Milford Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements

State Revolving-Loan-Funded Improvements Protect Huron River Headwaters and Enhance Overall Plant Operations

The Village of Milford, Michigan engaged OHM Advisors to assist with design and construction services for a complex public infrastructure project—updating its existing wastewater treatment plant. Originally built around 1970 with the last major upgrades in 1988, many of the plant’s structures and components were nearing the end of their useful life.

The village authorized our team of experts to prepare a SRF Project Plan to secure funding for the necessary improvements; complete the preliminary engineering design of headwork improvements, equalization basin integration and sludge handling upgrades; and perform topographic surveying and coordinate geotechnical investigations. With the secured funding, our team collaborated with the village and created a plan for system improvements to enhance treatment efficiency, minimize maintenance, decrease frequency of sludge hauling, and integrate diversion features during low flow periods to aid regular inspection and maintenance.

The headwork’s improvements include the replacement of the existing headwork’s facility with a new facility that adds screening, replaces the aerated grit removal system with a grit vortex chamber, and incorporates open channel flow metering. The new 300,000-gallon equalization basin (EQ) is intended to buffer, recycle and drain wastewater flows to help the plant perform better and greatly reduce the risk of a sanitary sewer overflow into the Huron River in a very environmentally sensitive area. Other improvements include a new sludge storage tank to accommodate the MDEQ mandate that the village increase its overall sludge storage capacity—the new tank helps satisfy the MDEQ requirements as well as minimize the need for frequent sludge hauling.

During design, the existing Ferric Chloride tank failed, and our team incorporated a new tank design into the design of a new maintenance shed that had to be relocated due to the size of the new EQ basin. Also during design we incorporated enhancements to the facility including new railings, stairs to access existing equipment, new parking areas and access road, and expanded the storage and maintenance area to stockpile materials. We then oversaw construction activity, administered the contract and brought the project in below the approved SRF loan amount, enhancing many areas of the design during construction.

Overall, the project involved a multidisciplinary team of experts and many years of planning, programming, design and construction. Our team helped guide and implement new processes and procedures within the plant to help the overall efficiency and day-to-day operations by participating in progress meetings, updates to council, and collaboration with the village staff. We also helped with complex permitting and coordination with multiple branches of MDEQ as required for the environmentally-sensitive areas adjacent to the plant. Our team is currently working with the village on a SAW Asset Management plan that includes the vertical assets within the plant.

Project Highlights: environmental quality, DEQ, WWTP, wastewater, engineering, SRF loan funding assistance, design, construction phase services