CH2M HILL Research Project Wins IWA Project Innovation Award

Award presented at the Singapore International Water Week

The International Water Association (IWA) announced the 2014 Project Innovation Award (PIA) winners during the Singapore International Water Week, held June 1-5 in Singapore. CH2M HILL, a global full-service consulting, design, construction, and operations firm, is pleased to share that its Sewer Corrosion and Odour Research, or SCORe, project was selected as the recipient of the PIA for the Asia Pacific Region.

The SCORe project was completed in conjunction with an on-going Water Environment Research Federation (WERF) ventilation research program. The project helps to maximize the service life of sewer networks in a proactive approach by providing utilities with a better understanding of in-sewer processes that lead to sewer corrosion and odour issues—a widespread concern, especially in regions with warm climates.

Due to the complexity of monitoring in-sewer processes, identifying an optimal solution for corrosion and odour management is a challenge; nevertheless, this issue is one that plagues the water industry and the SCORe project aims to address this gap. Delivered jointly by CH2M HILL and the Advanced Water Management Centre of the University of Queensland, an internationally recognized centre of excellence in innovative water technology and management, the project adds to the industry’s understanding of corrosion and odour management and provides tools and technologies to help the water industry better manage, plan and allocate funds for sewer networks.

The SCORe modeling tool determines both natural and forced ventilation in sewers which can be used to quantify the amount of ventilation needed to prevent odours and corrosion. Additionally, the project’s guidance documents help with gathering accurate field data and enable improved designs of sewer system gas phase and treatment systems for greater optimization and cost-savings.

“SCORe demonstrates the significance of developing an effective strategy for the mitigation of corrosion and odour problems in wastewater collection systems,” said Jay Witherspoon, CH2M HILL Senior Fellow Technologist. “Taking a proactive approach to managing sewer networks enables utilities to balance costs with benefits both in savings and non-economic considerations to support strategic decisions.”

IWA’s PIA recognizes excellence and innovation in water engineering projects throughout the world, which demonstrate IWA’s mission of identifying water professionals to lead effective and sustainable water management solutions for the world’s most challenging projects. All of the regional PIA winners, including CH2M HILL’s SCORe project, will advance to the global level competition for the Global Grand Awards, which will be announced at the IWA World Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, in September.

About CH2M HILL
Headquartered near Denver, Colorado, USA, employee-owned CH2M HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy clients. The firm’s work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation, environment, nuclear, energy, facilities and urban environments. With US$6.6B in revenue and 26,000 employees, CH2M HILL is an industry-leading program management, construction management and design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record and named a leader in sustainable engineering by Verdantix. The firm was named Water Company of the Year at the 2012 Global Water Awards. For more information, visit ch2mhill.com, www.ch2mhillblogs.com/water.