The project, comprised of major upgrades to critical elements of the three treatment plants, includes the plants’ biological processes, filtration and disinfection systems, electrical generation buildings and injection well pump stations.
As part of this contract, Black & Veatch will also support WASD as it implements processes to reuse 60% of its wastewater to meet the state of Florida’s Ocean Outfall Legislation (OOL) requirements. The legislation requires that utilities in Southeast Florida eliminate the daily use of ocean outfalls by the end of 2025, reduce nutrient discharges, and implement a reuse system that is technically and economically feasible.
“As regulations evolve, the Black & Veatch team specializes in supporting utilities in upgrading and updating their infrastructure to maintain current standards,” said Mike Orth, president of Black & Veatch’s Governments and Communities sector. “Bold new water and energy nexus strategies are needed to solve our client’s pressing needs. Our team is ready to leverage our more than a century of expertise in critical infrastructure to deliver modernization and new sustainable water reuse solutions to Miami-Dade County.”
This solution, the implementation of Effluent Energy Recovery Systems, uses non-potable water to cool plant buildings -- replacing cooling towers with heat exchangers, saving the county millions of dollars and allowing the department to meet their legislative requirements for water reuse. The high quality, non-potable water then will be disposed of through deep injection wells not connected to the county’s drinking water source. The reuse system will be powered almost entirely from renewable energy sources, following Miami-Dade County’s commitment to sustainable practices.
