Syblon Reid Contractors awarded contract to upgrade wastewater system in US

Syblon Reid Contractors has been selected by The Donner Summit public utility district of the Soda Spring in California, US, for a contract to upgrade the community’s wastewater system.

The Donner Summit public utility district has undertaken the upgrade to meet the new standards of the discharge permit issued by the California regional water quality control board, Central Valley region, and to control the level of discharged effluents into the Yuba River.

Under the $18.6m contract, Syblon will replace the chlorine gas disinfection with ultraviolet disinfection to stop chlorine by-products from overflowing into the river.

The company will also replace the plant’s tertiary treatment with membrane bioreactors (MBR) to enable the wastewater facility to maximise the reduction of nitrate and ammonia discharge.

The new boilers and recirculation pumps will be used to maintain a constant temperature for the influents to support the healthy growth of microbes living in the MBR to digest wastewater.

A 700,000 equalisation tank will also be added to current storage to help handle the influent flow into the plant thus keeping it operating at an optimal level.

A ten acre area of land will be added to the existing spray irrigation system to hold the effluent discharge in spring and summer, whereas the discharge from the plant in autumn and winter can be discharged into the Yuba River.

The finance for the upgrade project has been provided by the US Department of Agriculture and the Clean Water Revolving Fund, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

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Image: The Donner Summit Public Utility District of the Soda Spring, California, is upgrading the wastewater system to prevent effluents from flowing into the Yuba River. Photo: J.smith.