Updated 9-24-10
Updated on 7-7-2010:
Administration Building Boiler Room
Administration Building Roofing
Administration Building Work Shop
Aeration Tank Concrete Stair
Asbestos Abatement at Incinerator
Blower Building Blower Room
CL&P Installs New Pole
Electric Wireway at Secondary Clarifier Pump Station
Electrical Conduit Installation at MCC 9&10 Pad
Electrical Manhole #44
Entry Canopy at Administration Building
Exhaust Fans on Administration Building Roof
Folding Partition Track & Motor
Hatch at Secondary Clarifier Pump Station
Incinerator Demolition
Installing Wood Blocking on Blower Building Roof
Masonry IN-fill in Administration Building Doorway D-06
Painting Administration Building Boiler Room
Process Pipe in Secondary Clarifier Pump
Roofing Work on Blower Building
Secondary Clarifier 3 & 4 Pump Station
Secondary Clarifier Pump Station
Stormwater Outfall Header & Rip Rap
Transformers Delivered at Blower Building
Update: April 19, 2010
Plumbing Work in the Administration Building
Brick Work in the Administration Building
Aeration Tank Effluent Area
Aeration Tank Handrails
Aeration Tank Weir Gates
Aerial View Looking Northwest
Aerial View Looking Southwest
Blower Building Containment Walls
Blower Building Staged for Masonry Work
Conference and Lunch Rooms at the Administration Building
Ductbank #21 South of Aeration Tank
Electrical Installation at the Aeration Tank
Electrical Manholes 13, 14 and 48
Electrical Manholes and Ductbank
Interior Masonry at the Administration Building
Internal Recycle Pump Control
Masonry Starting at the Blower Building
New Administration Building Brick Work
New Administration Building Work
Plant Water Hydrant at Secondary Clarifier
Plant Water Pipe South of Secondary Clarifier
Secondary Clarifier #3 Equipment
Secondary Clarifier #4
Secondary Clarifier Effluent Pipe & Gate Valves
Sludge Storage Tank Area
Temporary Heat at the Administration Building
Winter Protection at the Administration Building
Update: 11/20/09
The landscape at the town’s wastewater treatment plant is going through major changes!
The walls of the new aeration tanks (where the bugs that break down the wastewater grow) are now complete.
These are the 24” pipes that will move water to the new aeration tanks. There will be a total of 6.
The large pipe is one of 4 pipes that will transport water from the aeration tanks to the secondary clarifiers.
The two large pipes are part of an internal recycling system for the new aerators that returns partially treated wastewater to the beginning of the treatment process
The new secondary clarifiers are nearing completion of the concrete work. (These are the tanks where fine solids in the water settle out. (Clear water left in the upper part of the tanks will be collected in channels to be constructed where the two workers are standing and get discharged to the Connecticut River.
The wall that forms one side of the new pipe gallery needs to be waterproofed and caulked.
Initial construction activities have also started on the new blower building. The blowers will provide air for the microorganisms in the aeration tanks.
This is some of the conduit that carries wiring for power and fiber optic cables for communications into the blower building.
The new sludge storage building is where thickened solids removed from the wastewater will be stored prior to disposal.
There is a room (pipe gallery) running the length of the building where pumps and piping will be installed.
The walls of the pipe gallery also need to be caulked and waterproofed.
There are three tanks which will hold approximately 30,000 gallons (each) of the thickened solids (sludge).
The green pipes entering the side of the tanks are for pressure relief valves that open into the storage tanks. They relieve the pressure of ground water that might be under the tanks and could cause them to crack.
Work has started on the Administration/Garage building. This building will hold the plant’s laboratory, administrative offices, workshop, employee facilities, parts storage as well as the garage for some of the plant’s vehicles.
Treatment Plant Construction Trivia:
- Over 3,000 cubic yards of concrete have been poured! (That’s enough concrete to make three, four-foot wide sidewalks the length of Sullivan Avenue…)
- In excess of 600,000 pounds (300 tons) of reinforcing steel (rebar) has been used so far! (That’s the same as 171 bright yellow Corvettes or 682 Harley motorcycles.)
- Approximately 125,000 feet (almost 24 miles!) of underground conduit (piping that wire is run through) will be used on the project! (That’s enough conduit to stretch the length of Pleasant Valley Road - from Main Street to Manchester - 81/2 times.)
Update: October 27, 2009
Activity is increasing as construction at the treatment plant goes forward. As things progress the scope of the new plant becomes more apparent and impressive. It’s big! From the plant entrance on Vibert Road to what will be the back of the plant compound is almost 900 feet.
Our new aeration system is almost 200 feet and about 90 feet wide. Each of the two tanks will hold 600,000 gallons of water.
The first picture was taken inside one of the tanks, from near the back end.
This picture shows plant operator Dave Geng looking at the inside of the distribution chamber at the beginning of the new aeration tanks.
Coring of holes in the existing aeration tanks and pipe installation between the existing tanks and the new aerators has also begun. These pipes will carry water to the new aeration tanks. The old tanks are going to be modified in support of the new treatment process we’ll be using.
Our new secondary clarifiers will certainly be a welcome addition. They’re 65 feet in diameter (10 feet larger than our current tanks) and hold almost 350,000 gallons each.
The top photo shows the rebar mat for the tank base being “woven”. The second picture shows the tanks with about 90% of the tank walls poured and cured.
The new sludge storage tank structure is well underway. The base is completely poured and reinforcing steel for the walls is being put up.
Update: September 22, 2009
Construction continues at the treatment plant! Over the past several weeks 80% of the aeration tanks bases have been completed, while the side and center walls are springing up.
Aeration Tanks
The secondary clarifier bases are being prepped and the 24” center piping for the #3 clarifier is in place and encased in concrete.
A double rebar mat will be woven on top of the stone to strengthen the concrete tank base, which will be poured in the next couple weeks.
Also, excavation has progressed on the new sludge storage building, with geofabric and stone being put in place.
This building, as its name suggests, is where thickened, liquid sludge will be stored prior to its removal for off site disposal. The liquid sludge will be hauled to the MDC plant in Hartford where it will be dewatered and incinerated.
As construction progresses, the number of different activities is increasing. The contractor is beginning to do some work inside the existing plant compound. Submittals for equipment and materials come in daily for review, comment and approval. There are requests for information (RFI’s) from the contractor asking for clarification about drawings and specifications. There are also meetings with the contractor and construction engineers in preparation for the coming weeks activities as well as working on system development.
Upcoming activities include forming and pouring the center walkway for the aeration tanks and completing the rebar mat for one of the new secondary clarifiers and pouring the concrete base.
The sludge storage building will become an area of increased activity, too. This structure will be more complex, somewhat similar to the new pump gallery that will be built between the two new secondary clarifiers. It will contain three enclosed storage tanks as well as pumping facilities.
There is also the possibility that work will start on the administration/garage building. There will be modifications to the interior of the existing building that will encompass a new laboratory for water quality testing and process control, and a new addition that will provide a much needed workshop, electrical shop and parts storage area.
Things are looking up!
Update: August 3, 2009
Despite the inclement weather, the Treatment Plant construction is progressing well! In June the site was cleared and silt fence installed around the plant to protect the wetlands. July was a busy month of site work and excavating for the new aeration tanks* and secondary clarifiers**.
An initial eight feet of material (soil) was removed and transported off site. Because of the final depth of the tanks and the height of the local water table (we’re so close to the Connecticut River), fourteen wells were installed around the site. These wells pump excess water from the digging area. This allowed the contractor (C.H. Nickerson) to remove an additional three feet of material, reaching the final depth of the tanks.
Geofabric (similar to heavy landscaping fabric) was spread across the tank area. One foot of stone was spread on top of the fabric for drainage underneath the new tanks. Iron reinforcing bars (rebar) are currently being installed to form a “mat” on top of the stone. This rebar mat will help strengthen the concrete tank bases.
Although somewhat involved, forming the rebar mat should go quickly. Nickerson is hoping to start pouring the concrete tanks bases during the second week of August. They are also going to be working on the excavation for the new sludge storage building (the deepest excavation of the project!) and possibly begin the excavation for the new air blower building.
* Two new aeration tanks, each approximately 40 feet wide, 13 feet deep and 160 feet long are being constructed. The treatment plant uses a biological process to break down solids and certain chemical compounds from the wastewater (for the past 15 months, the treatment plant has removed 96% of these). The aeration tanks are the home for the bacteria and protozoa that perform this process.
** Two new secondary clarifiers are being added to the treatment plant. Water from the aeration tanks flows into these 65 foot diameter tanks where solids settle and are removed. The clear water from these tanks (the plant’s final effluent) then flows through a metering chamber and is discharged to the Connecticut River.
++++++++++++++++ Help Yourself and the Treatment Plant!! ++++++++++++++
Washing grease down the drain or introducing rags and debris into the sewer system can cause big problems! They can plug up your pipes, block the sewer lines or jam our pumps. Any of these can cause sewage to back up into your or your neighbor’s home! Grease also interferes with the plant process, making it more difficult to clean the water!
For more information, contact the South Windsor Public Works Department
at 860-644-2511 ext. 243.
This site will be updated throughout the construction project. Stay Tuned!
June 23, 2009
Ground Breaking Event
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