St. Michael's Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrades

Challenge: The City of St. Michael’s wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) was reaching its limit on operational capacity and needed to make improvements. The existing Sequencing Batch Reactors (SBR) and ancillary equipment were beginning to reach their capacity limits and end of their useful life. The SBR’s alone would also not meet future stricter nutrient limits. Furthermore, the existing reed beds became infeasible to operate as is and were limiting the solids handling capacity of the treatment facility.

Solution: HR Green teamed with Sambatek, Veolia, and the City of St. Michael to support their facility planning and design efforts to expand and improve the wastewater treatment facilities. Led by Sambatek and supported by HR Green, the team developed alternatives in the facility planning stage to implement upgrades to the facility in a phased approach.

The initial improvements designed and bid thus far include new screening and grit removal, new dewatering facilities, and new vehicle storage, which are under construction now. The team is also currently in preliminary design for a new membrane bioreactor (MBR) treatment system to replace the old SBR’s to meet the future anticipated nutrient limits. Planning is underway for improvements to solids handling, blower replacement, disinfection, non-potable water system, and new electrical and control systems.

Benefit: The project helps the community prepare for long-term growth by building a more robust, reliable, and cost-effective treatment facility.