The Fulton County (Ga.) board of commissioners has renewed its partnership with Veolia to continue operating, maintaining and managing the county’s wastewater facilities serving approximately 200,000 people in the north area of the county. The five-year agreement is valued at $60 million over the contract term and covers a combined treatment capacity of 40 million gal of wastewater per day.
Veolia North America will be responsible for operations and maintenance of the county's wastewater assets, including three treatment facilities, 30 wastewater pump stations and one grinder station, and also will provide maintenance services for other water-related assets. Veolia also will continue a preventive maintenance program to protect the county’s assets, provide support for capital improvements, and manage community outreach and education and business mentoring programs. Fulton County will continue to own all wastewater assets and maintain rate-setting authority.
Veolia has provided operations, maintenance and management services to Fulton County since 2010 under a public-private partnership agreement that has been recognized by numerous agencies for outstanding operations and regulatory compliance. The Georgia Association of Water Professionals recently named the Johns Creek Environmental Campus (JCEC) the 2014 wastewater plant of the year. This $137-million facility has one of the largest submerged membrane bioreactor systems in the U.S. and treats wastewater to an effluent quality for reuse in irrigation, lavatories and fire protection on the campus grounds. The facility also has a complete odor control system that prevents any odorous air from leaving the facility.
As part of the renewal, Veolia remains committed to supporting the county’s disadvantaged business program through a mentor-protégé approach that trains and grows qualified firms in Fulton County. The program is focused on recruiting firms interested in providing services to the county. The number of qualified subcontractors and vendors in the program has grown from 17 in 2010 to 20 during the last five years, with 30% of Veolia’s fee being spent with minority- and women-owned businesses.
Another key element of the partnership includes providing educational programming at the 10,000 square-foot JCEC Educational and Environmental Campus. The facility promotes water and wastewater educational opportunities in a fun and exciting environment with emphasis on educating children about the bioscience/life science industry and its relationship to the upper Chattahoochee River basin. Since contract inception more than 11,000 students toured the facility and received “hands-on” training and experience with the wastewater treatment process with more than 16,000 visitors at the facility.
Source: Veolia
