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Back to SearchA new water reclamation facility in Arizona will enhance the quality of life and the local natural habitat, by reducing demands on the groundwater aquifer by millions of gallons a year.
The Wickenburg Ranch Water Reclamation Facility (WRWRF) was built to serve the 2,160-acre, Wickenburg Ranch community in Arizona, located just northwest of Phoenix. The community was isolated from the existing water and wastewater infrastructure and needed a robust wastewater treatment system to support its future growth and development, and also wanted a long-term solution that would reduce the amount of groundwater used by golf courses and landscaping for irrigation.
To achieve those goals, a reclaimed water system was selected in order to produce high quality water from the wastewater treatment process for beneficial reuse. Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology was chosen for use as the tertiary treatment – a key design choice that maximizes the ease of operations and minimizes the effort needed to sustain the quality of the effluent, even under extremely variable conditions.
GHD’s team, led by Frederick Tack, Treatment & Consulting Group Manager in Phoenix, supported this project from concept to operations.
“The innovative techniques implemented on this project provide for an extended life cycle by promoting the use of high-quality base infrastructure to enhance and sustain the high-quality of the effluent,” said Frederick. “The facility provides Class A+ reclaimed water, which will reduce the demand on the aquifer by up to 29,200,000 gallons annually during Phase 1 operations, and by 106,580,000 gallons annually during the future Phase 2 expansion. That magnitude of impact will help sustain local groundwater levels and leave more water for the flora, fauna, and habitat at Wickenburg Ranch.”
GHD was the Engineer of Record for the mechanical and process design, the Resident Engineer for construction administration and inspection services, and the Operator of Record during start-up and commissioning.
The WRWRF has just been named as Project of the Year <$10M by the the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Phoenix Branch. ASCE is the world’s largest publisher of civil engineering content in the world, a leading provider of technical and professional conferences and continuing education, and a frontrunner in developing codes and standards that protect the public. It has over 150,000 members in all civil engineering disciplines.
For more information, please contact Frederick Tack.