Tennessee American Water Co.'s new $14.2 million mechanism will separates solids, such as zinc, from river water sucked into the plant.
> Project: Residuals Centrifuge Facility.
> Owner: Tennessee American Water Co.
> Location: Tennessee American Water Co., 109 Wiehl St.
> Contractor: Bowen Engineering Corp., in Indianapolis.
> Engineer: CDM Smith, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.
> Estimated cost of project: $14.2 million.
> Scope: The project includes two centrifuges which will process the solid materials (dirt and other naturally occurring materials) leftover after treating water from the Tennessee River.
> Purpose: The centrifuges will minimize the amount of solid material that must be hauled off for land application or other means of disposal. One naturally occurring solid material in the river is zinc, which can no longer be accepted at past levels at the Moccasin Bend Wastewater Treatment Plant. The project will remove zinc to comply with city requirements and reduce the amount of wastewater sent to the treatment plant.
> History: Tennessee American has been Chattanooga's water provider since 1887. And what started as a steam-generated pump station fueled by coal is now run by a series of high tech, high-efficiency motors, as Tennessee American Water Co. continually searches for technology advances to improve water treatment. The city's very first water pipes were laid in 1850, and Chattanooga's first water company (Chattanooga Water Corp.) was formed in 1856. The water system was later sold to the American Water Co. and the water plant was relocated to its current site along Amnicola Highway, famous for being the home of, Phillip D. Glass, the company's famous icon who sits on a roadside water tower and tilts his hat to passersby.
Schedule: The new centrifuges are expected to be complete sometime next year.
Contact: Call 423-771-4700 for more information or to set up a tour.
Online: www.tennesseeamwater.com
Compiled by staff writer Alex Green, who can be reached at agreen@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6480.