New Bern Wastewater Treatment Plant

New Bern, NC

The City of New Bern implemented improvements to its wastewater treatment facility in response to the City’s need for additional wastewater treatment capacity coupled with the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's mandated reductions in nutrient loading to the Neuse River Basin.  New permitted discharge limitations required the wastewater treatment plant to meet advanced tertiary limits, (i.e. 5 mg/l BOD, 5 mg/l TSS, 1.0 mg/l phosphorus and 52,940 lb/yr. total nitrogen removal).

The services of Rivers were engaged to conduct a discharge alternatives analysis, project planning, funding assistance, surveying, engineering design, permitting, construction administration and construction inspection.

The 6.5 MGD plant expansion project included: renovated influent pumping facilities, new preliminary treatment unit, dual five-stage Bardenpho biological treatment units, dual secondary clarifiers, new tertiary filtration, renovated chlorine contact chambers, new reaeration basin, new filter feed and return sludge pumping stations.  Sludge facilities included renovated aerated sludge holding tanks, belt filter press and on-site sludge stabilization and storage facilities for production of a Class A sludge suitable for domestic use.

A 30” HDPE treated effluent pipe was installed by horizontal directional bore to transport treated effluent to a subaqueous river outfall diffuser located in the Neuse River channel about 1000 feet offshore.