Published: Mar 11, 2014 | 09:00 AM

Irvine Ranch Water District Recycling Plant Receives Honors

The Irvine Ranch Water District’s Michelson Water Recycling Plant Phase 2 Expansion project has received honors from the American Society of Civil Engineers Orange County Chapter and the Orange County Engineering Council. ASCE named MWRP as Water Treatment Project of the Year for 2013 and OCEC selected the plant to receive an Engineering Project Achievement Award.

The awards were presented at both organizations’ annual awards dinners in February.

Expansion of MWRP began in the fall of 2009. When completed in May, the facility will be expanded to treat up to 28 million gallons of wastewater per day.

The expansion includes approximately 1,900 feet of new influent sewers, a new headworks facility with screening, grit removal, and solids handling equipment, four new rectangular primary sedimentation tanks and associated sludge and scum pumping, expanded flow equalization and primary effluent distribution facilities, upgrades to the existing activated sludge process, a new high-rate clarifier to polish secondary effluent and treat backwash return flows from the dual media filters, upgrades to the chlorine contact basins, a new membrane bioreactor, and a new ultraviolet disinfection facility for wastewater treated by the membrane bioreactor.

The expansion also includes new support facilities, including a new odor control facility, chemical feed systems, storm water pump stations, and electrical buildings.

While this project has been underway, the plant has maintained operations without interruption.

IRWD owns and operates two water recycling plants that treat wastewater to tertiary or advanced levels of treatment. IRWD maintains a completely separate recycled water pipeline system of more than 300 miles serving more than 3,500 customers. MWRP is the larger of the two plants.

Recycled water is also used for toilet flushing in commercial buildings, for air conditioning cooling towers, and for industrial uses such as carpet dyeing.

More information about the Michelson Water Recycling Plant expansion project may be found on our website.