Protecting Public Health and Waterways Through Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

The residents in and around Hardeeville, South Carolina, place high importance on helping small businesses grow, creating jobs, and conserving natural and historic resources. To support these goals, the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority asked our team to design the expansion of their Hardeeville Water Reclamation Facility using the Envision® sustainable infrastructure rating system.

Envision provides a framework to help guide the team’s decision-making and provides confirmation that environmental, social and economic goals are met. We are honored that the Hardeeville Water Reclamation Facility has achieved Bronze verification, making it the first in the Carolinas!

The main purpose of the project was to expand the facility’s permitted capacity to accommodate projected 20-year growth. Our design expanded capacity from 1.0 million gallons per day to 2.7 mgd, and leaves room for future expansion up to 4.0 mgd. As a result, this project supports Hardeeville’s goal of creating new jobs, and improved water quality in the nearby Savannah River, contributing to the goal of natural resource conservation.

In addition to improving water quality, the plant will require less energy to operate thanks to multiple smart design features. 

We specified highly energy-efficient equipment, such as a large-bubble compressed air mixing technology that will reduce energy consumption by 74 percent for flow-equalization tank mixing (compared to the existing submersible mixer) and 63 percent for pre-anoxic zone mixing (compared to a typical mechanical mixer). All of these design features add up to an overall 21% anticipated energy savings compared to a conventional wastewater treatment plant.

These energy savings allow a portion of the project to receive a reduced interest rate from the State Revolving Fund; all components demonstrated to achieve a 20% energy reduction are eligible for special “Green Funding” loan terms. 

Indeed, this plant expansion is designed to have a long and sustainable life.