E. A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant

Last updated

E.A Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant is a water treatment plant located next to the California State University, Sacramento campus. This water treatment plant, along with Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant on Sacramento River, provide approximately eighty five percent of Sacramento's drinking water. [1] This treatment plant was recently renovated and completed in February 2019. [2]

Contents

Location

The EA Faibairn Water Treatment Plant is located near to Sacramento State University and is adjacent to the American River where the plant gets most of its water to begin the treatment process. With the facility being expanded; the older water intensive terrain was removed and replaced with plants that are characterized for being water conserving. Surrounding the plant are large Sycamores that lead to a dry creek infiltration area that captures runoff from storm events, that is added to the supply of water for treatment.

History

The City of Sacramento has two water intake structures, Sacramento River Water Treatment on Sacramento River and E.A Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant the American River. As previously mentioned, both of these water intakes provide more than half of Sacramento drinking water making the two water structures valuable to Sacramento. [3] The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment plant was originally built in 1964. The water treatment plant was planned to being expanded further in 2005. The water structure was expanded because several issues had arisen with the original structure. [4]

Operation

The water treatment plant has a maximum diversion capacity of 310 cubic feet per second or 200 million gallons/day, [5] but is constrained by the current technology that will only allow it to pull around 155 cubic feet per second. The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant has become part of an agreement back in 2015 to meet city demands of growing population by the year 2030. [5] However, there are discrepancies based on the Hodge Flow Criteria that determine how much the treatment plant can take. The Hodge Flow Criteria describes the minimum in-stream flows needed for consideration to allow diversion for water uptake depending if the flow is greater than or less than the measured index. When Flow is above the Hodge Flow Criteria, water can be sold to residencies and private water consumers at whole sale prices. When stream flow is below Hodge Flow Criteria, water can be provided on wholesale when the rate of pumpback is equal to or exceed delivery rates. [6] Once again, this is based on the 2015 plan for urban water development that can change at any time in the near future.

The EA Fairbairn Water Treatment plant is designed to treat up to 200 million gallons per day utilizing settling, coagulation with aluminum sulfate, chlorine disinfection (2 times), fluoridation, and pH adjustment. Sludge Dewatering occurs at the site where alum (aluminum sulfate) sludge from sedimentation basin, and spent lime from CT basin and reservoirs is then pumped to sludge drying lagoons. Filter wash water lagoons allow for settling and evaporation. The supernatant of this process is historically discharged to the headworks or sanitary sewer. The EA Fairbairn WTP has three sludge drying lagoons and two filer wash lagoons that are all concrete lines, sludge is removed from these lagoons when they are no longer free draining, and further dried to a solids content of 20-50% before disposal. The dried sludge is then disposed at an offside solid waste landfill. [7]

EA Fairbairn WTP submitted to the Region 5 Water Quality Control Board a conceptual sludge management plan to help save money. The plan consisted of efforts to prevent or minimize sludge exposure to stormwater runoff and a plan to provide sludge only to public agencies and business with an appropriate licenses and permits.

Structural issues and further improvement

Many of the early 1960s concrete hydraulic structures have developed several, concerning water leaks. The Sacramento Utilities of Sacramento did a condition assessment study that was completed in 2009 which identified that the infrastructure at the treatment plant needed either placement or rehabilitation. These leaks caused concerns for the existing concrete structures and equipment. The structures and out-dated equipment are concerning but there is also concern regarding personnel safety. Many construction companies are coming in and will be involved in several parts of the construction, this construction group is one of many companies that are being brought in by the City of Sacramento to work on the treatment plant. [8]

Overaa Construction

Overaa Construction is a mid-sized company of regional engineers, builders, and craftsmen that work on multiple projects that range from infrastructure development and upgrading antiquated projects to modern standards. [9] Overaa Construction is a primary contractor to the rehabilitation projects of both the Sacramento River Water Treatment Plant (SRWTP), and the E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant (EAFWTP). The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant would involve the complete re-transformation of the current water infrastructure system that was built back in the 1920s. [9] Since the EAFWTP is limited to the amount of water it can draw from the American River year round; the upgrades will be crucial to the future of the treatment plant, and the efficiency of its operations. This will increase the filtering capacity and reliability of the current pumps within the plant. As said by Jeff Naff, the vice president of water treatment projects "These improvements will provide the city with the most footprint-effective solution for processing water". [9]

Blocka Construction

Blocka Construction Incorporated provided construction with the electrical and instrumentation system that were necessary for the plant to increase its original 1964 capacity of 80 MGD to 160 MGD. BCI’s construction improvements included lighting systems, fiber optics, fire alarms, gate controllers, data systems, telephone systems, and a North and South Power Center. [10]

Part of the construction process included new SMUD electrical services and an emergency generator backup power. The rehabilitation work on EA Fairbairn was expected to create 455 total jobs (262 direct, 193 indirect and induced), and create 70.2 million dollars in total economic output. Some of the environmental considerations for the project included the adoption of a Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Reporting Program (Resolution No. 2012-067) on March 20, 2012 by the City Council. An addendum to the adopted Mitigated Negative Declaration was prepared in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15164, adopted on April 9, 2013 (Resolution No. 2013-0112). [11]

Challenges

Overaa Construction is working with a team of qualified local and national engineers, consultants and contractors to make sure they are dealing with challenges that arise while working on the facilities. While the improvements are underway, the treatment plant will remain fully operational. Water will still be delivered to citizens around the Sacramento region. Challenges during the improvements include the installation of a new filter complex. This is where the water is filtered out to meet potable standards before further treatment. Another challenge is timing, the structure is estimated to require about 60,000 work hours to complete. The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment facility can be closed for two months out of the year during periods of lower demand. This will shift treatment capacity to the other treatment plant within Sacramento to provide potable water. During this time treatment capacity and shits will also be allocated differently to accommodate the retrofitting process. [12]

Improvements

Improvements to the E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant are few but deemed necessary for continual operations towards future water treatment applications. Installation of five centrifuges that are manufactured by German manufacturers Andritz would be used to turn muddy water into sludge. [13] A new waste wash-water facility will be built on the premises; these would be built on the already existing water collection basins. [13] Additionally, a sludge-collection system and yard piping would be installed. [12] Two more thickeners, and an additional pumping station were planned to be built on the western area of the plant which is still undeveloped. The new addition of the new pumping station will allow for treatment of 100 million more gallons per day, and still be operable within terms to the maximum of 310 cubic feet per second. [13] The new thickeners will extend about 9 ft below the surface, and the new pumping station will be about 11 ft below the surface. Lastly a new dewatering and disposal system is planned to be built on the eastern side of the sludge pond toward the southern area of the plant. [14]

Ecology

The Sacramento River and the E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment plant are both situated on a level floodplain south of the American River. The Sacramento Valley was described by the prevalence of wetlands, and freshwater marshes that covered an approximate range of 500,000 acres of land. [15] Dominant terrestrial animal species included black-tailed deer, tule elk, and pronghorn. [14] Marsh, and grasslands within riparian complexes were habitats to waterfowl such as ducks, herons, and cranes. [15] The E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant lies near a significant bend on the American River. Flooding had becoming increasingly common near the nineteenth-century due to increased mining operations that lead to rapid channel soil deposition. [14] Deposition was largely attributed to hydrologic mining processes that would include fragments from parent rock material from the up stream of the American River. [15] Soils of the Americanos-Urban land complex are mapped at the surface; in the southwest part of the Fairbairn WTP area, and the Rossmoor-Urban land complex are mapped to the north and east. Both soils are associated with alluvial deposits seen in the area. The two soils are quite different in their soil development, the Americanos soils are well-developed, while the Rossmoor soils have no subsurface horizons evident. Studies based on radiocarbon evidence have shown that the Americanos soils in the southwest area are estimated to be between 25,000 and 11,500 years old. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drainage</span> Removal of water from an area

Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of a surface's water and sub-surface water from an area with excess water. The internal drainage of most agricultural soils is good enough to prevent severe waterlogging, but many soils need artificial drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barton Broad</span> Nature reserve north-east of Norwich in Norfolk

Barton Broad is a large lake that forms part of the River Ant which gives its name to a 164-hectare (410-acre) nature reserve north-east of Norwich in Norfolk. The reserve is owned and managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. It is part of the Ant Broads and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserve, and part of it is in the Ant Marshes Nature Conservation Review site, Grade I. It is part of the Broadland Ramsar site and Special Protection Area, and The Broads Special Area of Conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewerage</span> Infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff using sewers

Sewerage is the infrastructure that conveys sewage or surface runoff using sewers. It encompasses components such as receiving drains, manholes, pumping stations, storm overflows, and screening chambers of the combined sewer or sanitary sewer. Sewerage ends at the entry to a sewage treatment plant or at the point of discharge into the environment. It is the system of pipes, chambers, manholes, etc. that conveys the sewage or storm water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste stabilization pond</span> Ponds designed and built for wastewater treatment

Waste stabilization ponds are ponds designed and built for wastewater treatment to reduce the organic content and remove pathogens from wastewater. They are man-made depressions confined by earthen structures. Wastewater or "influent" enters on one side of the waste stabilization pond and exits on the other side as "effluent", after spending several days in the pond, during which treatment processes take place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Activated sludge</span> Wastewater treatment process using aeration and a biological floc

The activated sludgeprocess is a type of biological wastewater treatment process for treating sewage or industrial wastewaters using aeration and a biological floc composed of bacteria and protozoa. It uses air and microorganisms to biologically oxidize organic pollutants, producing a waste sludge containing the oxidized material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combined sewer</span> Sewage collection system of pipes and tunnels designed to also collect surface runoff

A combined sewer is a type of gravity sewer with a system of pipes, tunnels, pump stations etc. to transport sewage and urban runoff together to a sewage treatment plant or disposal site. This means that during rain events, the sewage gets diluted, resulting in higher flowrates at the treatment site. Uncontaminated stormwater simply dilutes sewage, but runoff may dissolve or suspend virtually anything it contacts on roofs, streets, and storage yards. As rainfall travels over roofs and the ground, it may pick up various contaminants including soil particles and other sediment, heavy metals, organic compounds, animal waste, and oil and grease. Combined sewers may also receive dry weather drainage from landscape irrigation, construction dewatering, and washing buildings and sidewalks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain garden</span> Runoff reducing landscaping method

Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase rain runoff reabsorption by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites that reduce the flow rate, total quantity, and pollutant load of runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas. Rain gardens rely on plants and natural or engineered soil medium to retain stormwater and increase the lag time of infiltration, while remediating and filtering pollutants carried by urban runoff. Rain gardens provide a method to reuse and optimize any rain that falls, reducing or avoiding the need for additional irrigation. A benefit of planting rain gardens is the consequential decrease in ambient air and water temperature, a mitigation that is especially effective in urban areas containing an abundance of impervious surfaces that absorb heat in a phenomenon known as the heat-island effect.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewage sludge treatment</span> Processes to manage and dispose of sludge during sewage treatment

Sewage sludge treatment describes the processes used to manage and dispose of sewage sludge produced during sewage treatment. Sludge treatment is focused on reducing sludge weight and volume to reduce transportation and disposal costs, and on reducing potential health risks of disposal options. Water removal is the primary means of weight and volume reduction, while pathogen destruction is frequently accomplished through heating during thermophilic digestion, composting, or incineration. The choice of a sludge treatment method depends on the volume of sludge generated, and comparison of treatment costs required for available disposal options. Air-drying and composting may be attractive to rural communities, while limited land availability may make aerobic digestion and mechanical dewatering preferable for cities, and economies of scale may encourage energy recovery alternatives in metropolitan areas.

Dallas Water Utilities (DWU) is the water and wastewater service operated by the City of Dallas, Texas, in the United States. DWU is a non-profit City of Dallas department that provides services to the city and 31 nearby communities, employs approximately 1450 people, and consists of 26 programs. DWU's budget is completely funded through the rates charged for water and wastewater services provided to customers. Rates are based on the cost of providing the services. The department does not receive any tax revenues. Primary authority and rules for the department are listed in Chapter 49 of the Dallas City Code.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sewage treatment</span> Process of removing contaminants from municipal wastewater

Sewage treatment is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable to discharge to the surrounding environment or an intended reuse application, thereby preventing water pollution from raw sewage discharges. Sewage contains wastewater from households and businesses and possibly pre-treated industrial wastewater. There are a high number of sewage treatment processes to choose from. These can range from decentralized systems to large centralized systems involving a network of pipes and pump stations which convey the sewage to a treatment plant. For cities that have a combined sewer, the sewers will also carry urban runoff (stormwater) to the sewage treatment plant. Sewage treatment often involves two main stages, called primary and secondary treatment, while advanced treatment also incorporates a tertiary treatment stage with polishing processes and nutrient removal. Secondary treatment can reduce organic matter from sewage,  using aerobic or anaerobic biological processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Meadows</span> Area of land inside the Sheffield city at Tinsley

Blackburn Meadows is an area of land just inside the Sheffield city border at Tinsley, England. It became the location of the main sewage treatment works for the city in 1884, and is now one of the largest treatment works in Britain. The treatment process was rudimentary, with sludge being removed to ponds and then to drying beds, after which it was used as manure or transferred by rail to a tip at Kilnhurst. The works progressively expanded to improve the quality of effluent discharged to the River Don and was a pioneer in the use of bio-aeration, following experiments by the works manager during the First World War. This process became known as the "Sheffield System", and was demonstrated to visitors from Great Britain and abroad. Despite these improvements, ammonia levels in the river below the works were high, and fish populations did not survive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewatering</span> Removal of water from solid material or soil

Dewatering is the removal of water from a location. This may be done by wet classification, centrifugation, filtration, or similar solid-liquid separation processes, such as removal of residual liquid from a filter cake by a filter press as part of various industrial processes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deephams Sewage Treatment Works</span>

Deephams Sewage Treatment Works is a sewage treatment facility close to Picketts Lock, Edmonton, England. The outflow discharges via Pymmes Brook into the River Lee Navigation at Tottenham Lock. The treatment works was upgraded in 2012/13.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overaa Construction</span>

Overaa Construction is an American family-owned construction company based in Richmond, California, which provides general contracting and design/build services in Northern California. It is one of the largest contractors in California and since 1993, has been listed among ENR's top 400 contractors in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fecal sludge management</span> Collection, transport, and treatment of fecal sludge from onsite sanitation systems

Fecal sludge management (FSM) is the storage, collection, transport, treatment and safe end use or disposal of fecal sludge. Together, the collection, transport, treatment and end use of fecal sludge constitute the "value chain" or "service chain" of fecal sludge management. Fecal sludge is defined very broadly as what accumulates in onsite sanitation systems and specifically is not transported through a sewer. It is composed of human excreta, but also anything else that may go into an onsite containment technology, such as flushwater, cleansing materials, menstrual hygiene products, grey water, and solid waste. Fecal sludge that is removed from septic tanks is called septage.

The Thomas P. Smith Water Reclamation Facility (TPSWRF) is owned and operated by the city of Tallahassee, Florida. The facility provides sewage treatment services for Tallahassee, Florida and the surrounding areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Corporation Water Works</span>

Glasgow Corporation Water Works and its successors have provided a public water supply and sewerage and sewage treatment services to the Scottish city of Glasgow. There were several schemes in the early part of the 1800s, with the Glasgow Company which was established in 1806 pumping filtered water from the River Clyde into the city. The Gorbals Gravitation Water Company was established in 1846, and brought water from reservoirs to the south-west of the city. However, an outbreak of cholera in 1848/1849, in which 4,000 people died, concentrated the minds of Glasgow Council, and in 1855 a scheme to use water from Loch Katrine, 36 miles (58 km) to the north, was authorised. The work required at Loch Katrine was quite modest, and the major construction work was the building of an aqueduct to carry the water to the city by gravity.

The Blominmäki sewage treatment plant is being built in Espoo, Finland, with a target completion date of 2021. It represents the most expensive investment of the Helsinki Region Environmental Services Authority ever, with a total cost that could be as high as 392 million Euros. It is the second most expensive infrastructure project in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, behind the coming extension of the Western Metro.

The Sacramento Department of Utilities is a public utility that serves the City of Sacramento. It maintains and provides water to Sacramento residents, manages the sewage and provides storm water drainage services. Initially known as Sacramento City Water Works, the department was founded in 1873. The Department of Utilities is overseen by the Utilities Director and has four main divisions: Water Operations & Maintenance, Wastewater/Drainage Operations & Maintenance, Business & Integrated Planning, and Engineering & Water Resources. Revenue is generated primarily from charging for water, sewage and drainage services and the department's spending budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year was around 148 million dollars.

References

  1. ↑ "Water Quality - City of Sacramento". www.cityofsacramento.org. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  2. ↑ "E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant HVAC Replacement". Lawson Mechanical. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
  3. ↑ "E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant". 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  4. ↑ "Cunningham Engineering Corporation". www.cecwest.com. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
  5. 1 2 "2015 Urban Water Management Plan" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "2015 Urban Water Management Plan" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Regional Water Quality Control Board EA Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-02-25.
  8. ↑ "Ea Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant Project Information | Historical Municipal Water and Wastewater Facility Project in California". www.cmdgroup.com. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  9. 1 2 3 "Overaa Construction – Sacramento Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation". Construction Today. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  10. ↑ "E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plant". 2011-05-02. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  11. ↑ "Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation Project, Change Order No. 7". Archived from the original on 2017-01-02.
  12. 1 2 "Overaa Construction – Sacramento Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation". Construction Today. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  13. 1 2 3 "2015 Urban Water Management Plan" (PDF).
  14. 1 2 3 Leach-Palm, Laura. "Archaeological Survey Report for the Sacramento River and E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation Project, Sacramento County, California".
  15. 1 2 3 4 Leach-Palm, Laura (January 2012). "Archaeological Survey Report for the Sacramento River and E.A. Fairbairn Water Treatment Plants Rehabilitation Project, Sacramento County, California". Far Western Anthropological Research Group.

38°33′24″N121°25′00″W / 38.55675°N 121.41678°W / 38.55675; -121.41678

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.