Four Corners Wastewater Treatment Plant
The Four Corners County Water and Sewer District needed to construct a larger wastewater reclamation facility to serve the rapidly growing Four Corners area west of Bozeman, Montana.
The district hired Morrison-Maierle to plan, design, and construct the new facility. Morrison-Maierle helped manage
every aspect of the project including planning and site selection, evaluation and selection of funding options, preliminary and final engineering, and construction administration and materials testing.
To accommodate for future growth without burdening the relatively small customer base, the district opted to go with a unique funding model. To reduce the initial financial burden on existing customers, the Four Corners Wastewater
Reclamation Facility (WRF) was designed to expand in phases. This approach will allow for incremental expansion that can serve future developments as funds from those projects become available.
The incremental expansion approach and cost savings measures made construction of additional wastewater treatment capacity financially feasible for the FCWSD. Without expansion of this modern and centralized system, many new developments would have instead implemented on-site septic systems that are ultimately worse for the environment
and the community.
Odor control was another main area of interest. For the FCWSD project, the team selected to use biofilters. This method is often the least expensive and most environmentally friendly as it requires little energy and no chemicals.
Because of its proximity to residential areas, efforts were made to reduce odors as much as possible. Everything in the treatment system, including the large SBR basins, are enclosed in buildings to minimize noise, odor, and aesthetic effects on neighboring properties.
The final solution was ultimately able to continue to meet and exceed current and anticipated permit requirements, honor current service commitments, and avoid overflows.
