Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, has announced the completion of the Freeport Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) expansion project in Freeport, Florida. Dewberry provided construction engineering, and inspection (CEI); engineering, and design services to improve the facility’s treatment and operational performance.
In the past decade, the city of Freeport has experienced a 20% growth rate in its population, driving the need to increase Freeport WWTF’s capacity. This project converted the existing 0.6 million-gallons-per-day (MGD) oxidation ditch process to a 1.5-MGD Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process. Project features include the addition of new headworks, offline flow-equalization basin, aeration basins and blowers, additional digesters, dewatering building with screw press, conversion of oxidation ditches to anoxic zones, and expansion of the rapid infiltration basis on site. Additionally, two of the filters were relocated and a third filter was added to the facility’s site.
The WWTF has been designed to meet the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s (FDEP) requirements for public access reuse, including high-level disinfection and Class I Reliability. The WWTF also reduces effluent nitrogen, protecting groundwater when inclement weather prohibits public access reuse.
“We have worked with the city of Freeport for over 30 years,” says Dewberry Associate Vice President Philip Jones, PE, BCEE. “The project will promote water quality for the Freeport community. Our team looks forward to continued work with the city to provide a facility that meets its needs for years to come.”
Due to Freeport’s anticipated population growth, Dewberry is also providing design services to expand the upgraded WWTF from 1.5 to 2.0 MGD.
