Coachella Valley Water District Water Reclamation Plant No. 7 Biosolids Upgrade

When the Coachella Valley Water District constructed a new headworks at Water Reclamation Plant No. 7 (WRP 7), it was critical to remedy the lack of redundancy and diminishing reliability of the two-decades-old plant sludge thickening and dewatering system. Dudek provided professional engineering services to support the replacement of wastewater solids handling facilities at the District’s WRP 7.

Project Facts
  • Coachella Valley Water District
  • San Bernardino, CA
  • Wastewater facility upgrade
  • Engineering analysis and design

The Challenge

Before constructing the new WRP 7 headworks, operational staff could bypass excess solids to an adjacent aerated lagoon system. The new construction eliminated that option, so solids processing solely depended on a single gravity belt thickener and belt filter press system. The District needed to upgrade the design of this system to replace these solids handling facilities with consideration for future capacity expansion from 5-million-gallon-per-day (MGD) to 22.6-MGD capacity and to expedite the provision of necessary redundant solids handling equipment.

The Solution

Dudek provided professional engineering services, conducting a comprehensive comparative analysis of competing dewatering technologies, including site visits to observe relevant installations and assist in selecting the appropriate equipment for pre-procurement. Our team coordinated pilot testing of candidate dewatering technologies to verify performance, specifically on the WRP 7 thickened solids. Subsequently, Dudek provided engineering design services for a new solids handling facility, complete with a sludge holding tank, odor control, new truck scales, polymer storage and feed pumps, and solids thickening/dewatering and conveyance facilities.

The Impact

This project received an Engineering Achievement Award from the California Water Environment Association (CWEA), Colorado River Basin Section, in 2018.

What We Did

Our multidisciplinary specialties allow us to provide efficiencies that maintain project momentum.
Aerial photo of the Crestline Sanitation District Huston Creek WWTP

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