Bringing a historical plant into the future

Originally built in the 1930s, the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant was an integral part of greater efforts to protect the water quality of local rivers and the environment for six million people in Chicago and the surrounding communities.
As one of the world’s largest wastewater treatment plants, it has the capacity to clean up to 1.44 billion gallons of wastewater per day and serves over 2.3 million people.
To ensure it can operate safely and continuously, and to keep up with evolving standards, Greeley and Hansen, Sidara’s water specialist within TYLin, led the replacement of its aging tanks and grit facilities. These upgrades, plus others, will enable resource recovery and lower greenhouse gases – and eventually help the plant achieve energy neutrality.

A significant shift from treatment to recovery for reuse

The plant’s original sedimentation chambers were aging Imhoff tanks reaching the end of their useful life. To improve efficiency and performance, our team replaced all 108 of these with nine, state-of-the-art primary settling tanks and six aerated grit tanks, along with associated support facilities.
The new tanks are more effective, less labor intensive to operate, and also help to produce a significant increase in digester gas production. This means it is one of the few wastewater treatment plants in the US to generate energy sustainably and funnel power back into the grid.
What is more, this project provided flexibility for a future nutrient recovery facility – the largest in the world – to recover phosphorus and nitrogen and create fertilizer that is both economically and environmentally viable while improving waterways.

Environmental and public health protection

The new facilities will improve the plant’s efficiency, reduce maintenance, mitigate odors, and help to meet future capacity needs and regulations with minimal capital investment. More than that, they also help to reduce greenhouse gases, recover resources, and achieve energy neutrality.
The project is a shining demonstration of our companies’ commitment to the quality of life for local communities – better water quality means more opportunities for economic development and improved local environment, as well as a rebounding aquatic habitat that includes a larger variety of fish species.
Ultimately the new modernized Stickney plant will help the special-purpose district Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago continue protecting the health and safety of its residents and that of the area’s waterways.