Tata & Howard has been working with the Town of Hopedale, Massachusetts for a number of years on a variety of wastewater collection and treatment projects. When the Town received an administrative order to address copper and ammonia violations at the plant, they turned to Tata & Howard for assistance. We completed the design and construction of a Wastewater Treatment Facility Upgrade project which included the installation of an automated soda ash feed system and an integrated fixed film activated sludge system (IFAS). The IFAS system is an innovative biological treatment process using thousands of special carriers designed to increase total surface area for biofilm growth without expanding the plant’s footprint. The blowers were also modified to provide better control over the aeration process.
A pilot study was conducted to test the ability of various reagents to facilitate the removal of copper from the waste stream. An automated chemical addition system was designed to improve coagulation. Additionally, a dynamic tangential filter was incorporated into the upgrade project. These improvements have allowed the Town to now meet its discharge limits for ammonia and copper.
Tata & Howard first assisted the District with responses to the Water Supply Division Sanitary Survey and then developed alternatives for the long term plan that would address all of the deficiencies and meet compliance with the Federal and State drinking water rules.
The issues were as follows:
- Wooden roof over concrete storage tank
- Inadequate disinfection system and metering of source
- Inadequate system pressures at the highest points within the system
- Water losses
- Inadequate metering of sources of supply to the storage tank
- Inadequate distribution piping for fire flows.
The solutions developed were as follows:
- Design and installation of concrete precast cover on storage tank
- Design of new building at storage tank with flow measurement and disinfection and better storage tank access for cleaning
- Virtual abandonment of auxiliary springs and surface water emergency source
- Design of water main replacement to meet required system pressures for compliance with the drinking water standards and rules
- Locating, permitting and developing a new source of supply (well) to supplement the existing wells and virtually eliminate the old spring sources due to the potential for contamination that had occurred in the past.
- Securing the maximum amount of grant funding available to the District at 45% with the remainder a low interest loan.
Water Supply Upgrades
Canaan Fire Districts (FD) #1 and #2, Canaan, VT
Tata & Howard provided engineering services associated with water supply upgrades for Canaan FD #1 & #2. These two districts are located about 1.5 miles apart, meet monthly, and have one operator. For FD#2, located in Beecher Falls, VT, Tata & Howard completed construction of a new concrete storage tank, well upgrades, and distribution system improvements including significant replacement of pipe. Tata & Howard was able to secure a 75% grant for the project which resulted in little impact to their water rates.
Fire District #2
FD#2 has 100 customers. The issues included inadequate system pressures, inadequate storage tank, inadequate disinfection system, and leaky pipes.
Tata & Howard developed solutions that included the following:
- A new storage tank at an elevation that would eliminate all pressure issues
- Distribution piping replacement and addition of hydrants of flushing and fire protection
- Reduction in water losses allowing for reduced well pump size, resulting in lower annual power and chemical costs
Fire District #1
FD#1 has two sources of supply. One is a large spring system located in Canada which consists of ten springs connected together, all under the influence of surface water and the other is a high yielding well source in the town limits. The issues are inadequate spring source construction and ability to maintain, low system pressures across the State line (they provide water service to West Stewartstown, NH), inadequate flushing capabilities, inadequate distribution piping, high iron and manganese levels in well source, and inadequate storage tank.
The solutions include the following:
- Elimination of the spring sources due to Canadian border issues and high cost for upgrading the springs and connection piping
- Installation of filtration system to meet the standards for FE and MN
- Construction of new larger water storage tank
- Development of a second emergency supply
- Improvements to distribution piping
In addition, we completed a feasibility study.
Tata & Howard provided evaluation, planning, funding assistance, design, and construction phase engineering services for an upgrade to the 30-year old 0.750 MGD Extended Aeration Activated Sludge Treatment facility including conversion to Anoxic/Oxic activated sludge process to allow more operations’ flexibility, reduce construction and annual O&M costs, and prepare for potential nutrient removal. Improvements consisted of the construction of four anoxic basins and four oxic basins, replacement of clarifiers, addition of five blowers, new electrical and control building, new heating system, new influent pumps, headworks influent screen followed by grit removal, centrifuge for sludge dewatering and post sludge dry storage building for the Class A Sludge. The project was funded by a USDA Rural Development loan and grant.
