During the inaugural Municipal Wet Weather Stormwater Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, Buchart Horn’s P. Eric Mains PE discussed the ability of industrial sites to be a leader in stormwater reuse. The conference, jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Southeast Chapter of the International Erosion Control Associate (SEIECA), assembled consultants and directors of each of the southeast states stormwater management programs.
“Projects like these are a win-win-win for investors, local governments and the environment,” said Mains during the presentation. “Not only do these types of projects assist a private entity to become more self-sustaining and reduce overhead costs, but they protect the environment and the benefit the communities surrounding these sites.”
As national and state stormwater regulations continue to be an area of debate, firms like Buchart Horn are working alongside stakeholders and community leaders to be proactive and innovative when embarking on new development or expansion projects.
As part of a major plant expansion of the York County Solid Waste Authority’s Waste-to-Energy Facility, Mr. Mains and the team at Buchart Horn evaluated a number of options and technologies to address anticipated regulatory stormwater requirements and ultimately chose to retrofit the facilities traditional detention basin to incorporate rainwater harvesting. The new system will use large precast concrete chambers, to be buried in a portion of the existing detention basin. The remaining portion of the basin will incorporate step pool conveyance systems to provide overflow relief in large event storms.
The stormwater from the basin will be reused to address continuous water demands on-site in the cooling tower and other related systems, saving the facility thousands of dollars per year.
Mains continued, “Based on anticipated yearly rainfall from historical data at this site, the facility could realize an estimated annual savings of approximately $90,000 per year as a result of reducing their reliance on purchasing bulk water from the local supplier.”
In addition to the innovative stormwater systems, Buchart Horn also provided the design and construction services to extend the facility’s useful life and improve current operating conditions. Improvements included relocation of some site roadways and facility parking, modifications to ash handling systems, expansion of the tipping floor and waste storage pit, relocation and replacement of water treatment systems, construction of a new maintenance shop and equipment warehouse, relocation and replacement of waste scales and scalehouse, and construction of a small hauler tipping area.
About the York County Solid Waste Authority’s Waste-to-Energy Facility: The waste-to-energy facility uses the best available state-of-the-art waste management technology to convert municipal solid waste into a smaller volume of ash and produce electricity.
Owned by the York County Solid Waste Authority, and operated by Covanta, the Center occupies 21 acres of a 140-acre site located in Manchester Township. Administrative offices, an Education Center, a Yard Waste Transfer Facility, and a Recycle Drop-off Center are also part of this acreage. Manchester Township has a host community agreement with the Authority and receives revenue from the Center in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Act 101.
The Resource Recovery Center has been in operation since 1989.