Projects

A new 50-year operating license issued in 2008 from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Baker River Project – the largest hydropower asset owned by Puget Sound Energy (PSE) – called for flow releases from the Lower Baker Dam to improve movement of migratory fish.

PUB, Singapore’s national water agency, selected a team comprising Sembcorp and Black & Veatch to deliver the country’s fifth and largest NEWater facility, which produces recycled water. The Sembcorp NEWater Plant (SNP) at Changi will ensure that Sembcorp supplies NEWater to the PUB for the next 25 years.

San Antonio, home of “the Alamo” and the famous downtown River Walk, also has visions of operating the largest inland brackish groundwater desalination plant in the United States.

Melbourne Water Corporation’s Eastern Treatment Plant processes 40 percent of wastewater each day and serves 1.6 million people. The ETP produced chlorinated secondary effluent, which was discharged at Boags Rocks was through a nearshore outfall. Since completion of the tertiary upgrade in 2012, the effluent quality has been substantially improved to provide greater opportunities for recycling and to reduce the environmental impact.

Up to 80 percent of the water for the San Diego region is imported from Northern California and the Colorado River. Pipelines that carry the water cross several major fault lines, and a delivery interruption – from an earthquake, prolonged drought or other disaster – could mean severe water availability challenges for San Diego County.

Black & Veatch was engaged as lead partner in the Wadi Dayqah Dam Joint Venture formed to undertake design, procurement and construction supervision of the US$120 million Wadi Dayqah Water Supply Scheme.

Phosphorus washes into the Mississippi River and eventually into the Gulf. Excess phosphorus in waterways can cause algae to grow and bloom, eating up oxygen and creating toxic conditions that threaten aquatic life in lakes, rivers and even the ocean. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago has taken a lead in dealing with this problem.

Black & Veatch formed a joint venture with Thiess and together created the W2W (Water 2 Water) Alliance with Water Corporation, Western Australia. The W2W Alliance provided AUD$350 million of extensive wastewater treatment plant upgrades over a five-year programme to the metropolitan plants of Beenyup and Woodman Point. 

South East Queensland was caught in the grip of a severe continent-wide drought and faced stringent water restrictions. Combined dam levels were low, and water supplies were dwindling. Supply to two nearby power stations was threatened. The government needed a solution that would secure water supplies to the power stations, would help with drought-proofing the state and could be operational on an emergency schedule.

The mountain looming over Hong Kong is named Lung Fu Shan, which in Cantonese means Mountain of Dragon and Tiger. The University of Hong Kong (HKU) sits astride the mountain, and to celebrate its centennial, a building expansion was planned with a tight design and construction program. But the space on the mountain is precious, and old underground waterworks facilities took up part of it. The Water Supplies Department (WSD), Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, was searching for a way to assist HKU in its goal to expand without disturbing the existing slopes.

Thames Water appointed Black & Veatch to design, construct and commission the first commercially viable membrane bioreactor reclaimed wastewater facility in the UK. It will service a new sporting facility in London.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) requires all wastewater treatment plants in the state to meet limits for bacteria (E. coli) in their effluent. Industrial WWTPs are no exception. BioKyowa, in Cape Girardeau, produces a line of amino acid products that generate a highly variable amount of high-strength wastewater. While the plant does not treat human waste, it does experience a form of E. coli bacteria as a byproduct of the manufacturing process.

With a total project cost of almost $135 million, the Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility incorporates advanced membrane bioreactor technology in its design. This facility allows the city to reclaim its wastewater as a renewable water supply via aquifer recharge or direct reuse. This helps to secure future water resources needed for city growth.

When the construction of New York City Water Tunnel No. 3 is complete, more than 60 miles of new tunnel will enhance and improve the city’s drinking water delivery system. It is the largest capital construction project in New York City’s history.