News & Events

The Connecticut Section of the American Water Works Association (CT Section AWWA) will host their 28^th Annual Technical Conference and Vendor Exposition (ATCAVE) on Tuesday, March 5 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. Our engineers and technical specialists will take part in four presentations discussing innovative methods to improve the quality of treated water and manage water works systems. Additionally, members of our Water team will moderate four sessions throughout the day, and our team will be located at Booth #7 during the exposition.

A full list of sessions from ATCAVE 2024 can be found on CT Section AWWA’s website.

SESSION A-1: WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT 2.0 TCH*  9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

pH Adjustment by Aeration Units

Cynthia Castellon, Tighe & Bond
Alan Wells, Tighe & Bond
Carmine Urciuoli, Aquarion Water Company

This presentation will discuss the design progression, design and construction challenges, and lessons learned in completing the Stratton Brook Centralized Treatment Facility, which came online in July 2022. Aquarion Water Company completed major improvements for its Simsbury Public Water System in 2021-2022, consolidating four points of entry and six chemical feed systems into the centralized treatment facility. A key component of the facility is pH adjustment via air stripping, with the objective of reducing chemical deliveries to the wellfield.

SESSION C-1: MANAGEMENT 2.0 TCH* 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Leveraging Data Throughout the Asset Life Cycle

Trent Guihan, Tighe & Bond
Daniel Carney, Tighe & Bond

This presentation will cover how reality capture, BIM, and other modeling tools can help a facility’s performance throughout the entirety of the facility’s life cycle, from planning through design/build, operations, and eventually decommissioning and reuse. Storing asset data in a structured and centralized environment allows for streamlined stakeholder communication, optimized performance, and improved design accuracy and construction efficiency.

SESSION A-2: WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT 2 TCH* 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Lost In Translation: How Proper Planning and Execution of Pilot Studies Can Enhance Design Outcomes

Ryan Fleming, Tighe & Bond
Adam Wing, CT Water Company

This presentation introduces best practices and lessons learned on how to prepare, conduct, and translate pilot study data into successful treatment facility design.  The treatment of iron and/or manganese in drinking water is well-understood, and the design for these facilities is relatively straightforward. However, chemical characteristics affect the way water behaves, and water quality data for wells that have been offline for long periods can be sparse. In these cases, a pilot study is warranted. Pilot studies add to design costs and occur over a limited timeframe. Planning and execution of the study to meet the project objectives is critical.

Optimizing Two Chemical Feed Systems at the Lake Whitney Water Plant in Hamden, CT

Ryan Benoit, Tighe & Bond
Jennifer Reynolds, Tighe & Bond

The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA)’s Lake Whitney Water Treatment Plant in Hamden is currently undergoing design for two new chemical feed systems – potassium permanganate and caustic soda. Even though this one-of-a-kind facility was constructed in the early 2000’s with the future in mind, thoughtful consideration was required in the design of upgrades to these chemical systems to balance competing objectives and overcome tight space limitations. The newly designed system will optimize location, layout, sizing, and configuration for enhanced operator usability and safety now and into the future.

In addition to our staff presenting at the conference, four members of our Water group will serve as moderators for conference sessions, including Peter Galant, Sydney Lewis, Ryan Palzere, and Yuqi Wang. For a full list of ATCAVE 2024 events, visit CT Section AWWA’s website.