Minnesota Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant Preliminary Design

Challenge: A food processing facility in Worthington, Minnesota, discharges processed wastewater to a City of Worthington owned and operated industrial wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Wastewater from Boyer Valley Company is also treated at this facility. It is the private client’s intent to acquire the City’s industrial treatment facility. In addition, the private client is considering an expansion of their processing operation resulting in additional flow and load to the industrial treatment facility. HR Green was hired to prepare a Facility Plan and 30% engineering design for WWTP.

Solution: Our team is providing preliminary design and permitting services for the industrial wastewater treatment expansion. The plant upgrades are based on the HR Green value engineering report dated November 2022, which includes the following proposed improvements:

• Construction of a new raw influent lift station with new pumps and screening.
• Replacement of permeable covers on the anaerobic lagoons with non-permeable covers, cleaning-out two lagoons, and installing biogas collection piping and a flare.
• Expansion and modification of existing activated sludge system to an Anaerobic/Anoxic/Aerobic (A2O) process to accomplish biological phosphorus and total nitrogen removal.
• Construction of a new 90’ diameter secondary clarifier to increase capacity to meet future flow rates and replacement of the existing 70’ diameter clarifier mechanism. HR Green also increased the capacity of the Clarifier Effluent Pump Station to meet future flow rates.
• Replacement /modification of the existing aeration flow control structure. Replacement of access stairs and handrails on aeration tanks and clarifier for access safety.
• Increasing capacity of RAS/WAS pumping and providing new WAS storage.
• Updating electrical, instrumentation, and controls as needed for the above improvement
• Construction of a new dewatering building with new dewatering equipment and solids storage pad.

HR Green also assisted with the permitting process to secure approval from the MPCA. The team is familiar with high-strength wastewater from industrial wastewater, in particular, the food and beverage industry. We have helped numerous clients with design and permitting in the protein processing industry including biological nutrient removal design. This knowledge is an asset to the process for streamlining and successful project completion.

Benefit: The project enables the private client to expand its processing operations and achieve compliance with environmental regulations through significant upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant. These improvements enhance the plant’s capacity, efficiency, and safety, while also supporting future growth and environmental sustainability.