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“James River Treatment Plant SWIFT Improvements”
James River SWIFT Facility and James River SWIFT Treatment Plant Advanced Nutrient Reduction Improvements
HRSD Capital Improvement Program Project (GN016360) and (JR013400) -
HRSD, your regional wastewater treatment utility, is implementing the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Program at select HRSD wastewater treatment facilities to produce a highly-treated water (SWIFT Water®) that meets drinking water standards and is suitable for recharge of the Potomac Aquifer. Highly-treated wastewater from up to seven of HRSD’s existing treatment facilities will be treated at new SWIFT facilities, and at program completion in 2032, HRSD intends to recharge the Potomac Aquifer with up to 100 million gallons of SWIFT Water per day. This program will help reverse declining groundwater levels, reduce salt water intrusion, slow or reduce land subsidence and significantly reduce the amount of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay, thereby helping to ensure HRSD’s ability to protect public health and the environment in alignement with HRSD’s Mission and Vision.
The James River SWIFT Facility project includes design and construction of new facilities that will apply advanced water treatment to highly-treated wastewater from the James River Treatment Plant. The proposed facility is expected to have an advanced treatment capacity of 16 million gallons a day (mgd). The project includes design and construction of new facilities that will apply advanced water treatment to highly-treated wastewater effluent from the James River Treatment Plant.
The James River Treatment Plant Advanced Nutrient Reduction Improvements project includes the design and construction of improvements to the secondary treatment process at the James River Treatment Plant. These advanced secondary treatment improvements, including nutrient reduction measures, will be required to provide stable source water quality that meets the influent requirements of the SWIFT Facility. To learn more about SWIFT or to schedule a tour of the SWIFT Research Center (located at HRSD’s Nansemond Treatment Plant in Suffolk, VA), please visit SWIFTVA.com.
Project Cost: Ranges between $300 and $400 million dollars
Timeline
* Please see the Update section for current project status.
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Notices
Construction Notice Update #1 - December 2021
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May 2, 2022
Beginning in Spring 2022, construction activities for well drilling will be occurring at James River Treatment Plant. All construction activities are currently confined to HRSD’s James River Treatment Plant. Some noise may be associated with these construction activities. As a comparison, the noise is expected to be no louder than what city traffic would be at a distance of 100 feet away.
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The work will be confined to HRSD property; however, construction traffic will be entering and exiting the James River Treatment Plant site on City Farm Road from Riverview Parkway. Comprehensive traffic control plans will be implemented to minimize inconvenience.
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- Staging:
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TBD
- Construction:
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Spring 2022 - Spring 2026
- Restoration:
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Immediately following construction
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This is the first project of the broader Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT) Program which will add advanced water treatment processes, producing highly-treated water (SWIFT Water®) that meets drinking water standards and is suitable for recharge of the Potomac Aquifer. Once complete, the projects at the James River Treatment Plant will improve the existing plant effluent in addition to producing up to 16 million gallons per day of SWIFT water. At completion of the broader SWIFT program, HRSD intends to recharge the Potomac Aquifer with up to 100 million gallons of SWIFT Water per day. This program will help reverse declining groundwater levels, reduce saltwater intrusion, slow or reduce land subsidence, and significantly reduce the amount of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus entering the Chesapeake Bay, thereby helping to ensure HRSD’s ability to protect public health and the environment for decades to come.
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Disruptions to traffic will be minimized and no planned detours are necessary, but flagging will be used to help direct traffic as needed.
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The contractor will ensure that access to residences and the public facilities will be maintained throughout construction. Trash and mail services will not be affected.
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Work will typically take place Monday through Friday during daylight hours (8 a.m. - 4 p.m.). However, there may be times when extended hours, work at night, or weekend work may be necessary.
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The work performed will be inside the James River Treatment Plant property, and no interruptions are anticipated. Should the need to temporarily interrupt your water or sewer arise, the contractor will notify you so you can plan accordingly.
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As construction traffic will be required on Riverview Parkway and City Farm Road, the contractor will be required to correct any damage during the project and restore the roadways and adjacent swales, if required, upon completion of the project.
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Although all work is confined to the treatment plant property, the typical construction noises such as equipment engines, back-up alarms, materials being delivered, diesel generators, air compressors, sawing, etc. should be anticipated.
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The contractor will store some material and equipment within the treatment plant property or in fenced-off, secure, designated laydown areas.
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Construction workers will not be allowed to park their personal vehicles on the public streets.
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The estimated cost for the project is $300 - $400 million and is partially financed by the wastewater treatment fees paid by HRSD customers in addition to low interest loans from the EPA and Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Funds.
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HRSD is preparing to recycle water that previously was treated and released to the environment from the James River Treatment Plant. SWIFT, the Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow will put the highly treated water through additional advanced treatment processes to become SWIFT Water™, treated to meet drinking water standards. The SWIFT Water™ will be used to recharge the Potomac Aquifer (our regional groundwater supply that has been overused for decades).
The new SWIFT treatment facilities at the James River Treatment Plant will produce 16 million gallons of SWIFT Water™ each day. Each well has the capacity to recharge the aquifer with up to two million gallons per day. Therefore, multiple wells are required to meet the target recharge capacity. The wells are spread throughout the park because they require separation to reduce their influence on each other when recharging the aquifer.
Up to ten wells will be operated daily to support recharge, allowing for up to two of the wells to be taken out of service for cleaning (backflush) or maintenance. HRSD can accommodate four on the James River Treatment Plant property, and the remaining six have been located in areas around River View Farm Park.
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The pumps that recharge the aquifer with SWIFT Water are located at the treatment plant. Water is sent under pressure via underground pipes from the treatment plant to the wells in the well houses and directly into the aquifer without additional pumping.
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The well houses protect the well heads and above ground equipment associated with the recharge wells (where SWIFT Water™ enters the aquifer, hundreds of feet below the ground). The equipment in each well house includes piping, valves, and a large backflush pump. The well house protects the equipment from the weather and conceals the industrial look of this equipment in an attractive building similar in appearance to other park facilities. The well houses will also be equipped with exterior amenities park goers will be able to enjoy, including some with restrooms and shelter areas.
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No, well house operations will not produce odors. SWIFT Water™ is drinking-water-quality water that is treated to match the existing groundwater chemistry within the aquifer and is odorless.
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These well backflush pumps withdraw water from the well to clean the well much like the way a pool filter is backwashed periodically to keep the filter from clogging. During normal operations, backflushing occurs once or twice a day for 30 to 60 minutes. The water withdrawn from the well during backflushing is piped back to the plant, using a separate dedicated pipe, where it can be put back into the treatment process. Pump backflush will be asynchronous. Pumps will be backflushed when the pressure builds up from screen blinding. While we would like to schedule them at night, there may be times they occur randomly during the day.
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The only noisy equipment in the well house is the backflush pump used periodically for cleaning the well (running less than twice daily for up to an hour each time). HRSD is designing and constructing each well housing with sound dampening materials, such as acoustical CMU and sound dampening blankets, to reduce the noises heard to levels well below city requirements. Testing will be performed before and after construction to confirm the sound levels from pump operation are appropriately reduced to near background level.
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To avoid peak electrical demand charges, backflushing may be scheduled for overnight hours. The frequency and duration of backflushing is set by pressure build-up within the recharge well and could occur at any time.
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HRSD will access the well house buildings several times per week utilizing a golf cart or bicycle on the existing trail. From time-to-time, major repairs or maintenance will require HRSD to use larger equipment to access the well houses. These events will be coordinated with Newport News Park officials.
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Newport News Parks and Recreation will develop the education material for the pump houses.
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HRSD will work with Parks and Recreation to develop temporary trail routes and modify park access as needed for people to continue park enjoyment. When safe access cannot be maintained, disruptions may occur; these disruptions will be minimized as much as possible.
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This section of the trail will remain open as much as possible for access to the overlook. You may experience temporary closures when safe access cannot be maintained such as during construction of the new trail around HRSD’s property.
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The existing dog park will remain accessible during construction as much as possible. Temporary closures may occur during relocation of fencing and amenities.
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The building will be demolished as part of HRSD’s improvements to the park. HRSD will provide a temporary meeting space for public usage until the Administration Building meeting space is available for reservations.
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There will not be a fee.
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The meeting space may accommodate 30 to 40 people depending on the table setup.
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The City Archeologist will be notified in advance of park earth-moving construction. If artifacts are discovered during construction, HRSD will work with the City to properly excavate the discoveries.
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Please contact Newport News Parks and Recreation for information regarding the park.
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Regular project updates will be posted on the HRSD website at www.hrsd.com/construction-status. To learn more about SWIFT or to schedule a tour of the SWIFT Research Center (located at HRSD’s Nansemond Treatment Plant in Suffolk, VA), please visit SWIFTVA.com.
FootnoteIf you have any questions, concerns, or comments about the project, please feel free to contact:
Lisa Bolen, HRSD Public Information Specialist, at 757.460.7000 or lbolen@hrsd.com -
- Public Information Specialist:
- Lisa Bolen 757.460.7000 (Office)
- City of Newport News Contact:
- TBD
- HRSD Project Manager:
- Lauren Zuravnsky
- Additional Information
- Projects@hrsd.com
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- Director of Communications
- Leila Rice, APR 757.460.7056 (Office) 757.642.1321 (Cell)
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- Program Management Consultant Firm:
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AECOM, Norfolk, VA
- Program Manager:
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Bo Bodniewicz
- Contractor:
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Ulliman Schutte – Alberici Joint Venture
- Contractor Field Project Manager:
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TBD