FEMA Disaster Mitigation for Wastewater Facilities

This project involved evaluations for diverting wastewater flows for consolidating and abandoning wastewater treatment plants as part of the Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery and mitigation program. The focus of the work was mitigation through the elimination of facilities located in flood-prone areas.

Aurora was the lead design engineer for consolidation and mitigation efforts in the City’s North Belt and Cedar Bayou wastewater services areas. Improvements in the North Belt service area consisted of a new lift station and force main for diverting flows from the WCID #76 WWTP to the North Belt WWTP. This arrangement allowed the city to abandon the WCID #76 WWTP which was located within the 100-Year Flood Elevation approximately 5 feet from Greens Bayou. Gravity sewers were designed to divert the WCID #76 WWTP flows, approximately 2.8 MGD, to a new lift station located approximately 2,800 feet south of the WCID #76 WWTP and outside of the 100-year flood elevation. Flows are pumped northward to the North Belt WWTP through approximately 10,000 LF of 12-inch force main.

Improvements in the Cedar Bayou service area consisted of three lift station replacements and raising control panels and electrical equipment at another lift station site to accommodate site flood mitigation measures. Replacement lift stations were designed for the City’s Scotts Point, Cove Crest, and Spanish Cove Lift Stations. Control panel and electrical equipment were raised at the Sunny Glen Lift Station.