Gainesville Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements
Kimley-Horn provided complete planning, design, and construction phase services to the Gainesville Wastewater Treatment Plant to assist in the improvement of the existing conventional activated sludge treatment facility.
Due Diligence, Design, and Planning
During the planning phase, Kimley-Horn and City staff members were part of a selection committee to evaluate and select the most efficient treatment process and equipment for the City of Gainesville as the existing wastewater treatment facility was operating beyond its useful life and needed to be replaced. To assist the City through its due diligence process, Kimley-Horn conducted interviews with multiple equipment suppliers and developed scoring criteria to facilitate the selection process and evaluate them.
Kimley-Horn kept the same consultative and methodical approach during the design phase, using 3D design software and sophisticated modeling to create virtual walkthroughs of the facility for review with the City. These models gave the City a more tangible view of the proposed solutions and potential impacts. Our team of engineers supported the City throughout the project as trusted advisors, providing guidance on whether to reuse, repurpose, or remove existing infrastructure to provide cost-effective water treatment solutions.
Development Phases I & II
The project was constructed in two phases. The first phase included installing a new headworks structure with mechanical bar screen and new solids handling facilities with a belt filter press, repurposing an existing clarifier as an aerobic digester, and rehabilitating the administration building. Phase II of the project replaced the trickling filter process with new sequencing batch reactors. Kimley-Horn assisted during the construction phases to keep the existing plant operational until the new plant was up and running. The new plant is now producing high-quality effluent and achieving effective biological nutrient removal.
Unique Water/Wastewater Engineering Solutions
During the improvement process, the existing treatment facility was required to stay online and meet the necessary discharge requirements while the new facility finalized startup. In order to meet this need, Kimley-Horn’s engineers designed a connection between the existing and proposed influent lift stations, allowing the City to split the flow between plants while the new plant was being seeded and initiating startup. During this startup phase, our engineers also designed additional improvements to be able to maintain power to both plants.