services in planning and design, engineering, field services, environmental, and technology.
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