CH2M HILL to operate and upgrade wastewater treatment plant

DENVER — The City of Woonsocket, R.I., selected CH2M HILL to operate its existing regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, design and build upgrades to the facility, and then operate the improved wastewater treatment facility.

The city gave CH2M HILL the nod to begin the operation of the existing wastewater treatment facility and perform the capital upgrades to the facility, valued at nearly $80 million (capital and O&M). Woonsocket’s upgraded facility is expected to significantly improve the city’s wastewater treatment capabilities, while improving water quality and the environment by reducing the nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) discharged to the Blackstone River.

It is anticipated that CH2M HILL will assume operations of the wastewater treatment facility beginning Oct. 1. Design is expected to begin shortly after contract signing with construction scheduled to be completed in 2016. CH2M HILL will operate the plant through construction for a 20-year term.

The wastewater treatment plant, built in the early 1930s with major upgrades in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1990s, has aging equipment and is facing more stringent regulatory requirements. The plan is to rebuild, upgrade, and expand the plant; incorporate modern wastewater treatment technology; upgrade the electrical system; install a new SCADA system; and increase the removal of phosphorus and nitrogen to meet the new, more stringent discharge requirements.