The Moon Township Municipal Authority (MTMA) Fern Hollow Water Treatment Plant Improvements Project included: piping modifications to reverse flow through the old flocculation and sedimentation basins, conversion of the old chlorine contact tank into a flow splitter box, conversion of the old sedimentation basins into baffled 3-zone flocculation basins, conversion of the old flocculation basins into high efficiency plate settler clarifiers, UV disinfection system replacement, and new building construction.
There was significant deterioration of the old concrete tanks. The increase in treatment capacity, due to addition of plate settlers allowed for new concrete tank walls to be constructed within the existing tanks, effectively resulting in new tanks, at a fraction of the cost.
The project was split into three contracts in order reduce construction cost: equipment procurement, concrete construction, and building construction. The concrete construction contract was awarded to a contractor who completed the tank concrete construction and a portion of the piping work, prior to MTMA staff completing piping and equipment installation. Lastly, MTMA procured materials for a steel structure with membrane cover system, through the COSTARS program, and contracted with the building supplier for installation.
The old plant had a permitted capacity of 5.18 MGD. The improvements increased the flocculation and sedimentation processes permitted capacity to 6.48 MGD. However, the plate settler clarifiers were designed to accommodate a future paper rerate to 8.00 MGD. This significant capacity increase was achieved for a total project cost of only $2,200,000.
