Emporia Kansas Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

Through progressive design-build delivery, CAS Constructors and joint-venture partner Burns & McDonnell performed major improvements at the City of Emporia’s wastewater treatment plant. This complex project allowed the plant to meet new discharge limits for nitrogen and phosphorous, and serve the city’s treatment needs for anticipated population growth for the next 30 years. The updated facility accommodates peak wet weather treatment flow of 11 MGD, streamlines operations and solids handling, reduces energy costs, and adds a new administration and laboratory building.

Overall treatment facility improvements included replacement of influent pumps, and installation of new headworks fine screening, washer-compactor, and grit removal systems. Additionally, the team converted the existing aeration basins to Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) BNR basins with anaerobic/anoxic, oxic, and deox zones. The project team also installed new large bubble mixing and high-speed turbo blower systems to support the IFAS system, and final clarifiers and UV disinfection systems were rehabilitated and replaced. Project scope also included the addition of a new aerobic digester, WAS solids thickening systems, and a new process building which included IR and RAS pump systems along with chemical feed systems and storage. An all new, plant-wide electrical system was also installed.

This facility is Emporia’s only wastewater treatment plant. In order to keep this plant operational, the project team worked closely with plant operations to prepare and execute detailed construction transition plans. The team also created transition plans for each system to ensure facility was able to handle influent flow and meet the water treatment regulatory requirements without disruption. For every phase of construction, the project team analyzed risks and prepared back-up plans to guarantee that the City’s wastewater treatment requirements were continuously maintained.

To control quality and schedule and to ensure there were no interruptions at the existing plant, CAS self-performed all excavation, concrete, yard pipe, process pipe, and equipment installation.