Receives Top Honors in Water/Stormwater Category from Statewide Engineering Council
The American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania (ACECPA) presented RETTEW with an Honor Award for the Manheim Borough Authority (MBA) Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) upgrades project. RETTEW, an Engineering News-Record top 500 design firm that provides engineering, transportation, environmental consulting, planning and surveying services, received top honors in the water and stormwater category at a gala held Feb. 2, 2012, in Hershey, Pa. The gala is part of the ACECPA Annual Diamond Awards for Engineering Excellence Competition, which recognizes engineering firms for projects that demonstrate a high degree of achievement, value and innovation.
“Working with a valued client on a project that has positive environmental impacts is very gratifying for RETTEW,” said Mark Lauriello, PE, president, RETTEW. “We are proud to have been a part of this project, and we are pleased to be recognized by ACECPA with an Honor Award for our efforts.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) required that MBA have the upgrades completed to meet effluent nutrient requirements as part of Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Tributary Strategy. The project involved a phased oxidation ditch, two additional final clarifiers, an additional chemical feed system, new return and waste activated sludge pumps, variable frequency drives and a biosolids storage building. RETTEW provided engineering, consulting and construction administration services for the wastewater treatment plant upgrades, which successfully remove nutrients from the wastewater to improve water quality.
To offset the cost of the $11 million project and potential sewer rate hikes to users of the system, RETTEW also assisted MBA in applying for and securing a $4.3 million grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA). The funding, one of the largest CFA grants awarded in Lancaster County, enabled MBA to avoid significant rate increases to sewer users. MBA provides wastewater treatment to approximately 2,300 residences and businesses in Manheim Borough and portions of Penn and Rapho Townships in Lancaster County.
“We are really happy to have this project under our belts,” said Dave Fenicle, executive director, MBA. “RETTEW not only provided expert consulting services, they worked with us to secure significant funding for this project. We are glad to have RETTEW as our consulting engineer.”
RETTEW, ranked 12th in 2011 on the list of Best Places to Work in PA, was established in 1969 as a single-person office and today employs more than 400.
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