RVE Receives Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Grand Prize Award

RVE’s Logan Township MUA 0.5 MGD Water Reclamation Facility Expansion project was honored by The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists with a Grand Prize Award – Design Category in the 2021 Excellence in Environmental Engineering and Science Awards Competition. RVE’s entry placed first among all the Design Category submissions in this national competition.

RVE provided both comprehensive design and construction shop drawing review services for the 0.5 MGD Water Reclamation Facility Expansion project. When the project design was initiated in 2015, LTMUA knew industrial parks within the Township were being rapidly developed. Development plans for Logan North and Logan South Industrial Parks were approved for a combined over 5,000,000 square feet of building area on over 585 acres of land. Within the industrial parks were warehouses and food processing facilities which discharged wastewater with pollutant characteristics of higher concentrations than average wastewater.

In anticipation of this additional flow, RVE designed the improvements that were constructed at the water reclamation facility on a narrow 70’ wide strip of land at the rear of the site. This project included the addition of 500,000 gallons per day of wastewater treatment capacity by the construction of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) tank 3, expansion of the equipment controls building, addition of a 1,500-kilowatt emergency generator and a new electrical service with associated electrical switchgear and transformer. With three operational SBRs, the ability to feed at least one SBR at any one time reduces the detention in the plant’s equalization tank. This is meaningful during wet weather events.

The key aspect for the entire project was RVE involving New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) personnel early in the design/permit application process. Based on consideration of both environmental and operational aspects discussed at a meeting of project stakeholders, the NJDEP favored locating the proposed SBR near the existing two SBRs. The main reason for the tank placement in this location was the existing tanks extend 17 feet above grade; therefore, the NJDEP was concerned an additional taller freestanding above grade tank would pose a danger to any low flying eagles known to habitat the area.

The project meets the needs of the LTMUA and the public it serves and supports the ability of the water reclamation plant processes to successfully treat the influent wastewater. The final payment value was $231,326.81 less than the awarded contract price, which the LTMUA considers to be an outstanding achievement by RVE.