Designing high-tech wastewater treatment facilities to support expanding communities

Headingley Wastewater Treatment Plant

Stantec’s specialized team of engineers (in association with Penn-Co Construction) engineered a design to meet the highest modern standards of wastewater treatment.

The team determined early on that the high sulphides in the gravity sewer system would prove to be a challenging obstacle to overcome. While there are several technologies available to address high sulphides, none of the technologies were applicable to the rural municipality’s low pressured sewer system.

By engineering an innovative hydrogen sulphide air stripping system, the team was able to find a solution to the challenge at hand.

Practicality and sustainability were the top priorities for the community. To allow for ease of future plant expansion, a compact plant layout was designed. The process tanks were covered, while the SBR tanks were raised approximately three metres above grade, eliminating piling. The wastewater treatment facility building was constructed partly at grade level and partly on top of the tanks that served as its foundation.

Practical and sustainable features were also incorporated into the design. Some key initiatives implemented include high efficiency motors, blowers, and pumps equipped with variable frequency drives, independent mixing and aeration combined with dissolved oxygen feedback loops. The use of Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) units and an innovative ProfiBus protocol to communicate various instrumentation devices with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system were also included in the design.

This sustainable, compact design reduced significant capital costs and ultimately provided the community with a reliable product that will support them for decades to come.