Earlier this year, the City of Saco selected MWH as the Construction Manager At-Risk for the $50M Water Resource Recovery Facility Upgrade project. The project consists of a new treatment building with aerobic granular sludge treatment processes, secondary filtration, and UV disinfection with upgraded grit removal and solids handling, as well as the conversion of existing clarifiers for additional stormwater storage and site grading alterations to mitigate tidal flooding from the adjacent Saco River.

Coming off the heels of the successfully completed Saco River Drinking Water Resource Center (SRDWRC) project, MWH’s Maine-based key team took a proactive approach to pursuing the Water Resource Recovery Facility Upgrade project. To familiarize themselves with the project’s aerobic granular sludge technology during the proposal phase, MWH’s project team visited the Aqua-Aerobic Systems facility in Loves Park, IL, to gain a comprehensive understanding of how the AquaNereda® technology works and learn the best methods for installing and commissioning the complex system firsthand. MWH’s UK-based sister company, MWH Treatment, also provided the team with hands-on training and best practices derived from installing and operating eight AquaNereda® systems. The knowledge gained from these efforts continues to be tremendously beneficial as the project progresses.

Today, MWH is constructing this project using a phased approach to complete and commission the new treatment processes before modifying the existing infrastructure with minimal downtime to the facility.

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Building on Continued Success

MWH is well known as the constructor of similar water and wastewater projects in New England. Early last year, MWH completed the Maine Water Company’s $44M SRDWRC project in Biddeford, ME. Maine Water replaced the original contractor because they could not keep the project budget under $50M, bringing MWH on at the 30% design milestone to take over the project. Through a focused value engineering effort, the MWH team, Maine Water, Shaw Brothers, Walsh Engineering, and Hazen brought the project under budget without sacrificing functionality or quality, reducing the total cost of site work to below the original design budget.

Recently, the SRDWRC was awarded the Envision Silver Award for sustainable infrastructure. The project partners—MWH, Maine Water, and Hazen & Sawyer—were recognized for collaboration on sustainable design concepts and successfully engaging the community and other stakeholders. The new center provides a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water to 40,000 people in the Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Pine Point communities. The center has the capacity to produce up to 12 MGD of treated and filtered drinking water, which is enough to support the public safety needs and economic development goals of the community. Stormwater management tools and wetland preservation also ensure the conservation of valuable local natural resources, including a red maple swamp and a wild brook trout habitat.

In February 2022, the MWH Team safely completed the SRDWRC project on schedule and under budget.

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