Village of Waverly
WWTP Upgrades & Regulatory Compliance
Project Costs:
$15.9
Facility Capacity:
0.85 MGD
In 2016, the Village of Waverly’s aging WWTP was not only falling into disrepair, but was out of compliance for total phosphorous effluent discharge limits and needed substantial upgrades to meet the 2025 Chesapeake Bay watershed nitrogen and phosphorous limits. In addition, a food processing company which had long been a major wastewater contributor had decided to build its own treatment plant, reducing flows to the Village WWTP by two thirds, and reducing operating revenues considerably.
Delaware Engineering worked with NYSDEC to craft both short- and long-term plans to bring the WWTP into compliance. The site (bounded on three sides by floodplains, railroad tracks, and I-86) was constrained, requiring that upgrade activities were largely contained within the existing plant footprint. Due to this issue, and to minimize costs, the upgrade needed to reuse existing tankage and buildings to the maximum extent possible. Working within these constraints, and after extensive review with NYSDEC, the Village chose an upgrade plan based on a membrane bioreactor (MBR) process and screw-press dewatering.
The MBR process offered the advantages of being cost-competitive, providing a robust process capable of meeting tertiary treatment requirements, and requiring a very compact footprint. The process also allows a process stream that is adaptable to various flow and loading conditions.
Plant improvements included a new headworks building, upgrading the 34-year-old aeration tanks into equalization tanks, constructing a new tank for membrane bioreactors (MBR), retrofitting an existing clarifier to become a pre-aeration tank, and constructing a new two-story masonry building to house the new MBR equipment and controls.
Delaware also assisted the Village with funding procurement, creating an engineering report that helped earn the Village 0% hardship financing and a grant of approximately $4 million through NYSEFC. The state-of-the-art MBR plant was completed on budget in 2019 and is currently operational and fully compliant.
