RICHMOND, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Indiana American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Company (NYSE: AWK), joined Richmond Mayor David Snow, community leaders and project partners at a ground breaking ceremony Monday, June 25, 2018 in Richmond, Ind. to kick off a major upgrade to the company’s water treatment facility on the city’s northeast side.
The $45 million project includes construction of a new water treatment facility to replace the existing one located near Middlefork Reservoir on the city’s northeast side. The new facility will improve water quality and help the company to meet new, more stringent water quality regulations, reduce disinfection by-products in the finished drinking water and enhance plant safety.
“From its earliest days, the Whitewater Valley’s plentiful water resources have played an important role in the development and continued success of the area over the last two centuries,” said Indiana American Water President Deborah Dewey. “While we have continued to upgrade our infrastructure over the years in this community, these investments will help us to take our water quality, service and reliability to a new level of excellence.”
To meet new, more stringent water quality regulations associated with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule, the project includes adding ultraviolet disinfection to the existing treatment process. When used to treat drinking water, UV disinfection provides an additional layer of protection against chlorine-resistant pathogens and microorganisms that could be present in surface water sources. The Richmond treatment facility uses both surface water and groundwater as its source of supply.
The project will also significantly enhance safety for employees and nearby residents by switching from using gaseous chlorine to sodium hypochlorite, a much safer liquid disinfectant, to produce chloramines, which has been used at the plant since 2011. The new design will also improve the effectiveness of the use of sodium permanganate, a chemical which allows using less chorine at the front of the treatment process, further reducing disinfection by-products in treated drinking water. A new chemical building that is being constructed as part of the project will further enhance safety at the water treatment plant by incorporating safer and more robust chemical containment and storage features.
The project also includes construction of a 20” transmission main to transport water from the company’s Main Station site for treatment at the new Middlefork facility and replacement of a pumping station on the city’s east side. Construction at the Middlefork site also includes adding a filter backwash water recycling facility and a new on-site ground storage tank for finished drinking water.
The project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, is utilizing a design-build concept, bringing together construction and design professionals in a collaborative effort to enhance the quality of the finished project and to more effectively control project costs. The design team of Hazen & Sawyer and River City Construction is designing and constructing the new facilities.
In addition to the current work getting underway, Indiana American Water has also invested nearly $5.5 million to replace or relocate more than 7 miles of aging water mains in the Richmond area during the last five years.
Indiana American Water serves nearly 16,000 customers in its Richmond service area or a population of more than 40,000 people.
About Indiana American Water
Indiana American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 6,900 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 15 million people in 46 states and Ontario, Canada. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.