Clovis MBR, Phase 1

What is it? Phase 1 of the Clovis Sewage Treatment and Water Reuse Facility (ST/WRF) in California will reduce the impact on groundwater sources and provide recycled water for irrigation. With an initial capacity of 10,600m3/d (2.8MGD) and a target capacity of 31,794m3/d (8.4MGD), treated effluent from this membrane bioreactor (MBR) facility will be used for landscape and agricultural irrigation.

Who is involved? The City of Clovis hired CH2M Hill to engineer, design and construct the plant on a design-build-operate (DBO) basis. Siemens Memcor supplied the membrane system, while ITT/Wedeco provided the UV technology. Malcolm Pirnie oversaw the procurement process.

Why is it shortlisted?

• The Clovis ST/WRF is the first tertiary treatment plant in California to be completed using a design-build-operate (DBO) procurement method. This marks a significant step forward in terms of advancing the concept of public-private partnerships for advanced reuse facilities in the state. It is also only the second municipal wastewater treatment plant in California's Central Valley to receive a permit from the Regional Water Quality Control Board within the past 20 years.

• The MBR facility incorporates state-of-the-art sludge treatment technology, which reduces biosolids production by 90%. Low-pressure, high output ultraviolet lamps use one third of the amount of energy required by mainstream UV disinfection techniques. The facility also uses an innovative two-step odour control system.

• The Clovis plant is a marvel of modern engineering. It is designed to be fully automated, allowing operations staff to monitor and troubleshoot the plant from anywhere that has an internet connection. It is indisputably a new benchmark in terms of MBR automation standards.