12 Jan Wastewater Treatment Plant Consolidation on Isle of Palms
Isle of Palms Water & Sewer Commission (IOPWSC) has announced plans to retire the aged steel package Wild Dunes Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) and consolidate its services with the Forest Trails WWTP. Thomas & Hutton completed a sanitary sewer master plan update for flow projections for the consolidation of the two plants. The expanded Forest Trails will be able to treat up to 1.4 million gallons a day, serving all customers on the island. Wild Dunes will be replaced with a sewer pump station to pump sewer from the previous Wild Dunes site to Forest Trails.
Construction at Forest Trails is expected to take 18-24 months to complete. Thomas & Hutton served as the lead designer under the original Forest Trails, a state-of-the-art Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) facility, and will provide similar master planning, survey, design, permitting, bidding, construction, and startup services for the consolidation of the two WWTPs. The expansion of the building will have exceptional treatment capabilities and ensure that the product emptied into the Intracoastal Waterway will be environmentally beneficial. Thomas & Hutton assisted IOPWSC to secure FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant to mitigate flooding which was occurring at the Wild Dunes site to help fund the consolidation and improve resiliency.
Upon completion, Wild Dunes will be decommissioned, and all treatment will flow through Forest Trails. 1.1 million gallons will still be pumped to the Wild Dunes golf course irrigation pond. Facilities that rely on the MBR process, like Forest Trails use a smaller footprint and produce less sludge for disposal. As a result, IOPWSC expects to save operating and energy costs.
To read more on T&H’s involvement in the development of Forest Trails with IOPWSC, click here.
Forest Trails WWTP expansion rendering
Existing Forest Trails WWTP
