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3E: Essential. Energy & Environmental Infrastructure Services

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In suburban Atlanta, one of the nation’s most advanced wastewater reclamation facilities will treat 20 million gallons a day (mgd). A standby power plant for this modern facility was constructed by the electrical division of Player and Company, providing emergency power requirements, peak shaving and load management capabilities. Because of its extensive and modern process components, energy requirements of the plant are higher than those of most comparable treatment facilities.

Built around two diesel powered generators, the plant produces 4 megawatts of electricity. The standby facility, located adjacent to the electric utility company’s substation, has two 10,000 gallon tanks providing fuel storage for emergency operations. The auxiliary power plant is a critical safety factor, assuring that the treatment facility’s power needs will be met in the event of an interruption of electrical service. Because of the plant’s location, a premium is placed on reliability and performance, guarding against any failure which might result in accidental spills or discharges

The wastewater treatment plant, with a planned expansion to 60 mgd in the years ahead, features an ozone disinfection system and a large array of clarifiers and filter system spread over a 100 acre site. Effluent from the plant, produced under some of the strictest limits in the country, is piped to an outfall of the Chattahoochee River 20 miles away.

The site for the auxiliary power plant is shown in the top photo. The egg-shaped structure on the right is an anaerobic digester, which removes organics from sludge. Housing for the power plant is shown in the middle photo; onw of its diesel motors is shown in the bottom photo.