Constructed in the 1980s, the A.J. Brown plant is the largest of three wastewater plants in the city of Huntsville. This upgrade will expand capacity, improve energy efficiency and better handle peak wet weather flows in a small footprint. 

Challenge

The new wastewater treatment system will use Evoqua’s OMNIFLO® Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) MAX system to treat an average design flow of 4.5 million gallons per day (MGD), with peak flows up to 11.4 MGD, allowing the facility to meet the state’s nutrient removal requirements. This four-tank system will replace an existing conventional activated sludge plant that is nearing the end of its useful life. 

Solution

The OMNIFLO SBR Max system with Jet Tech technology is a true-batch SBR process designed to handle greater peak flows or storm water overflow (CSO) events while providing superior effluent quality at a low cost. During peak flow events, the OMNIFLO SBR Max system automatically adjusts its cyclic operation to dissipate the surging influent flows across all SBR basins simultaneously. This reduces the hydraulic loading rate to 25% of that in a conventional SBR system—ensuring a clean decant regardless of the storm intensity.

Enprotec / Hibbs & Todd, Inc. (eHT) Engineers worked closely with Evoqua to provide the engineering and design. Gracon Construction, Inc. is the general contractor for this project. Commissioning of the plant is expected to take place in the spring of 2020. 

Results

Evoqua's SBR systems with Jet Tech technology have helped municipalities and industries overcome wastewater challenges for over 35 years across 700 successful installations. Today, Evoqua's SBR systems are successfully treating wastewater in plants ranging from 0.01 MGD to 60 MGD. Evoqua's product experts provide process knowledge and expertise to deliver SBR systems that provide superior consistent performance, flexible design and simple operation under the most demanding wastewater treatment conditions.