A project by Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. completed at the Franklin Water Treatment Plant is among those being considered in the 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards competition, presented by the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee (ACEC Tennessee). The award is one of the highest honors an engineering firm can receive and is considered the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry.”
The city’s existing water treatment plant had many components dating back to 1968, and major upgrades hadn’t been made since 1992. With the changes to Federal drinking water regulations, the older treatment processes were struggling to provide the level of treatment needed to maintain compliance. In addition, the city’s raw water source experienced significant taste and odor issues prompting multiple customer complaints throughout the year. Plant operators struggled to maintain equipment that was beyond its useful life, and with this issue came increasing maintenance costs. With these considerations, the city quickly realized it needed a substantial update to its water treatment plant.
With the installation of an advanced oxidation process utilizing UV reactors, hydrogen peroxide, and activated carbon, the first of its kind in Tennessee, the City of Franklin was able to achieve its two primary goals: compliance with current Federal drinking water regulations and addressing recurring taste and odor complaints. The project also replaced aging assets at the original facility while improving water quality in the distribution system and reducing maintenance costs. The new plant is producing some of the highest quality drinking water in the state and has made a discernable impact on how the community sees its water supply. No taste and odor complaints, lower DBPs, and no organic carbon. The community can see, smell, and taste the difference this new treatment facility is producing. As the City’s mayor noted at the Plant’s grand opening, “…that’s great tasting water,” making the new facility an investment both City leaders and the community can be proud of.
Project entries from across the state are up for consideration. The winners of the 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards will be announced during an awards gala at the Omni Hotel in Nashville on the evening of October 26, where ACEC Tennessee will also celebrate its 50th Anniversary. Additional information about the Awards can be found at www.acectn.org. In 2017, the TDOT Diverging Diamond Interchange at SR-66: Exit 407 project, completed by engineering firm Gresham, Smith and Partners, won the top prize.
About ACEC Tennessee: Founded in 1968, ACEC Tennessee is a statewide organization that represents more than 100 Tennessee engineering firms. ACEC Tennessee has chapters in Nashville, East Tennessee, Southeast Tennessee, and Memphis. The organization works to advance the business environment of the engineering industry.
