A project by Nashville firm Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. completed at the Franklin Water Treatment Plant for the City of Franklin won a Grand Award in the 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.
The Engineering Excellence Awards were announced and presented during the ACEC Tennessee awards gala and 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Omni Hotel in Nashville on the evening of October 26. Hundreds of Tennessee engineers, business and civic leaders, and state, city and county officials from across the state attended the awards event. The Bush Brothers Process Water Reclamation Facility, completed in Dandridge by Nashville firm Brown and Caldwell, won the Grand Iris Award, the top award in the competition. The winning project reduced Bush’s water requirements by 30 percent and provided increased reliability, flexibility, and effluent quality.
Founded in 1968, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Tennessee is a statewide trade association for consulting engineering firms focused on advancing the business environment of the engineering industry. ACEC Tennessee member firms employ over 4,400 Tennesseans and contribute more than $400 million annually to the state’s economy. For additional information, visit www.ACECTN.org.
