To comply with new nutrient-discharge limits imposed by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection related to the restoration of Chesapeake Bay, the Altoona Water Authority undertook $65 million in upgrades and the expansion of two wastewater treatment facilities at which existing processes were inadequate.
Gwin, Dobson & Foreman designed the compliance project, which upgraded the authority's Easterly and Westerly plants by converting existing tankage to nutrient-removal technology reactors; constructing additional reactors; renovating and adding new final clarifiers; and installing new, high-efficiency aeration systems, UV disinfection systems, headworks and SCADA systems.