Central generating system at Springdale WWTF earns award from ACEC-Arkansas

The City of Springdale, Arkansas’s Wastewater Treatment Facility will no longer be hindered in the event of power outages brought on by severe weather after the development of a new central generating facility. 

Garver first provided a power generation feasibility study after a severe ice storm cut the power to the facility, leaving the facility unable to utilize treatment equipment for an extended period of time. Garver’s solution provided environmental, social, and economic benefits by delivering a reliable plant-wide standby power solution that maintains treatment capabilities during electrical utility outages. These solutions led recently to an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Arkansas in the Energy Category.

“This study helped a longtime client find a sensible solution to a critical problem,” Garver Water Design Center Electrical Leader Jonathan White said. “It’s important that the treatment facilities in our communities are working at top efficiency at all times, and we commend Springdale Water Utilities for taking a proactive approach to make sure that’s always the case.”

Garver provided preliminary engineering, survey, design, bidding, construction support, and arc flash services for the generation system, which consists of 3 MW of new natural gas power generation and paralleling 12.47 kV switchgear. The design included integration with the WWTF’s existing plant SCADA system to provide automated central control of plant-wide generator resources during outages. The new medium-voltage generator and switchgear components were custom designed to handle communication between existing low-voltage transfer switches through the use of a fiber-optic network.

As part of the project, which was completed on time and under budget, Garver examined alternatives for economic benefits by utilizing available electric utility rate structures and implementing peak shaving strategies. A strategy to utilize Time of Use rate structures and peak shaving during on-peak summer hours was implemented in 2017 after startup of the new generating system. These solutions led to a 12 percent reduction of utility costs over the first full year, with potential savings of more than $4 million over the expected life of the equipment.

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