National Park Service · Design-build · 2016–2018
Buffalo Point wastewater treatment plants design-build
Two new package plants designed, permitted, built and commissioned at the same time on remote sites inside Buffalo National River, America's first national river.
- Client
- National Park Service, Denver Service Center
- Contract
- BUFF 186559
- Final value
- $2,276,817 (orig. $2,185,517)
- Performance
- Sep 2016 – Jul 2018
- Delivery
- Design-build
- Location
- Buffalo Point, Arkansas
Project overview
The Upper and Lower Buffalo Point plants had served the park since the 1970s. SIS replaced both with extended-aeration activated sludge package plants, 15,000 GPD at the upper site and 20,000 GPD at the lower site, each designed to treat to 30 ppm BOD5.
A multi-media tertiary filtration system follows each plant, reducing effluent to 10 mg/L BOD5 or less and 15 mg/L TSS or less before discharge to the river. Design followed the 10 States Standards, Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities.
Scope of work
- Review of the RFP schematic design and site data
- Permit list, design development and construction documents
- Site layout, grading, utilities, buildings and foundations
- Construction and discharge approval from the State of Arkansas
- Demolition and salvage of existing basins and equipment
- New buildings for tertiary filters and control panels
- Below-grade chlorine contact chamber at the upper plant
- New single-phase electrical service, transformers and telephone cable
- Commissioning, operator training and O&M manual
- As-constructed drawings
Challenges and how we solved them
Condensed schedule with both sites built at once
Constant coordination among the Park Service, designers, the State of Arkansas, fabricators and crews, with frequent full-team meetings to surface issues early.
Remote job sites
Detailed planning and scheduling so materials, equipment and crews arrived when needed, with no lost days.
Stricter discharge limits than the old plants
Comprehensive systems commissioning and hands-on operator training so park staff could run the plants to the new permit.
RESULT
Both plants were designed, permitted, built and commissioned, with all state and local approvals obtained.
For your project
What this project shows
- Design-build delivery from schematic design through operator training
- State construction and discharge approvals for treated effluent to a national river
- Two sites built concurrently on a condensed schedule
- Remote-site logistics with no lost days
- Treatment to 10 mg/L BOD5 and 15 mg/L TSS with tertiary filtration
- Final value within 4.2% of the original contract
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