Alcoa Water Treatment Plant
Alcoa, Tennessee

Award: Public Works Project of the Year Award, 2007

Presented by: Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association

In 2000, after several major repair projects and the completion of a treatability analysis of the raw water source (Little River), the City of Alcoa released a Request for Qualifications to interested engineering firms to study and provide recommendations regarding the future of the City’s water treatment plant (WTP).  After a qualifications-based analysis of submittals from the six responding firms, Smith Seckman Reid (SSR) was selected to perform a comprehensive evaluation of the plant.  SSR was directed to evaluate all options – from refurbishing the existing treatment plant to the construction of a replacement facility – and to provide engineering and economic evaluations of each.

When all is said and done, the total price tag for this seven years of work be just over $27.6 million.  This includes land purchase, site investigation and preparation, extensive testing and evaluation of treatment processes, WRC’s contracts, Zenon’s membrane filter package, all A&E work (including peer review), and demolition of the old WTP.  The 16 MGD plant was built with piping, components, and additional building space for ease of expansion to 24 MGD.

In October 2007, SSR was recognized by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association for their efforts.