April 28, 2006-- SWPCF improvement project underway

     The Ocean County Utilities Authority has issued a Notice to Proceed to Stone Hill Contracting Co., Inc. for the construction of improvements at the Authority's Southern Water Pollution Control Facility (SWPCF).  This improvements contract is estimated at approximately $26.6 million and is the largest single construction contract ever awarded by the Authority. 
     The South Plant was originally constructed in 1976 and has reliably treated the wastewater collected from municipalities in Southern Ocean County.  In 2000, the Authority, in conjunction with the consulting firm of Metcalf & Eddy, Inc, began a review of the SWPCF's primary and secondary treatment systems, effluent pumping systems, sludge handling operations, emergency power generation, site drainage and containment systems, and HVAC and electrical systems to ensure that the SWPCF will continue to reliably treat wastewater for the next 20 years or more.  This construction project is the culmination of five years of design work that progressed from feasibility studies to design proposals and finally to design documents.  Because of the magnitude of this project, the Authority had a value engineering study performed to review the feasibility and address cost-effectiveness of the numerous proposed design improvements and identify alternatives to what was proposed.
     The construction project includes:

       ·        The replacement of three (3) 84-inch diameter Archimedes screws, pump system, and the 480 volt
             motor control center equipment as well

·        Renovation of the laboratory facilities including HVAC upgrades, and installation of test equipment
and laboratory furnishings.

·        Construction of new emergency generation facility including construction of a new building, installation
of three (3) 1500 kW generators, synchronizing gear, electric switchgear, and controls.

·        Extensive concrete restoration work throughout the plant including influent channels, aerated
grit chambers, aeration basins, as well as rehabilitation of structural steel and gratings.

·        Replacement of aeration blowers including installation of a fine bubble diffuser system, energy
efficient variable frequency drives (VFD) for blower speed control, and control system upgrades.

·        Improvements to Sludge Handling Facility including installing new heat exchangers and energy
efficient flares to provide improved efficiency of digester gas usage.

·        Improvements to effluent pump station including re-piping of effluent pipe to facilitate gravity
feed and installing an energy efficient VFD to pump effluent when the flows are too high for gravity
feed. 

     Construction is expected to take three years.  This project is being financed through low interest loans available through the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Infrastructure Trust Program.