Bucyrus Project Profile

Bucyrus, Ohio, also known as the “Bratwurst Capital of America,” owns, operates, and maintains a water system consisting of two upground reservoirs (Outhwaite and Riley), a water treatment plant, and a distribution system.

When the City needed to construct a new water treatment plant, Bucyrus turned to Jones & Henry Engineers to be a trusted partner throughout the entire process.

Challenge 

Bucyrus’s original treatment plant was constructed in 1949 and majorly expanded 30 years later, in 1979. The river pump station, meanwhile, was upgraded in 1983.

By the early 2000s, it became obvious that the City needed to build an entirely new plant.  Not only was the current plant still using the original mechanical and electrical equipment from years before, but it also was showing signs of overall deterioration.

Additionally, because the pipes and valves were partially blocked with calcium carbonate, the true hydraulic capacity of the plant was less than 3.5 million gallons per day when it should have been 4.2 million gallons per day.

Process & Implementation

The City of Bucyrus selected Jones & Henry to move forward with the design and construction of their new plant following the Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) criteria.

First, Jones and Henry consulted with Bucyrus on funding for the project and helped the City develop a general water treatment plan in order to apply for the Ohio EPA Revolving Loan Fund.

After the City secured this funding, they moved forward with the project itself.

Then Jones & Henry provided Bucyrus with a water rate study, funding search and funding applications, and a computer water distribution system model study.

Design and construction services were also provided for the water transmission lines, water distribution line, sanitary sewer, water treatment plant site, and the demolition of the existing water plant and sludge lagoons.

Jones & Henry participated in a site evaluation with the City as part of the General Planning Assessment report.  Together, they decided to construct the new site on Beechgrove Road.

Jones & Henry investigated different water softening alternatives and ultimately, decided to continue to provide softened water via the lime softening process, as the City had been doing since 1949.

Jones and Henry then provided a recommended scope of services for each professional service and location of soil boring. They split the construction services into two (surveyor and geotechnical services), prepared the bids, and selected the contractors for both.

Green options were also explored.  They used:

• LED light fixtures
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Ultraviolet disinfection, which provides an additional barrier against pathogens
• Granular activated carbon filters, which enhance their organics removal and reduce disinfection byproduct precursors

Results

Construction on the new water treatment plant was finished in September 2017.  The new plant is similar to the original building, with new processes added, and will:

• Have a rated capacity of 4.0 million gallons per day
• Have 5.0 million gallons per day of design hydraulic capacity
• Contain header pumping and flumes that convey 10.0 million gallons per day
• Provide firm capacity for the present needs of the system, as well as future plant expansions

In short, the City of Bucyrus will have a well laid out new plant that can easily accommodate doubling treatment capacity in the future.