Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility Earns Project-of-the-Year Award

The Butler Drive Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) in Peoria, Ariz., recently claimed its second national project-of-the-year award when the WateReuse Assn. gave the facility its top project award in the large project category. The association’s annual awards recognize projects and individuals that advance the beneficial and efficient use of water resources through education, sound science and technology using reclamation, recycling, reuse or desalination for the benefit of the public and the environment.

Earlier this year, the Black & Veatch-designed facility was named as national Project of the Year in the environment (More than $75 million) category by the American Public Works Assn.

Peoria is located in an arid desert environment, where ensuring long-term water resources is critical. The Butler Drive WRF, which currently produces approximately 8 million gal of water each day, began operating in July 2008. It features the largest membrane bioreactor (MBR) in North America, according to Black & Veatch. Use of MBR technology to produce effluent for aquifer recharge allows the growing city to earn water credits and therefore extract the equivalent amount of water from the aquifer to augment its supply and meet future needs, according to Black & Veatch. With the future addition of several membrane cassettes, the facility will ultimately produce up to 13 mgd of water for aquifer recharge.

Black & Veatch provided design and construction phase services for the $135-million facility. The full treatment process includes fine screens, activated sludge with biological nitrogen removal and UV disinfection, as well as membrane filtration.

Source: Black & Veatch