The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) has awarded NORESCO a $100 million contract to deliver Phase 2 upgrades at the Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) in Detroit, the largest single-site wastewater treatment plant in the United States.
The project will replace a nearly 50-year-old screened final effluent pump station with a new facility designed to handle 60 million gallons per day (MGD). NORESCO will also add a new reuse water stream with a capacity of 4 MGD to supply filtered and disinfected non-potable water for internal process needs. These improvements will reduce reliance on potable water by using treated wastewater for most process requirements while keeping potable water as a backup.
NORESCO is executing the work under a progressive design-build contract, building on an earlier energy audit and Phase 1 rehabilitation effort. GLWA chose this delivery method to improve cost certainty and schedule efficiency. NORESCO previously rehabilitated the existing pump station under a $3.4 million capital improvement project.
Upon completion, the upgrades will enhance resiliency and efficiency at the WRRF, which serves Detroit and 76 surrounding communities across Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. The facility treats wastewater for about 3 million residents, or nearly 30 percent of Michigan’s population.