Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant
With a budget of $115 million, upgrading the Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant is the largest capital project ever undertaken by the City of Kingston.
The prime objectives of this upgrade are:
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To upgrade the plant's treatment performance through the addition of secondary treatment in accordance with current Provincial and Federal environmental
policies and requirements, thereby achieving a measurable improvement of the effluent quality; and
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To increase the plant's capacity by approximately 30%, which will accommodate continued growth and redevelopment within the City of Kingston over the next 25
years.
Originally constructed in 1957, and upgraded in the mid '70s and early '90s, the Ravensview Water Pollution Control Plant is located south of Highway 2, along
the St. Lawrence River, approximately 4.5 km east of the Cataraqui River.
Site topography, zoning requirements, existing woodlands, and adjacent residential development presented a number of constraints and challenges during the
design phase of this project.
The restrictions around the site area, the magnitude and extent of the construction program, and the need to manage construction sequencing while maintaining
normal plant operations, will present demanding challenges to the operators, contractors and the project team during the three-year construction phase.
Existing Conditions
The existing plant has an average treatment capacity of 72,800 m3/d.
The liquid treatment process consists of mechanical screening, aerated grit tanks with grit removal using a clamshell bucket system, chemically enhanced primary
treatment through seven rectangular clarifiers, disinfection (chlorination/dechlorination), and discharge to the St. Lawrence River through a 14-port outfall
located some 150 m from shore at a 20 m depth.
The solids treatment process consists of anaerobic digestion operating at 37C (mesophilic), liquid hauling of biosolids from May 15 to November 15, biosolids
sludge dewatering through a single centrifuge, and on-site biosolids storage for the rest of the year. Biogas (rich in methane) produced through the digestion
process is currently fired in boilers to produce heat for the plant or "wasted" to a flare when the biogas production exceeds the plant's heating load.
Proposed Upgrades
The upgraded facility will have an average treatment capacity of 95,000 m3/d.
The facility upgrades include:
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Modifications to the existing screening, degritting, and primary settling facilities to improve performance and enhance plant automation.
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New primary effluent pumping station to pump the primary effluent to a new secondary treatment process.
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New 11-cell Biological Aerated Filter (BAF) facility for secondary treatment.
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New primary digester operating at 55C (thermophilic) and an enclosed digester gallery to service the digester complex.
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New cogeneration facility which will utilize biogas to produce electricity and heat.
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New sludge dewatering facility with two new large-capacity centrifuges.
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New indoor sludge storage facility operating under negative pressure and equipped with an odour treatment system.
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Modifications to the existing administration building to incorporate a new control centre, boiler room and related facilities.
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New 44 kV high-voltage feed to site and site wide electrical upgrades.
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Various upgrades to the plant's automation and control system to improve operation interface and facilitate process optimization.
The City of Kingston is demonstrating its commitment to being a leader in environmental stewardship through a number of project components:
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Biological Aerated Filters
Due to its very compact footprint and efficient treatment process, 11 BIOSTYR cells are being implemented to remove dissolved contaminants and provide high-level
treatment. This will be one of the largest Biological Aerated Filter applications in North America for secondary treatment.
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Combined Heat and Power Generation (Cogeneration) Facility
To maximize effective use of the biogas (methane) produced through the anaerobic sludge digestion process, a cogeneration facility using a 370 kW low-emission
reciprocating engine is being implemented to produce electricity and heat for the upgraded plant.
LEED Certification
Leed Certification Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used and recognized green building rating system. A commitment has
been made to achieving LEED Silver rating for the plant's administration building. Furthermore, the LEED fundamental principles were observed for all upgrades.
Design and construction objectives included reducing the use of toxic and hazardous substances, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, reduction of solid waste,
improved energy efficiency, water consumption, conservation of renewable and non-renewable materials, the use of materials with low embodied energy, long-life
span, and low maintenance requirements; creating an effective and productive work environment for plant staff.
Thermophilic Digester
The implementation of a new anaerobic digester equipped with thermophilic capability (operating at 55C instead of 37C) will surpass current biosolids management
requirements. This process will increase biogas production for the Cogeneration Facility and achieve a higher level of sludge stabilization and pathogen kill.
The sludge produced through the upgraded digestion process will meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) requirements for "Class A"
biosolids, which have "virtual absence of pathogen". "Class A" biosolids can be land applied with significantly less environmental restrictions.
Management and Budgeting Process
The involvement of Utilities Kingston's Senior Management from the start through monthly meetings with its partners, including Engineer and Contractor, is
facilitating a rigorous Project Management and Budgeting Process. A risk-based approach for the planning, design and construction phase was adopted from
inception through the use of project specific Change Management Forms to document key decisions which affect either risk, cost, scheduling, or long-term plant
operation and maintenance. The use of Change Management Forms is an effective technique to ensure that all key stakeholders are kept informed of goals and
objectives while facilitating management, monitoring and approval of the overall project direction and budget.
A weeklong Value Engineering workshop involving broad stakeholder representation including plant staff, management and multi-discipline design expertise, was
also carried out after the preliminary design phase. This provided a peer review and sober second thought on the overall project direction early in the design
process with a focus on value, not simply capital cost.
These initiatives were key factors in ensuring a Contract award below the $95 million budget established for the construction phase.
The Federal and Provincial Governments have each committed $25 million to this major undertaking. There will be no direct impact on local taxes as the balance
of the project cost will be recovered through sewage ratepayers who are serviced by the plant and impost fees.
Canada's contribution to this project was made available through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF), through which the Government of Canada
collaborates with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, as well as the private sector, to meet strategic infrastructure needs throughout the
country.
Ontario's contribution to the project was made available through ReNew Ontario as a provincial grant, used by the City of Kingston towards the Ravensview Water
Pollution Control Plant. The Ontario government and its partners are investing in public infrastructure to help protect public health, strengthen communities
and provide public services.
For this project, Utilities Kingston has adopted a Team-building technique called "Partnering." Partnering is a non-binding commitment by all parties to work
cooperatively as a team in a spirit of trust and respect to achieve common goals and objectives and to promote smooth information exchange and creative problem
solving. Partnering focuses on the strength of each participant to efficiently and safely achieve a quality end product, on time and within budget, without
unresolved disputes. All parties will directly benefit from such an approach through increased cooperation, fairness, openness, improved morale and
productivity. Partnering will also enhance everyone's commitment of good faith.
Eighteen specific key equipment components were pre-selected through a value-based Request for Proposal process, which placed significant emphasis on life cycle
costs, not simply capital cost. The equipment pre-selection process enabled the City to customize and tailor the upgrades and plant operation and maintenance to
best meet its needs and requirements while reducing long-term operating costs.
As an additional benefit, the design, tendering, and construction have been optimized and streamlined, resulting in greater clarity of the documents and more
competitive bidding.
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