Borough of Schuylkill Haven

Water Treatment Plant Upgrade

Schuylkill Haven Borough serves potable water to its 5,600 residents and businesses and to North Manheim and the Borough of Cresson. The Borough’s 4.0 mgd water treatment plant treats water from the Upper and Lower Tumbling Run Reservoirs located north of the Borough. The treatment plant had reached the end of its useful life and needed to be replaced.

The treatment plant’s concrete clarifiers and filter units were deteriorating to a point of semi-failure, and the plant needed to be replaced. The Borough had provided water to four local bleach and dye factories that were big water consumers. These industrial users had recently shut down, significantly reducing the regional water demand. Further, PADEP had concerns about the condition of the plant’s water treatment residuals lagoon. A long term residuals management system was needed. Plans to replace the plant had been in existence for almost ten years, when the borough asked Entech to review the situation.

Entech noted that the forecasted future water demand indicated that the Borough only needed to build a 2.0 mgd water treatment plant for its foreseeable needs. Further, the existing water treatment plant site had adequate space for the replacement plant and an on-site residuals separation and drying system. The Borough authorized Entech to proceed with the design around three contact clarifier/multi-media package filtration units. The new plant included the following facilities:

  • Automatic influent screen
  • Spent filter backwash tanks
  • New treatment system building
  • Sand drying beds for residuals
  • Chemical feed systems
  • SCADA system for plant operations
  • High service pumps
  • Renovation of the control building

The alum lagoons and existing concrete tanks were demolished as part of the project. The new treatment plant was put on-line within 22 months of authorization for Entech to proceed with the design on the plant.

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PDF Schuylkill Haven Borough - Water Treatment Plant Upgrade (130K PDF)