ACEC/NJ Honors Gannett Fleming Projects in 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards Program
January 21, 2009
(South Plainfield, N.J.) The American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACEC/NJ) 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards Program recently honored Gannett Fleming, an international planning, design, and construction management firm, for its work on two projects.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) interconnectivity study to reduce drought conditions and mitigate water supply emergencies received the Grand Honor Award, the top recognition in this competition. In an effort to proactively reduce drought conditions and mitigate water supply emergencies, the NJDEP commissioned this study to analyze the interconnectivity of its many water supply systems. Gannett Fleming evaluated the physical and financial components of New Jersey’s existing primary water supply infrastructure. The project analyzed 140 water systems, 800 interconnections, and thousands of miles of pipe, resulting in the most comprehensive analysis that the state of New Jersey has ever undertaken to evaluate the overall capabilities of its water systems.
The deliverables of the study included the development of a hydraulic model of New Jersey’s primary water infrastructure, the development of a decision support tool to assist the NJDEP in making drought management and water transfer decisions, an evaluation of the potential impact of catastrophic infrastructure failure on 140 water systems, and an analysis of the existing financial restrictions and development of financial recommendations for implementing aspects of the study.
This project was the first time that hydraulic modeling was applied to simulate water transfer between multiple systems in New Jersey, and the first time that this technique was applied to any region of this size throughout the United States. This study resulted in an estimated cost savings of $40 million by eliminating the anticipated need for new infrastructure across the state.
 New Jersey American Water’s Canal Road Water Treatment Plant expansion project was recognized with an Honor Award in the Water and Wastewater Category. A $50 million design-build project, the expansion improved reliability to customers by increasing the facility’s capacity from 60 million gallons per day (mgd) to 80 mgd, with provisions for future expansion to 100 mgd. With the goal of providing customers with a supply of safe and dependable drinking water at an economical cost, Gannett Fleming’s design solution incorporated technologies that significantly reduced the cost of the expansion. The team developed an innovative design that incorporated the use of high-rate sedimentation technology, such as plate settlers, and converted the existing surface wash facilities to a more efficient air scour system.
This project’s unique, historic location required creative planning and an innovative design solution to address the design criteria put in place by the local historic district. By applying alternative technology, this project successfully met these design criteria while addressing the functional requirements for the expansion of the plant’s capacity.
As part of the project, nearly all of the plant’s processes were expanded or modified. These included: the intake structure and raw water screening; raw water pump station; rapid mix, flocculation, and sedimentation; intermediate ozone contact; filtration; disinfection; finished water pumping; chemical handling; and the plant’s supervisory control and data acquisition system. As a result of this project, the Canal Road Water Treatment Plant is operating at a 33 percent increase in capacity, but the plant’s footprint has been reduced by 65 percent. In addition, annual maintenance costs have been reduced by more than $10,000.
For more information, please contact Paul Nowicki at (908) 755-0040 or via e-mail.
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