Wilmington, Del., Awards Contract to HDR to Provide Treatment Plant Design Services

The city of Wilmington, Del., awarded a contract to HDR to provide low-pressure membrane design services for the city’s oldest water treatment plant, the Brandywine Filter Plant. Built in 1917, the plant has undergone several major upgrades and is one of two facilities providing finished water for 38,000 customers. The Brandywine Filter Plant is rated at 11 million gal per day and draws its source waters from Brandywine Creek.

Phase I of the project will focus on evaluating membrane system alternatives to retrofit the plant, located in downtown Wilmington. The evaluation includes incorporating 6 to 10 million gal of treatment capacity utilizing low-pressure membrane technology within the plant’s existing footprint, followed by pilot testing and procurement of the selected membrane system.

Phase II will include final design of the selected membrane system as well as historical code compliance and considerations for improvements to the clearwell, high service pump station and future desalination integration, as well as difficult construction conditions caused by the severely space-limited site. The proposed improvements are currently scheduled to be online by the end of 2008.

Source: HDR