17290_Authority_February

!" !!! !"#$%&'"()*'+ !!"!!#$%&'(&)!*+*, The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, located in southwestern Pennsylvania, serves a ĮǀĞͲĐŽƵŶƚǇ ĂƌĞĂ ǁŝƚŚ ĂƉƉƌŽǆŝŵĂƚĞůǇ 120,000 drinking water customers. The authority was created 80 years ago and is made up of acquired potable and wastewater systems that have been integrated through careful planning over decades. Today the potable water system is comprised of 2,400 miles of water transmission ůŝŶĞƐ͕ ϴ͕ϯϬϬ ĮƌĞ ŚǇĚƌĂŶƚƐ͕ ϲϳ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƐƚŽƌĂŐĞ ƚĂŶŬƐ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ĐĂƉĂĐŝƚǇ ŽĨ ϭϬϳ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŐĂůůŽŶƐ͕ ϰϴ ƉƵŵƉŝŶŐ ƐƚĂƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ϵϱ ƉƌĞƐƐƵƌĞ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŶŐ ƐƚĂƟŽŶƐ͘ The system is fed by three water treatment plants, located across the ƐǇƐƚĞŵ͕ ĂŶĚ ŚĂƐ Ă ĐŽůůĞĐƟǀĞ ƚƌĞĂƚŵĞŶƚ ĐĂƉĂĐŝƚǇ ŽĨ ϳϰ ŵŝůůŝŽŶ ŐĂůůŽŶƐ Ă ĚĂǇ͘ dŚŝƐ ĂƌƟĐůĞ ǁŝůů ĨŽĐƵƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ authority’s northern water plant, the George R. Sweeney Water Treatment Plant and Beaver Run Reservoir. The Sweeney water treatment plant was ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ϭϵϵϲ ĂŶĚ ǁĞŶƚ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ŝŶ :ƵůǇ ϭϵϵϳ͘ dŚĞ ŶĞǁ ƉůĂŶƚ ƌĞƉůĂĐĞĚ the original Beaver Run plant. While the plant was new, it retained the ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ŵŽǀĞĚ ǁĂƚĞƌ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ϭϭͲďŝůůŝŽŶͲŐĂůůŽŶ ƌĞƐĞƌǀŽŝƌ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĐůĂƌŝĮĞƌƐ͘ dŚĞ ŽƌŝŐŝŶĂů ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ĐŽŶƐŝƐƚĞĚ of a small block building, located at the toe of the dam. It contained four horizontal split case pumps ǁŝƚŚ ǀĂƌǇŝŶŐ ĐĂƉĂĐŝƟĞƐ͘ WƵŵƉƐ ŽŶĞ and two were 10 mgd while pumps three and four were eight mgd and Ɛŝǆ ŵŐĚ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƟǀĞůǇ͘ WƵŵƉƐ ŽŶĞ and three and pumps two and four ƐŚĂƌĞĚ Ă ĐŽŵŵŽŶ ϮϰͲŝŶĐŚ ƐƵĐƟŽŶ ůŝŶĞ͘ ůů ƉƵŵƉƐ ǁĞƌĞ ĮǆĞĚ ƐƉĞĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŇŽǁ ǁĂƐ ĐŽŶƚƌŽůůĞĚ ƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ ϭϲͲŝŶĐŚ pump control ball valves. With a treatment capacity of 24 mgd the ƉůĂŶƚ ƐƚĂī ǁŽƵůĚ ĂůƚĞƌŶĂƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƉƵŵƉƐ ŝŶ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ŵĞĞƚ ƚŚĞ ƐǇƐƚĞŵƐ demands. All the pumps were in ĞǆĐĞƐƐ ŽĨ ϱϬ ǇĞĂƌƐ ŽůĚ ĂŶĚ ƐŚŽǁŝŶŐ ƐŝŐŶƐ ŽĨ ĂŐĞ͘ /Ŷ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐ ĨŽƵƌ ƉƵŵƉƐ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ŚĂĚ structural pads and piping in place for ĂŶ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶĂů ƚǁŽ ƉƵŵƉƐ͘ With ever increasing water demand on the Sweeney system, the authority is in the process of increasing the treatment capacity to 30 mgd through a pilot program with the Pennsylvania Department ŽĨ ŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů WƌŽƚĞĐƟŽŶ ;W DEP). It became evident that the ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐ ƌĂǁ ǁĂƚĞƌ ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ would not have the capacity to meet the treatment demands. In 2019 the authority began the ƉƌŽũĞĐƚ ƚŽ ƵƉŐƌĂĚĞ ƚŚĞ ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐ ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ĂŶƟĐŝƉĂƟŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ increase in treatment capacity. dŚƌŽƵŐŚ ĞǆƚĞŶƐŝǀĞ ŇŽǁ ŵŽĚĞůŝŶŐ͕ 'ŝďƐŽŶͲdŚŽŵĂƐ ŶŐŝŶĞĞƌŝŶŐ ǁĂƐ ĂďůĞ to determine the best layout for the ĐĂƉĂĐŝƚǇ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ͘ dŚĞ ůĂƌŐĞƐƚ ŚƵƌĚůĞ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ƐŚĂƌĞĚ ƐƵĐƟŽŶ line for each set of pumps. Pump ĂƌƌĂŶŐĞŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ĐƌŝƟĐĂů ŝŶ ŽƌĚĞƌ ƚŽ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ŵĂǆŝŵƵŵ ŇŽǁ ƌĂƚĞƐ ǁŝƚŚŽƵƚ ĐĂǀŝƚĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐƟŽŶ ůŝŶĞ͘ tŝƚŚ the requirements of keeping the ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ ŝŶ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŚĂďŝůŝƚĂƟŽŶ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚ͕ ƌĞƉůĂĐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐƵĐƟŽŶ ůŝŶĞƐ ǁĂƐ ŶŽƚ ĂŶ ŽƉƟŽŶ͘ It was determined that the ŵŽƐƚ ĞĸĐŝĞŶƚ ĂƉƉƌŽĂĐŚ ĨŽƌ ďŽƚŚ ĐŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĞĂƐĞ ŽĨ ŽƉĞƌĂƟŽŶ ǁŽƵůĚ ďĞ ƚŽ ŝŶƐƚĂůů ĨŽƵƌ ŶĞǁ ƉƵŵƉƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞďƵŝůĚ ƚǁŽ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐ ƉƵŵƉƐ͘ ŽůůĂďŽƌĂƟŶŐ ǁŝƚŚ &ĂŝƌďĂŶŬƐ Nijhuis pumps were sized and ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŵĞĞƚ Ă ǁŝĚĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ŇŽǁ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞŵĞŶƚƐ͘ hůƟŵĂƚĞůǇ ƚŚƌĞĞ ŶĞǁ ϲϬϬ ŚŽƌƐĞƉŽǁĞƌ ϭϮ ŵŐĚ ƉƵŵƉƐ ĂŶĚ one 500 horsepower 10 mgd pump ǁĞƌĞ ƐĞůĞĐƚĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ƚǁŽ ĞǆŝƐƟŶŐ ϭϬ mgd pumps were completely rebuilt with rewound motors and refurbished ƌŽƚĂƟŶŐ ĂƐƐĞŵďůŝĞƐ͘ /ƚ ǁĂƐ ĂůƐŽ decided to upgrade the electrical ƐǇƐƚĞŵ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƵŵƉ ƐƚĂƟŽŶ͘ zĂƐŬĂǁĂ variable frequency drives were selected for the three 12 mgd pumps while the three 10 mgd pumps would stay with across the line starters and pump control ball valves. MAWC and Gibson-Thomas Engineering Collaborating to Meet the Future: Renovation of the George R. Sweeney Raw Water Pump Station By Peter Buss, PE, Gibson-Thomas Engineering, Inc. ŽŶƟŶƵĞĚ ŽŶ ƉĂŐĞ ϰϮ͘

17290_Authority_February_2024