Freedom District Wastewater Treatment Plant
Location Sykesville, MD
Client Maryland Environmental Services
Size 3.5 MGD
Costs $22,600,000
Date of Completion 2018
Services #Architecture #Construction Services #Consulting #Structural Engineering #Water / Wastewater Engineering
The Freedom District WWTP is a 3.5 million gallon per day (MGD) municipal wastewater treatment plant, operated and maintained by the Maryland Environmental Service (MES). The facility is located near Sykesville, Maryland and serves residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Carroll County. The plant was originally constructed in the mid-1970’s and was upgraded in the mid-1990’s to achieve seasonal BNR effluent goals of 8 mg/l Total Nitrogen (TN) and 2 mg/l Total Phosphorus.
Maryland Environmental Service (MES) was under consent agreement to upgrade the Freedom WWTP for Enhanced Nutrient Removal (ENR). The Five-Stage Bardenpho Process was selected as the most cost-effective ENR treatment technology available to meet new year-round, concentration based effluent nutrient limits of 4 mg/l TN and 0.3 mg/l TP. In October 2012, MES hired GMB to provide engineering design services including preparation of a Design Development Report. This report not only delineated the engineering design approach for ENR treatment, but also provided detailed construction cost estimates and served as the basis for a revised ENR grant eligibility determination by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). The Freedom District WWTP was upgraded for year-round ENR treatment utilizing the Five-Stage Bardenpho Process at an estimated cost of $19 million with approximately $15 million in potential grant funding or about 80% of construction costs. The “local” share of construction costs (or about 20%) would be shared by MES and Carroll County Government.
The ENR upgrade at Freedom WWTP provides primary, secondary, and tertiary treatment for Nitrogen and Phosphorus removal. Unit processes include raw water screening and grit removal, primary sedimentation, Bardenpho activated sludge process, secondary clarifiers, effluent filtration, ultraviolet disinfection, and cascade aeration. Sludge handling facilities were upgraded to include new belt filter presses or centrifuges, sludge conveyor, lime mixer, and an expanded sludge storage building. A new truck scale and truck wash station utilizing reclaimed rainwater was also designed by GMB.
Electrical upgrades included a new emergency generator, switchgear improvements, ENR treatment process controls, expanded SCADA system, and replacement of site lighting with energy-efficient LED lighting. Treatment process improvements and electrical improvements reduce overall power usage at the facility. Final design was completed in January 2014, and construction was completed in the Summer of 2018.
