Wilson Creek Wastewater Plant Upgrade Cited In National Engineering Competition

Dallas Firm’s Cutting-Edge Technology Ensures Year-Round Water Quality

CH2M HILL, Inc., of Dallas, Texas, has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 49th annual Engineering Excellence Awards for designing improvements to the Wilson Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant in Wylie, Texas.

Expanding the capacity and efficiency of the treatment plant’s operation during weather extremes was critical, but so too was protecting Lavon Lake, a drinking water supply reservoir for more than 1.6 million people and a major recreational asset. Ordinarily, separate systems provide sufficient treatment capacity during peak rain event flows and remove harmful nutrients in dry weather, but the project team designed an innovative and economical system that performs both functions. With this revolutionary design, Lavon Lake’s water quality is safeguarded under all weather conditions, further enriching its recreational value. The per-gallon cost of the new process is only a fraction of conventional technologies, as are the maintenance requirements. Life-cycle savings for the new system are projected at more than $100M.

The project is among 170 engineering projects throughout the nation and around the world recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements and eligible for one of the top 2015 Engineering Excellence Awards. Judging for the Engineering Excellence Awards—known industry-wide as the “Academy Awards of the engineering industry”—took place in February and was conducted by a panel of more than 30 engineers, architects, government officials, media members, and academics. Awards criteria include uniqueness and originality, technical innovation, social and economic value, complexity, and success in meeting goals.

Final winners, including 16 Honor Awards, eight Grand Awards and the prestigious “Grand Conceptor Award” for the year’s most outstanding overall engineering achievement, will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, a black-tie event to be held Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.

About The American Council of Engineering Companies
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America’s engineering industry, representing more than 5,000 independent engineering firms and more than 325,000 professionals throughout the United States engaged in the development of America’s transportation, water and energy infrastructure, along with environmental, industrial and other public and private facilities. Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.