Award of Merit, Water/Environment: Central Water Reclamation Facility

Central Water Reclamation Facility

Nashville

Award of Merit

Submitted by Brasfield & Gorrie

Owner Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tenn.

Lead Design Firm Brown and Caldwell

Construction Manager at-Risk Brasfield & Gorrie

Designer/Engineer Barge Design Solutions; Hazen and Sawyer

The project team made substantial upgrades to existing process units, including the central pumping station, a new intermediate pumping station, EQ storage and a new headworks facility. Aeration systems were replaced, sludge pump stations were renovated and a new ultraviolet disinfection system was added for secondary plant effluent.

Crews installed extensive 84-in.-dia yard piping beneath active gas lines and a railroad spur, a task that required meticulous planning and execution. Additionally, the UV disinfection building necessitated major structural modifications while maintaining continuous operational flow through the structure’s outfall.

The new UV disinfection system is more environmentally friendly and safer for the community. The existing ultraviolet disinfection structure was a serpentine chlorine disinfection system, requiring the use of 90-ton train cars of chlorine gas that posed a safety concern to the local community. To safely transition to the new UV system, the team sequenced the work to modify one side of the structure at a time while maintaining flow on the other side. Engineers designed custom steel bulkheads to effectively divert or stop flow in the work area. The new UV system includes a 10,800-sq-ft pre-engineered metal building which houses two 12-ft-wide Parshall flumes and 12 banks.

The $415.8-million project—which completed on time and on budget—achieved LEED Gold certification.