BDI led the Feasibility Study for the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority (ECUA) to examine the replacement of the utility’s primary wastewater treatment plant, the Main Street Wastewater Treatment Plant (MSWWTP). While this study indicated that the plant’s restricted site and age warranted the construction of a replacement plant, the ECUA did not have funding for such a large project. Following the 2004 passage of Hurricane Ivan, which knocked the Bayside Plant out of service for several days, BDI was retained as the lead firm to pursue funding and develop a Facilities Plan for the inland replacement of the plant. This effort gained ECUA the necessary Facilities Plan for State Revolving Fund inclusion and netted over 150 million dollars of State and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grants – the largest such FEMA grant award at the time. Using these funds, ECUA completed the inland replacement of the MSWWTP, constructed for over $300 million, with BDI continuing as the lead design firm. This reuse includes the substitution of reclaimed water in place of river water in the nearby power plant for cooling uses. The reclaimed water also provides the high-quality water needed by the power company for use in pollution reduction measures added to the power plant.
The new water reclamation facility includes mechanical screening, grit removal, a 5-stage biological nutrient removal (BNR) process, clarifiers, filtration, chlorine disinfection, and biosolids processing. The facility produces AWT (5/5/3/1 BOD, TSS, TN, P) quality effluent rated for FDEP Part III Public Access Reuse. The biosolids processing component produces an EPA Class AA biosolid dry product which is sold by ECUA as fertilizer.