300 Active Municipal Wastewater Treatment Projects
Suppliers of wastewater treatment systems are experiencing rising demand for their products as some 300 wastewater treatment systems are adding new plants, expanding existing plants, or revising these plants to meet new effluent or odor control standards.
These statistics are included in the U.S. Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facilities and People database. This is a continually updated online tracking system supplied by the McIlvaine Company.
Expansion is a function of population growth. So the largest numbers of expansions are in the large states with relatively fast growth. They include Arizona, Texas, California, Colorado, and Florida.
Odor control, beneficial sludge reuse, and improvement in effluent quality are the drivers behind the improvement projects. In arid states, wastewater reclamation and reuse is the basis for new investment. Not surprisingly, the states with the largest populations are the ones with the most improvement projects. They are California, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and Texas.
Most of the projects are initiated as studies by consulting/engineering firms. These firms or others are then employed to write specifications and evaluate bids for the end user utilities. The larger waste treatment facilities have the most important influence on equipment selection. However, for smaller facilities and new facilities, the decision making is strongly influenced by the consultants.
Cost has always been a big factor in municipal treatment projects. Limitations in the public bid process tend to weight decisions based on initial rather than lifetime cost. However the industry has improved its record in this regard. Presently life cycle cost plays a major role in the decision making.
Projects range from just $1 million up to $500 million or more. The project duration time is from less than one year to many years depending on the size.
Source: The McIlvaine Company
