Water and Wastewater Solutions for Clients
Meeting the challenge of safe and reliable water supply and wastewater management requires a careful balance of managing cost, energy use, operational ease, and maintenance efficiency while also incorporating sustainability, resilience, and adaptability to climate change and other local and global threats. French & Parrello Associates (FPA) serves clients across many sectors, including municipalities, utility authorities, commissions, and private utilities and companies. Our projects routinely consider energy use, project complexity, operational efficiency, sustainable design and resiliency. Providing safe and reliable drinking water requires thoughtful planning and proper design, construction, maintenance, and operation of supply, transmission, storage, treatment, and distribution system assets. Successful water quality and wastewater management requires a reliable collection and conveyance network of piping and pumping systems and ultimately treatment and residuals management.
As infrastructure continues to age in the Northeastern United States, water distribution system operation and maintenance, as well as sewer collection systems and wet weather flow management, have become major areas of focus. We have experience with infrastructure renewal and rehabilitation programs that extend the useful life of these valuable assets including cleaning and lining of critical water transmission, distribution mains, and wastewater collection systems. Additionally, as the impacts of climate change continue to worsen, it is critical to evaluate and include proper mitigation measures in all new infrastructure projects. This is an area of focus for the team at FPA.
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Pipeline Services
The FPA team has experience with pipeline projects of varying lengths, diameters and complexities including new installations of transmission mains and water distribution systems, as well as sewer interceptors, gravity sewers, and force mains. In addition, our team is familiar with pipeline evaluation, condition assessments, and development of renewal, rehabilitation, and repair options for existing pipelines including but not limited to cleaning and lining. Additionally, the team is experienced with design and construction support services for installation of water mains and other conduits via Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), pipe jacking and other trenchless technologies.
Water Treatment & Emerging Contaminants
At FPA we have experience helping clients with water treatment needs in order to address water quality concerns and meet drinking water regulations. Our engineers have experience with treatability studies, engineering design, design-build, and construction management services for a variety of water treatment projects, including new water treatment facilities, as well as improvements and retrofits to existing facilities.
The USEPA and NJDEP have recently published formal stringent drinking water standards for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), which are extremely persistent in the environment and have been linked to various health problems in people. FPA is diligently following this matter so we can help our water and wastewater clients navigate and comply with any new requirements and regulations.
Pumping Stations
FPA is experienced with evaluation, design, permitting, and construction phase services for new and rehabilitation of existing municipal sewage pump stations. Municipal pump stations typically are submersible, wet well/dry well, dry pit submersible, or suction lift type pump stations and the design requirements for these types of stations continue to evolve to address construction, material and changes in operating conditions. FPA’s team of professionals are familiar with design and construction phase engineering services required for sewage pump stations and we are prepared to deal with the challenges included with each unique project.
These include:
- Grit Chambers and Handling Systems
- Bar Screening Systems and Comminutors
- Pump Design for Energy Efficient Operation and Redundancy
- Bypass Piping for Maintenance
- Corrosion Resistant Coatings and Materials
- Explosion Proof Electrical Systems
- Leak Protection
- Surge Protection
- Ventilation and Safety Systems
- Odor and Corrosive Gas Control (Chemical Feed Systems and Tanks, Carbon Scrubber Systems, etc.)
- Force Main Design and Rehabilitation / Air Release Systems
- Aesthetically Pleasing Pump Station Buildings
- Extraneous Flow Reduction Programs for Overall Sanitary Sewer Collections Systems
Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (CSO/SSO)
Combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, are remnants of the country’s early infrastructure. In the past, communities constructed sewer systems to collect both stormwater runoff and sanitary sewage in the same pipe. During dry weather, these “combined sewer systems,” or CSSs, transport wastewater directly to the sewage treatment plant. In periods of rainfall or snowmelt, however, the wastewater volume in a CSS can exceed the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this reason, CSSs are designed to overflow occasionally and discharge excess wastewater directly to nearby streams, rivers, lakes or estuaries. CSOs contain not only stormwater, but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials, and debris. This is a major water pollution concern for cities with CSSs. CSOs are among the major sources responsible for beach closings, shellfish restrictions and other water body impairments.
NJDEP’s Division of Water Quality (DWQ) issued two Draft NJPDES Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) permits in December 2022. These permits serve to improve water quality in these urban areas by requiring the reduction of combined sewer discharges. These updated CSO Permits expand upon the public engagement found in the 2015 CSO Permits. The goal of the CSO permits is to meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act and the National CSO Policy by reducing or eliminating the remaining CSO discharges in New Jersey. The Department is committed to working with Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) permittees and CSO communities to reduce or eliminate CSOs by providing low-cost funding and guidance to meet permit obligations. In order to achieve the reduction or elimination of CSO discharges, CSO permittees will need to reduce flooding, ensure proper operation, maintenance and management of existing infrastructure and provide opportunities for green infrastructure. CSO permits reinforce the importance of properly operated and maintained water infrastructure systems in protecting public health and the environment and supporting economic redevelopment.
Sanitary sewer systems collect and transport domestic, commercial, and industrial wastewater and limited amounts of stormwater and infiltrated ground water to treatment facilities for appropriate treatment. Sanitary sewers are different than combined sewers, which are designed to collect large volumes of stormwater in addition to sewage and industrial wastewater. Occasionally, sanitary sewers will release raw sewage. These types of releases are called sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs). SSOs can contaminate our waters, causing serious water quality problems, and back-up into homes, causing property damage and threatening public health.
FPA is familiar with evaluating and mitigating problems that cause SSOs, including the following causes:
- Blockages
- Line Breaks
- Sewer Defects That Allow Stormwater and Groundwater to Overload the System
- Power Failures
- Improper Sewer Design
- Vandalism
Biosolids
Biosolids are a product of the wastewater treatment process. During wastewater treatment the liquids are separated from the solids. Those solids are then treated physically and chemically to produce a semisolid, nutrient-rich product known as biosolids. The terms ‘biosolids’ and ‘sewage sludge’ are often used interchangeably.
FPA has experience working with specialized subconsultants and vendors to develop solutions for handling, managing, reuse and/or disposal of biosolids. Biosolids that are to be beneficially used must meet federal and state requirements. Examples of beneficial use include application to agricultural land and reclamation sites (e.g. mining sites). When applied to land at the appropriate agronomic rate, biosolids provide a number of benefits including nutrient addition, improved soil structure, and water reuse. Land application of biosolids can also have economic and waste management benefits (e.g., conservation of landfill space; reduced demand on non-renewable resources like phosphorus; and a reduced demand for synthetic fertilizers). Biosolids also may be disposed of by incineration, landfilling, or other forms of surface disposal.
Lead in Drinking Water
The USEPA established the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) to protect public health and reduce exposure to lead and copper in drinking water. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, brass or bronze faucets and fixtures. EPA, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) encourage and support communities to prioritize infrastructure improvement projects including those that remove lead service lines and reduce lead exposure. In July 2021, Governor Phil Murphy signed into law P.L.2021, Ch.183, which requires community water systems in NJ to identify all lead service lines, provide public notification regarding the presence of all lead service lines, and replace all lead service lines by 2031. Lead service line inventories must be posted on websites of water systems to notify residents who have lead service lines. In December 2021, the EPA finalized the LCRR, nationwide revisions to the Federal Lead and Copper Rule, which strengthens monitoring requirements and standards for water systems. NJDEP is in the process of developing NJ-specific requirements for the control of lead and copper, which will incorporate the updates from the EPA, while also providing an increased focus on lead and copper monitoring and sampling, corrosion control, water quality parameter monitoring and treatment, source water, monitoring and treatment, and public education. FPA’s water engineers and scientists are able to assist clients with evaluating lead service lines and helping to develop a systematic and cost-effective program to replace them.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
FPA’s GIS services are focused on utilizing up to date, modern GPS equipment and the latest software to effectively and efficiently meet or exceed our client’s needs. Our team of professionals is well versed in the use of the ESRI ecosystem of GIS software which includes ArcMap, ArcGIS Pro, ArcCatalog, ArcPad, ArcGIS Collector, ArcGIS Survey123, and ArcGIS Field Maps. Additionally, FPA maintains a cloud-based GIS mapping service through ArcGIS Online as well as an in-house Enterprise GIS deployment. Geographically, FPA’s current active area for GIS services extends from Ohio to New Jersey and south into Virginia with active projects throughout this entire region. Projects range from analysis and base mapping to more complex asset inventory and management systems which utilize cloud based or in-house hosted web services and databases. We are committed to performance and compliance through responsiveness and diligence.
Our GIS services include:
- Data Collection
- Needs Assessments
- Asset Management
- Infrastructure Mapping
- Utility Mapping
- Environmental Mapping
- Development and Deployment of Public and Secure Web Mapping Applications
- Base Mapping
- Database Design and Management
- Data Conversion
- Analysis and mapping
SCADA
The FPA team, with their specialty subconsultants and equipment vendors, have designed, specified, permitted and provided construction phase services for installation of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) control system architecture which typically include computers, networked data communications and graphical user interfaces (or human machine interfaces / HMIs) for high-level supervision or machines and processes typically required for water and wastewater facilities.
Regulatory Compliance and Permitting
FPA is familiar with applicable USEPA and NJDEP regulatory requirements and standards and we have assisted our clients in preparing and obtaining permits through these agencies for water projects. These typically include permitting through the NJDEP’s Water Resources Management Office and their Divisions of Water Supply & Geoscience as well as Water Quality.
Funding Experience / Grants
FPA is very familiar with applying for funding assistance and low interest loans and grants through the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank and more specifically the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust and the Water Bank for water supply, distribution, storage and treatment projects. We have also helped our clients obtain funding assistance through the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development programs.
