Installation of advanced wastewater treatment technology to be first in the U.S.

GMC to utilize Nereda technology as design basis for new advanced wastewater treatment process at Riviera Utilities facility

Riviera Utilities executed a contract with GMC to design a wastewater treatment plant expansion utilizing Nereda® granular activated sludge technology as the basis of design. The new advanced wastewater treatment process will be designed for the Riviera Utilities Wastewater Treatment Facility in Foley, Ala. Use of granular activated sludge for biological treatment will be the first installation of such technology in the United States. The Nereda® Aerobic Granular Sludge Process will replace the current extended aeration oxidation ditch process that currently serves approximately 4,720 residential and commercial customers.

“Improving and protecting water quality for current residents and future generations utilizing the Alabama Outstanding Waters of Wolf Bay is our number one priority,” Lee Kibler, Operations Superintendent Water/Wastewater for Riviera Utilities said. “We are delighted to be involved in the game changing advancement of the reclamation process of wastewater in the United States through utilization of the Nereda Aerobic Granular Sludge Process at the Riviera Utilities Treatment Facility.”

This first-of-its-kind project is the result of successful collaboration among GMC; Riviera Utilities; Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc., of Loves Park, Ill., the exclusive supplier of the Nereda® technology in the U.S.; and Cahaba Water Solutions of Pelham, Ala., the local Aqua-Aerobic representative in Alabama.

“GMC is honored to work alongside Lee Kibler and his staff at Riviera Utilities on the Riviera Utilities Wastewater Facility,” Bobby McClure, GMC Vice President of Water Resources and Treatment said. “We are equally excited to be teaming with the Aqua-Aerobics and Nereda utilizing granular activated sludge technology for the first design in North America. We believe this project will be a catalyst for all parties to improve the options and efficiency in which sequencing batch reactors are designed and operated. The Nereda technology and the alliance with Aqua Aerobics is no doubt a new tool in our portfolio that we plan on using to assist our clients in the development of efficient and cost competitive processes.”

The Nereda Aerobic Granular Sludge Process represents an evolution in activated sludge treatment replicating the same effluent quality as a well-designed enhanced biological nutrient removal (BNR) facility but without the use of chemicals by using the patented aerobic granular sludge technology. The dramatically reduced footprint and low energy requirement of the Nereda process provides a competitive alternative technology for high performance BNR wastewater plants.

The new design of the Riviera Utilities Wastewater Treatment Facility will consist of a three-basin Nereda biological system capable of treating an average of 3.5 million gallons per day and 10 million gallons per day at peak flow. Construction of the treatment plant improvements for Riviera Utilities is scheduled to begin during the fourth quarter of 2017 with completion and commissioning expected as early as the third quarter of 2018.

“GMC is to be highly commended for their willingness to actively pursue technology that is sustainable due to the energy requirement reduction, cost effective through tankage size reduction and more operator friendly by simplifying nutrient removal,” Kibler said. “The engineering and operations staff at the Riviera Utilities Wastewater Treatment Facility look forward to moving wastewater treatment to a new level for the citizens of Foley by working with engineering thought leaders such as GMC, Aqua-Aerobic Systems and Royal HaskoningDHV, in pursuit of our facilities’ expansion.”

Nereda is the name given to Royal HaskoningDHV’s (The Netherlands) biological wastewater treatment technology (also known as AGS) that purifies water based on bacteria growing into compact granules. The technology was invented by the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and developed in a unique public-private partnership between the University, the Dutch Foundation for Applied Water Research (STOWA), the Dutch Water Authorities and Royal HaskoningDHV.

Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. is an applied engineering company specializing in total water management solutions in the areas of aeration and mixing, biological processes, cloth media filtration, membranes, disinfection and process control. The company is the exclusive supplier of the Nereda® Granular Activated Sludge Process in the United States.