edit and grammar correction + writing Summary and conclusion

The city of Pocatello produces a large amount of wastewater every single day. This water comes from a wide range of sources such as water that has been used from housing, from factories, hospitals among others. Despite the fact that this water contains sewage and waste product it can be useful and thereby be used as an alternative to pure water. The wastewater produced in Pocatello is sent to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) where it’s cleaned and discharged into Portneuf River.

It’s estimated that the city of Pocatello produces 7.0 million gallons of waste water every single day, this shows that pure water consumption rate is very high in this city which means there’s a likelihood that the natural clean water sources are being overused and overly exploited. This poises the danger of gradual depletion of natural clean water sources and creates a crucial need for an alternative clean water source besides the natural sources.

The much needed alternative source clean water can be provided simply by turning the 7.0 million gallons of waste water produced by Pocatello city into some beneficial use. Considering the fact that this water is capable of being treated and purified to meet the water quality requirements of a planned reuse as per the United States environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes the Waste Water Treatment Plant’s (WWTP) Affluent Beneficial Reuse project not only a viable option but as well the best alternative as at the moment considering the circumstances at hand.

This projects objective is to collect the 7.0 gallons of treated affluent and use it for beneficial purpose such as watering the city parks and other city properties thus reducing the costs by lowering the rate of consumption of clean water previously used for such purposes. The project aims at putting this wastewater collected daily into some use that will benefit the city while at the same time maintaining water right

the following three aspects are key to the success of this project and thereby have to be met. First centralization; the need for a central location, which will receive the treated wastewater and sent it to the various places it’s needed. Secondly expandability, 7.0 gallons of water every single day is quite a large amount of water, thus besides the areas which are in existence the as at now which would have the water made available to them the water should also be availed to those areas exhibiting the potential of expansion. This would ensure that this water is put to constructive use and wastage is avoided.

Economic viability is the third and most important aspect of this project, water is very important for sustenance of life. The Pocatello community needs the water for various purposes. These include domestic purposes like drinking, cooking, among others, entertainment and recreation purposes like swimming pools in their homes and as well for irrigation purposes in their farms. Thus with the high demand for water then the economic viability of the project is assured. However provision of this water through building up the system as well as availing the water to the Pocatello community comes with its share of costs nevertheless the cost of production would not be higher than the benefits of selling the commodity to those in need of the same.

The project has its share of constraints as well, the major challenges being physical barriers, land acquisition, public and social perception and funding.

The Portneuf River, the railroads and the interstate boundaries pose a great challenge in the routing of the water transportation system placement. Another challenge comes with the inconsistent demand pattern, which would always vary depending on the seasons. To solve that we aim to work on alternatives that need water regardless of the season. With the acquisition of land we intend to follow the course of existing roads for the conveying system to avoid buying land this would reduce the costs and partly address the funding problem. Concerning the public perception we intend to change the social perception that treated water isn’t save by enlightening them on the many other ways they can use the treated water for besides drinking. For the funding the money would come from grants and government revenue we will also explore other viable alternatives as a team.

The metrics of this project are entirely based on the objectives and constraints hereby highlighted, first we intend our return rate to be greater than or equal to 5% this not only make sour project viable but as well ensures that the city earns some money from it.

The second metric is to limit the land acquisition of privately owned land to not more than 10% of the land needed for the whole project. This would be ensured by having the project built in a city owned land and also having the transport system run along existing roads.

With the third, metric which has to do with the social perception, we intend to overcome this mental barrier by ensuring we provide water which satisfies the EPA standards, our team would work to ensure that the consumers are well aware of the same.

the last metric is to ensure supply of water to multiple locations to ensure that the water is not wasted and to as well avoid overstocking one area. To attain this we intend to use the Pocatello’s development plan to ensure that water is would be available to building, which will come up 10 years down the line.

Our team is well endowed with expertise on this area and is capable of coming up with a very successful project. We have incorporated into our team four civil engineering students currently enrolled at Idaho State University. Our team is fully equipped and would design a system that will deliver usable wastewater to the desired locations.

Water is an important part in maintaining life, and has multiple uses. With population growth and lack of fresh water in some countries, people have started to use wastewater as an alternative to using pure water. The City of Pocatello produces over 7.0 million gallons of wastewater per day. Wastewater according to “Wastewater Engineering Treatment and Reuse” by Metcalf and Eddy is defined as “combination of the liquid or water-carried wastes removed from residences, institutions and commercial and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water, and storm-water as may be present” [1]. For example, wastewater is water that has been used in housing, manufacturing, hospitals, and many other facilities, and it consists of sewage and waste product. The wastewater is sent to treatment plants to get treated in order to separate the sewage and produce clean water. Currently in Pocatello, the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) cleans 7.0 million-gallons-per-day (MGD) and discharges the water into the Portneuf River.

Pocatello’s Wastewater treatment plant meets the water quality requirements of a planned reuse set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Reclaimed water for landscape irrigation requires less treatment than potable uses for reclaimed water. Due to criteria and regulations that have been reported, contact with the reclaimed water does not cause any problems for humans. Usually, water is treated to three different levels of increasing safety. The primary level is a physical process to remove some of the suspended solids and organic matter from the wastewater. The treated wastewater is generally not useable after the first treatment because it still contains large amounts of bacteria and organic matter. The secondary stage is a biological process involving microorganisms that remove organic matter and suspended material. After this stage, treated wastewater can be used for irrigation and in uses where human contact is limited. The third stage, or the tertiary level, further removes suspended and dissolved material remaining after secondary treatment, and involves chemical disinfection. The third treatment stage is preferable because it allows for a wider variety of uses. After this stage, the treated wastewater is safe for human contact, and animals are safe to drink it. In 2004, the U.S. EPA established some requirements such as achieving biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids levels of <30 mg/L during the second or third level of the treatment to increase the purification of the treated wastewater [2, 3].

For the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project, the problem statement was provided by Michael Jagolowski, the Public Works Director for the city of Pocatello, and is stated as follows:

“The City of Pocatello (City) discharges treated wastewater effluent into the Portneuf River downstream from the Batiste Road Bridge. With the limited precipitation recently received in the Portneuf Valley, threats of water right calls from the Lower Snake River Water Coalition are becoming probable, the City desire to collect the treated effluent and use this commodity in a beneficial way thereby reducing the need for potable water used for irrigation purposes.”

The WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project’s goal, given by the project’s mentor, Michael Jaglowski, is as follows:

“The City desires to collect the treated wastewater effluent and use it in a beneficial way by irrigating one or many of the City parks or other City properties. There is no existing assets to collect or deliver the effluent into the City. The WWTP produces approximately 7.0 MGD of treated effluent. It will be assumed that the City has access from the WWTP into the City boundaries. City requests the following tasks to be completed:

1. An Engineering Feasibility Study (EFS) identifying possible solution paths and conceptual design alternatives to collect and deliver the treated effluent to be used on City parks and / or other City properties.

2. Discussions in the EFS should include the following:

a. A problem / project statement,

b. Proposed system discussion,

c. Engineering methodology,

d. Alternative identification and selection,

e. Conceptual project costs of the preferred alternative, and

f. Conceptual design.

3. A presentation to the City of Pocatello Public Works Director and selected Staff summarizing the findings in the EFS and conceptual design.”

In this section, the project objectives, constraints and metrics are defined along with the alternatives our team thought of. Those alternatives are then used to determine locations within Pocatello’s boundaries. These locations are rated in a decision matrix based on certain criteria that is defined within this section as well. Once those locations are rated, the most likely solutions are developed based on the best combinations of locations.

The objectives for the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project are to use all the treated wastewater in beneficially ways while maintaining water rights. In order to help define our objectives, we separated them into three categories: centralization, expandability and economic viability.

· Centralization: This means that in order for the system to deliver the treated waste water, a central location is needed. This central location will receive the treated wastewater and send it to many places that need the water such as parks or golf courses.

· Expandability: As previously stated, Pocatello produces approximately 7.0 MGD of treated wastewater. This is a large amount of water. In order to take advantage of this, the water needs to be available to different locations already in existence, or for locations that will soon be in existence, in order to use the water beneficially and avoid wasting it.

· Economic Viability: Water is a need of life, and the transportation and delivery of water can, at times, be very expensive. People not only need water for drinking, they also use it for irrigation and for entertainment purposes in their backyards, as irrigation on farms and to fulfill many other demands. In order to help the community of Pocatello, it is the project’s objective to transport and deliver water to the people at a lower price. Also, the implementation and construction costs of the design system should not outweigh the benefits of selling the water to those in need.

The constraints for the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project are separated into four categories: physical barriers, land acquisition, social/public perception and funding.

· Physical Barriers: In order to utilize the wastewater in valuable ways, there must be consideration and thought put into the many troubles that may confront the project. One of these such challenges in the City of Pocatello is the physical obstructions of the railroad tracks, the highways and interstates, and the Portneuf River. These physical boundaries will be a major influence in the routing and location decisions of how and where to place the treated wastewater transportation system. Another physical constraint is the changing of the seasons. Due to certain seasons, uses of water can decline. For example, in the summer, water needed for irrigation is in high demand. However, when winter rolls around, the need to irrigate parks, golf courses, and any other green spaces declines. It is our job to provide alternatives that will continue to need water, no matter what season it is.

· Land Acquisition: In considering the placement of the system, it was decided that it would be best to send the treated wastewater to central location within the City of Pocatello’s boundaries. In order to do that, a constrain was placed that the system follow existing roads in order to avoid purchasing or constructing the system on other people’s privately owned land.

· Social/Public Perception: When people hear of treated wastewater, it is a common assumption that the water is bad. In this case, the treated wastewater effluent from the Pocatello WWTP is cleaner than the water that runs down the Portneuf River in Pocatello. With this said, it is hard to convince people to use reclaimed water. In this project, it is our job is to let people know that the treated wastewater is not as bad as they think, and that they can use it for different things instead of as drinking water. Along with the public’s perception of treated wastewater usage, other government agencies such as the EPA are concerned about how the water is being used. As a result, our team needs to provide assurance that the treated wastewater is clean enough for the uses it is design for.

· Funding: The treated wastewater system will require a large amount of money in order to build. The money needed to construct the system isn’t sitting in a bank account waiting to be used. The money that will fund the project will need to be obtained through various sources such as federal grants, sponsorships and tax money. With that said, it is our team’s job evaluate the cost of each plausible alternative. In order to reduce costs, the project can be built according to other constraints such as using the roads and lands that the City of Pocatello own in order to avoid purchasing other people’s land.

The metrics for the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project are based on the objectives and constraints previously stated of making sure the project is economical, socially acceptable, centralized and expandable.

· Internal Rate of Return (IRR): Our team decided that the IRR should be greater than or equal to 5% of the total, so that the City of Pocatello can earn money on the project. If a project’s alternative is unable to return an IRR of greater than 5%, then that alternative isn’t a viable option.

· Land Acquisition Limit: The second metric of the project is to limit land acquisition of privately owned land to no greater than 10% of the total land required for the system. In other words, the City of Pocatello would like to construct the system on already owned city land, preferably by along existing roads. If the routing of the system needs to pass through privately owned land, then we would like to keep the purchase of that land to ten percent of the total land needed to build the treated wastewater system. Delivering the treated wastewater to the City of Pocatello will be one of the hardest things our team will face. It is our desire to route the system along the city’s roads, and construct any structures on already owned city land. However, we might have to purchase lands that other people or companies own. As a result we are limiting ourselves to use no greater than 10% of the total amount needed of non-city owned land, if absolutely necessary.

· Multiple Locations: The third metric placed on the project is to make the treated wastewater available for two or more locations. It is our team’s desire to have the delivery system provide treated water to two or more locations, since this is more economical than delivering the water to only a single location. Providing water to several locations will avoid overstocking water at a single location. Not only will the system provide treated wastewater to two or more existing locations, it will take into account future locations that are not yet built. In other words, the design and development plan for the City of Pocatello will be used so that the placement and extensions of the system can provide water to buildings five or ten years down the road. Along with placement, the system needs to be able to deliver usable water during all times of the year. It is our job to make sure the system has an alternative to supply water to locations during the summer and the winter that both need water.

· Socially Acceptable: Last of all, the final metric is to make sure that the idea of using treated wastewater is socially acceptable. In order to overcome this mental obstacle, our team will make sure the water being delivered meets the EPA standards. Our team will also inform the users that the treated wastewater meets the standards set by the EPA, and that it is safe to touch, and if applicable, to drink. According to EPA standards, the second stage of treatment provides clean enough water to touch. However, the third treatment stage eliminates any discoloration, remaining odors, and the majority of the leftover bacteria. As a result, the third treatment stage is desirable for the treated wastewater, but the second stage is adequate.

Zaid Almansour

The metrics measure the objectives and constraints. The relations of these three items is shown below in Table zz.

Treated wastewater can be used in many ways. Our group came up with five different uses for the reclaimed water and they are: Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural, Irrigation and Construction.

Wastewater can be used in many beneficial ways. One of the possible ways of using wastewater is for commercial uses. It is common knowledge that without water people cannot clean their cars or clothes. Therefore car washes and laundromats are a possible way of using the treated wastewater. An advantage to using treated wastewater to clean cars or clothes is that the purity/quality of the water is not a huge issue. Also, the usage of treated wastewater as an alternative will lower the demand for potable water. This will allow more potable water to be available for other uses such drinking water.

Some areas of interest in the City of Pocatello that contain car washes and/or laundromats that our team have come up with are located in the following areas:

· Yellowstone Avenue: existing and future privately owned car washing and laundromat facilities, gas station car washes

· Interstate exits: gas station car washes, laundry facilities

· 4th and 5th Street: existing and future privately owned car washing and laundromat facilities, gas station car washes, ISU campus laundry facilities.

· Flandro Drive: car dealerships car washing facilities

These are a few of the main locations in Pocatello, there are several other facilities on Poleline Road, Highway 30, and in the City of Chubbuck. The use of the treated wastewater in car washes is not only limited to existing facilities, but can be used in a new facility. Based on the planning and development map for the City of Pocatello shown in Figure 1, our team came up with an idea that building a new water station/car wash and laundromat facility near Lowes and Texas Roadhouse would be a possible solution. The location of the new facility will be located on a currently empty lot at 560 Bullock Street, Pocatello, Idaho. There are several advantages of this possible location, and they are as follows:

· Location is a relatively short distance of about only four miles from the treatment plant.

· The possible location is an active and popular area of Pocatello due to it being in the vicinity of several commercial buildings such as Walmart, Starbucks, Lowes and Texas Roadhouse to name a few.

· The possible location is also near the City of Chubbuck, so people who live in Chubbuck can also take advantage of the new car wash.

An advantage of using the treated wastewater for a new car wash or laundromat is that the purity of water is not an issue. In other words, the second treatment stage for wastewater is adequate for such facilities. A disadvantage of using the treated wastewater for a new car wash or laundromat is that these facilities in Pocatello do not use a large amount of water. On average, a friction in-bay automatic system uses approximately 35 gallons per car [4].

Another use for the treated wastewater is in an industrial setting. Industries use water in their cooling systems and for fire suppression. The U.S. EPA outlined some of the traditional industries that use reclaimed water in their 2012 update. The traditional uses are found in “industries that apply water reuse such as pulp and paper, textile and cooling towers” [5]. The report goes on to describe some new expanding applications in “electronics and high technology, corporate and school campuses, process and boiler feed water, power, oil and gas, and food and beverage” [5]. The first industrial use of reclaimed water in Idaho was by Lamb Weston in 1990 [5]. The EPA requires in most states that the reclaimed water be treated to the secondary stage, which consists of the removal of 99% of all suspended solids. However, depending on the industry and state, the treatment process can vary [5]. In the City of Pocatello, there are several industrial locations that could be considered for the project, and they are:

· Amy’s Kitchen

· J.R. Simplot Company

· Restaurant: fast food and sit-down

Industrial use of water not only includes cooling systems and cleaning, but also irrigation (if applicable) and fire suppression. It is important that we use the treated water in a beneficial way to help the community in Pocatello.

One of the ideas that our team came up with is to send the water to the airport for fire suppression and irrigation by using either water-tanker or a fire suppression aircraft. The advantage of using treated wastewater for fire suppression is that we don’t have to use potable water to put out bush fires that may start during the hot a dry seasons. The disadvantage is that the firefighting tankers or aircrafts won't need to use the full amount (7.0 MGD) of the treated wastewater every day. To help supplement the use of the reclaimed water, the use of the water for irrigation at the airport is another beneficial way to use more treated wastewater. An advantage of this is that the quality of water is not an issue. The second treatment stage is adequate. Also, the high concentration of nutrients in the treated wastewater will help the plants and grass grow, making the airport more beautiful to those traveling through. However, in the winter there is no need for the treated wastewater to irrigate the green areas at the airport, which make it useless during winter season. To offset the seasonal disuse of the reclaimed water, there are areas at the airport that allow for aquifer recharge. This technique could be implemented in the summer and the winter along with irrigation and fire suppression. The distance from Pocatello’s WWTP to the airport is about 4.3 miles.

Another idea that our team came up with is to use the wastewater at local industrial facilities such as Amy’s Kitchen and Simplot. The water can be used to clean the manufacturing area and also the dining area. An advantage of this is that they can use the cleaner potable water as drinking water instead. A disadvantage is that some people still have a fear about the treated wastewater, and that may lower the number of customer for the place. Cooling water for the manufacturing system is another beneficial way to use the treated water. It is very important to have cooling systems in every industrial facility that produces food products because it keeps the food cold and fresh, and limits the amount of bacteria that could grow in warmer environments. Not only can the water be used for refrigeration purposes for the food, but also to keep the machines and equipment at a maintained temperature so that they don’t overheat. If the water is used as a cooling system for the equipment, hydroelectric power can also be produced by the formation of steam as the water temperature increases. This is an additional benefit that the facility can optimize on. The distance from wastewater treatment plant to Amy’s kitchen is about 6.7 miles.

Reclaimed water is water that has been treated with requirements approved by EPA. This water is safe for a wide range of applications. Using reclaimed water for agricultural purposes requires the secondary treatment of the wastewater. However, the third treatment level is more acceptable [3].

Using reclaimed water in agriculture is important because it reduces the demand of freshwater and it is economically feasible and environmentally sensitive. These benefits allow for maximization of water resources. When using reclaimed water, periodic water quality data from the municipal agency that delivers the recycled water should be provided. This periodic data should provide the farmers or the users of reclaimed water with parameters and constituents of agronomic relevance, such as total salinity (or electrical conductivity), sodium, calcium, magnesium, boron, chloride, sodium adsorption ratio (calculated from the other constituents), nitrogen, phosphorus, bicarbonates, pH, etc. Adjusting the amounts of these elements is important in water consumption. The adjustment of water for fertilization and irrigation practices is the responsibility of the reclaimed water user [6, 7]. Another advantage is that the cost of treating wastewater to secondary (and sometimes higher) standards is lower than the cost of using potable water from unconventional water resources [8].

One possible ways to use reclaimed water is for farm animals as a non-potable use for cleaning purpose. The reclaimed water can be used to clean the animals themselves, or to clean the facilities that house them. If the reclaimed water is to be used as drinking water for the animals, the EPA does not provide any requirements for potable uses for animals. As a result, the secondary level treatment is enough. However, the farmer has the right to ask for the third/tertiary level of treatment.

There are many farms in Pocatello that might need to use reclaimed water such as Swore Farms or McKee’s Feed, Garden and Pet Center. Another idea is to use reclaimed water to irrigate food crops, pastures, fodder crops, fiber crops, and seed crops. Surrounding the WWTP’s location are several farms that grow crops. These agricultural farms are another option for where to send the reclaimed water. Another possible location is to use the treated wastewater at Town and Country Gardens. Table 1 illustrates the distance in miles from the WWTP to the previous locations that may use reclaimed water for agriculture purposes. A disadvantage of using the reclaimed water for agriculture is that the water used for animals may need additional treatment of the third (tertiary) stage in order to reduce the odor, change the color, and decrease the amount of bacteria so that if the animals drink the water it won’t harm them.

Water is reused for agriculture, aquaculture, industry, drinking water, landscape irrigation, and groundwater recharge. The United States reuses about seven to eight percent of the overall wastewater produced [9]. As a result, it would be wise to increase the use of reclaimed water in the future due to potential clean water resource depletion. Figure 2 show the areas of water reuse after the third (tertiary) stage if treatment [8].

Irrigation may be defined as the application of water to soil for the purpose of supplying the moisture essential for plant growth. Irrigation is an important role in stabilizing production. There are basic conditions to make irrigated farming successful. Some of these conditions are that the required amount of water should be applied, the quality should be acceptable, salt accumulation in the root zone should be prevented by means of leaching, and that the plant nutrients should be managed in an optimal way. These requirements are applicable when the source of irrigation water is treated wastewater [10]. For irrigation uses the EPA requires the secondary treatment for reclaimed water [5]. Figure 3 states the levels of treatment required by the EPA for wastewater reuse [5].

Thirteen minerals and nutrients are important for plant growth. To increase growth, fertilizers are added to soils. However, many fertilizers contain inadequate concentrations of needed nutrients. Minerals and nutrients are divided into two groups: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients primarily include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These elements are often lacking from the soil because plants require large amounts of these nutrients for growth and survival. Macronutrients secondarily include calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Micronutrients include boron, copper, iron, chloride, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. These elements are also necessary for plant growth [9].

Using reclaimed water for irrigation can help with potable water conservation. It is important to increase the public’s awareness on the importance of saving water. Using reclaimed water in irrigation decreases the demand for fresh water. Reclaimed water contains more nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) than drinking water, which plants require in order to grow. The concentration amount of N and P in the City of Pocatello’s reclaimed water is regulated to supply crop’s water needs without risk of surface or ground water contamination.

Table 4 provides the water quality criteria for irrigation that is recommended by EPA [5]. Nitrogen is the most common element contained in wastewater, and is widely applied as a fertilizer. The function of nitrogen is to help plants with rapid growth, increase seed and fruit production, and improve the quality of leaf and forage crops. Phosphorus has an impact on rapid growth of plants and is important for blooming and root growth as well.

Pocatello has a variety landscapes where reclaimed water can be used for irrigation purposes. Possible places in Pocatello to use reclaimed water for irrigation are:

· Upper Ross Park Disc Golf Course

· Highland Golf Course

· Rose Park

· Riverside Municipal Golf Course

· Portneuf Wellness Center

Table 5 shows the distances and the way from the WWTP to each irrigation location in Pocatello that our team selected based on the location and the amount of water used at each location.

Taking into consideration that the demand of freshwater within the next fifty years will continue increasing as the population of the world grows, the aquifers that supply drinking water are currently and will be used faster than they recharge, which creates a problem. Recharging the aquifer is another beneficial way of using the reclaimed water. This process allows the treated wastewater effluent to infiltrate into the soil and move down to the groundwater. The unsaturated zone acts as natural filter, which essentially removes all suspended solids, biodegradable materials, bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms. Additionally, it can reduce the concentrated amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and heavy metals. In order to recharge the aquifer with reclaimed water, the water is required to go through the third level of treatment [3, 11]. Recharging the aquifer with reclaimed water has benefits:

· It restores depleted groundwater levels.

· Facilitate water storage during times of high water availability.

· Use reclaimed water for potable uses in future.

The two primary types of recharging an aquifer with reclaimed water are surface spreading and direct injection. The recharge method depends on the aquifer type, depth, and characteristics. These constraints impact the ability to recharge water into the storage zone and later recover that water. Direct injection systems may be used in both unconfined and deep confined aquifer systems. However, the use of recharge basins and vadose zone injection wells are restricted to unconfined aquifers. For more information refer to the sample decision tree for selection of groundwater recharge methods shown in Figure 4 [11].

Our idea is to inject the reclaimed water into the aquifer here in Pocatello, which is also known as The Lower Portneuf Valley Aquifer and is a combination of three aquifers as shown in Figure 5. Some disadvantage of using the reclaimed water for irrigation include the following:

· 7.0 MGD is a large amount of water and delivering the water to the locations that have been stated is not too difficult. However, these places only use approximately 400 gallons of water per day (gpd). In order to use more water, the system would have to reach further away from the WWTP, which then results in a more complex project – both economic and routing wise.

· The benefits that the irrigation locations will get from using the reclaimed water may not exceed the costs for delivering the water, especially if only a small portion of the reclaimed water will be used at those locations.

Construction projects use large amounts of water, and the good thing is that the quality/purity of the water isn’t an issue. This makes construction another alternative for the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project. On construction sites, water can be used for several different purposes such as:

· Dust control

· Compaction

· Mixtures: concrete, asphalt, etc.

· Cleaning: roads, equipment, etc.

Here in Pocatello, there is always some sort of construction taking place. The main concern for the project is how to deliver the treated wastewater to the construction projects so that they can get it in a timely manner that is cost effective. Currently, construction companies pump their water from fire hydrants, which pull from Pocatello’s potable water storage. Some possible current locations for delivering reclaimed water for construction are shown in Table 4.

As previously stated, there are some advantages to use treated wastewater for construction purposes. First, the purity of the water isn’t a major issue. This means the second stage of treatment is adequate, and no further treatment for odor, color, and contamination is needed. Second, it reduces the amount of good potable water currently being used. By using the reclaimed water, the potable water could be used more for drinking water. Also, since the City of Pocatello is a non-profit organization, the price of the reclaimed water per 1000 gallons would be less expensive than what construction companies currently pay to pump 1000 gallons of water out of fire hydrants.

No alternative is perfect, and as a result, the construction alternative also has a few disadvantages. The main disadvantage is that the areas of construction work are continuously changing. As a result, it is hard to determine exact locations to place the system to best supply water for construction purposes. Another disadvantage is that not all of the water being supplied is needed. In general, construction projects here in Pocatello consume less than 7.0 million gallons of water a day, which results in extra treated wastewater not being used beneficially as stated in our objectives.

Our group’s decision matrix allows us to determine the best possible solutions to our project. Our matrix is composed of 12 solutions/locations being limited by six criteria.

Location 1 – Between the WWTP and Pocatello Regional Airport

Location 2 – Pocatello Regional Airport

The map showing the location of the WWTP and the Airport is shown in Figure 6.

Location 3 – Walmart/Lowes area

The map showing the location of the WWTP and the Walmart/Lowes area is shown in Figure 7.

Location 4 – OK Ward Park/Mall area

The map showing the location of the WWTP and the OK Ward Park/Mall is shown in Figure 8.

Location 5 – Wellness Center and Fairgrounds

The map showing the location of the WWTP and the Wellness Center and Fairgrounds is shown in Figure 9.

Location 6 – Yellowstone Avenue

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Yellowstone Avenue is shown in Figure 10.

Location 7 – Pocatello Ready Mix/Highway 30

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Pocatello Ready Mix/Highway 30 is shown in Figure 11.

Location 8 – Simplot

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Simplot is shown in Figure 12.

Location 9 – Highland Golf Course

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Highland Golf Course is shown in Figure 13.

Location 10 – Ross Park/Riverside Municipal Golf Course/Zoo

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Ross Park/Riverside Municipal Golf Course/ Zoo is shown in Figure 14.

Location 11 – Cemetery

The map showing the location of the WWTP and the Cemetery is shown in Figure 15.

Location 12 – Idaho State University

The map showing the location of the WWTP and Idaho State University is shown in Figure 16.

The criteria to scale the locations within the decision matrix consisted of six measurement factors: cost, utility, water usage/consumption, treatment, physical barriers and location/distance.

1. Cost: The cost criteria is very important in our team’s decision matrix. Though there is not a set budget for our project, our mentor mentioned that he would be happy to keep the overall costs under $15 million. With this in mind, our scale for cost consisted of the following parameters:

· 0 = greater than or equal to $5 million

· 1 = approximately $4 million

· 2 = approximately $3 million

· 3 = approximately $2 million

· 4 = approximately $1 million

· 5 = less than $1 million

Currently the costs only include the pipe material costs per linear foot, and in some cases the cost for installation is included. Additional installation and component costs such as pumps, valves, and other system elements will be added on to the overall costs if needed.

2. Utility: This is another criteria for the decision matrix. The utility refers to how acceptable the treated wastewater system will be to the end users and society. For example, if the usage of the treated wastewater is highly accepted by the user and the public, then that solution receives the highest score of a five on the decision matrix. On the other hand, if the treated wastewater is rejected by the user and is seen in a negative light by society, then that solution receives the lowest score of a zero on the decision matrix.

3. Water Usage/Consumption: Based on our objective to use all the treated wastewater, our team decided that the amount of water consumed by the end users was a very important criteria. Like the cost criteria, the water usage is scaled off based on consumption rates as follows:

· 0 = less than 1 MGD

· 1 = approximately 1 MGD

· 2 = approximately 2 MGD

· 3 = approximately 3 MGD

· 4 = approximately 4 MGD

· 5 = greater than or equal to 5 MGD

4. Treatment: The required treatment of the reclaimed water is a concern. As a result, our team decided to make it one of our criteria. The higher the treatment level, the lower the rating and vice versa. For example, in highly populated areas were a large number of people may come into contact with the treated wastewater, that location receives a one or a two. If the water does not require any additional treatment from the second stage, that location receives a five.

5. Physical barriers: The physical barriers in our project consist of the Portnuef River, the Railroad tracks, and the Interstates (I-86 and I-15). Additional costs are required for transferring the treated wastewater over or under these barriers. As a result, our team decided that the more barriers that need to be crossed in order to get to a location, the lower the rating, and the less number of barriers, the higher the rating. For example, to transport the treated wastewater to the Airport the only barrier is the river, and this location receives a rating of four. The scaling factors perform in an inverse fashion. For no barriers a score of five is given, for the crossing of one barrier a four is given, for the crossing of two barriers a three is given, and so on.

6. Location/Distance: One of the main criteria our team agreed upon is the locations or distances each solution is from the WWTP. The further away a location is, the more expensive it is to pipe the treated wastewater there. Also, the further away a location is, the number of barrier crossings tend to increase. The closest location to the WWTP is Simplot, so that location received the highest rating. The furthest location to the WWTP is the Ross Park/Riverside Municipal Golf Course/Zoo area, and that location received the lowest score.

Our team’s matrix consists of the 12 solutions/locations defined above along with the six criteria. The decision matrix is shown in Table 7. The scale used to rate the decision matrix is shown in Figure 18.

Using the decision matrix, a combination of solutions/locations are chosen and grouped together. Our team came up with four final solution combinations for our project and are shown in Table 8.

The first solution combination consists of the locations:

· Between WWTP and Airport

· Airport

· Simplot

The second solution is comprised of the locations:

· Walmart/Lowes area

· OK Ward Park/Mall area

· Yellowstone Avenue

· Highway 30/Pocatello Ready Mix

· Simplot

The third solution is comprised of the locations:

· Wellness Center/Fairgrounds

· Highland Golf Course

The fourth solution is comprised of the locations:

· Ross Park/Riverside Municipal Golf Course/Zoo

· Cemetery

· ISU

In order to more clearly see the locations of each solution combination, a map of Pocatello with all the solutions/locations is shown in Figure 19.

Due to the current situation our team is in the final completion of the project, only costs for the piping and storage tanks have been estimated. The estimated costs for the pipes and storage tanks were derived from unit price costs found in the 2012 RSMeans Building Construction Cost Data book. The cost for a linear foot of steel and plastic pipes are shown in Table 9 [12].

The cost for the storage tanks are shown in Table 10. The storage tanks are priced based on the volume of water they can hold. Since our team is still unsure of the exact volume we need each storage tank to hold, we put the range from the smallest volume to the largest volume.

The final costs currently only include the piping costs, the storage tank costs and if applicable, the construction of new facility costs and are shown below in Table 11 and Table 12. The estimated costs for a new car wash facility was found to be $277 to $298 per square foot, and the average square footage of a car wash was found to be 1,000 to 2,500 square feet [13, 14] To see the full table of calculations, please see Appendix 2 and Appendix 3.

In order to keep the team organized and on task, a Gantt chart was created. A Gantt chart is a “visual representation of a project schedule… [that] show the start and finish dates of the different required elements of a project” [15]. Currently, our team has accomplished many tasks such as the presenting of three update presentations and the writing of two report drafts. Our team meets every week with our mentor to discuss the project. The latest update our team presented on was on our decision matrix and the top four solution combinations. In order to compile this information, our team met with our mentor to obtain estimations on cost, water consumption, treatment, and utility. We plan to work on our last update presentation where we will present our project and its final solution to the senior design class, any professors who are invited, and our mentor if he can make it. To view team ZFHC’s current Gantt chart, please see Appendix 1.

Our team consists of four Civil Engineering students currently enrolled at Idaho State University (ISU). As a requirement to graduate as a Civil Engineer, ISU requires certain classes to be taken in the separate disciplines of Civil Engineering such as: Environmental, Geotechnical, Hydraulics, and Structural. These classes require an initial analysis class followed by a design class. As a result, our team will be able to both analyze and design a system that will deliver the treated wastewater to the desired locations, and will be able to make sure the water is usable according to set rules and regulations. Zaid Almansour will be designing the environmental aspect of our project, and he has taken classes that deal with wastewater treatment and environmental engineering. Fatimah Alhaddad will be designing the hydraulic aspect of our project, and she has taken classes in hydrology and hydraulic design. Helal Alshaibani will be designing the geotechnical aspect of our project, and he has taken classes and labs in geotechnical design. Caryn Wendt will be designing the structural aspect of the project, and she has taken classes in structural analysis and design. For further information about each member’s capabilities is described below in individual capability statements.

· Environmental Design – Zaid Almansour: I am a Civil Engineering student, and my part of the project is Environmental Design. I chose this part based on what I like about reusing the treated wastewater in a beneficial way. Furthermore, I’m taking a course in Environmental Engineering this semester, and I think this will help me to design the environmental aspect of our project.

· Hydraulic Design – Fatimah Alhaddad: This project will let me know more about the city that I love. This project is very involved with several aspect of water, and I enjoy working with water. I have a love for the hydraulic side of the Civil Engineering major, which is one of the reasons I chose this project. Reading geographical maps and knowing about the roads is a major challenge for me, and I wanted to challenge myself in this new experience. I have not had any chances to work as an intern or for any other companies before, so I am excited for this new experience. I have taken two courses dealing with hydraulics, and I am positive I can deal with this design problem very well.

· Geotechnical Design – Helal Alshaibani: I am interested in the geotechnical design of this project because I am studying Civil Engineering. Geotechnical Engineering is branch of Civil Engineering that deals with the behavior of the soils and rocks. I believe Geotechnical Engineering is a key aspect in any Civil Engineering project. Knowing the behaviors of the soils and rocks helps the Geotechnical Engineer to properly design foundations for structures. Another reason I chose to do the Geotechnical design is because I am taking Geotechnical design course offered by ISU this semester. I am hoping that the things I learn from this course will help me with the geotechnical design, and help our team to develop our project.

· Structural Design – Caryn Wendt: As a Civil Engineering major at ISU, I have developed an interest in the structural aspect of the discipline. I have had no work experience that has dealt directly with Structural Engineering, but I have had several opportunities to learn how to work effectively as a team member. I believe this will aid our team as we develop our project. I have taken several courses and labs dealing with treatment of wastewater, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, hydraulics, and structural designs. I believe I am qualified to develop the structural design for this project, as well as help my team members as they so desire.

With the increased clean water consumption rate the WWTP Effluent Beneficial Reuse project wouldn’t have come at a better time. A time when the Pocatello community is faced with an urgent need for an alternative source of water for the various uses varying from irrigation, domestic purposes, manufacturing among others.

This project is essential for the attainment of sustainable development of Pocatello city at large since it promotes conservation and use of the available natural water resources in a way that ensures that the same aren’t depleted and thus their capability to meet the needs of the next generation isn’t compromised

This project is economically viable and will raise revenues for the government while at the same time meeting the needs of the community. Besides that the project is environmentally viable since it doesn’t occasion any negative environmental harm.

However there’s a need to educate the community on the safety and the usefulness of treated water since the social/public perception appears to be one of the biggest hindrances to the success of the project. The public needs to understand that the treated water is safer than the water they use from Portneuf River, and therefore the need to embrace the use of treated water. A change in public perception will directly and positively implicate on the success of the project as whole.

References [1] Metcalf & Eddy, Wastewater Engineering, Treatment and Reuse, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. [2] U.S.EPA, "National Primary Drinking Water Standards," U.S. EPA, Washington D.C., 2003. [3] U.S.EPA, "Guideline for Water Reuse," U.S. EPA, Washington D.C., 2004. [4] C. Borchard, "Water - Who Uses How Much?," Auto Laundry News, March 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.carwashmag.com/issues/mar-2011/environment.cfm. [Accessed 6 November 2015]. [5] U.S.EPA, "EPA Guidelines for Water Reuse," U.S.EPA, Washington D.C., 2012. [6] J. Crook, "St. Petersburg, Florida, Dual Water System: A Case Study. Water Conservation, Reuse, and Recycling: Proceedings of an Iranian-American Workshop," The National Academic Press, Washington D.C., 2005. [7] P. Landschoot, "Irrigation Water Quality Guidelines for Turfgrass Sites," Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cooperative Extension, Penn State University, 2007. [8] G. W. I. (GWI), "Municipal Water Reuse Markets 2010," Media Analytics Ltd, Oxford, UK, 2009. [9] J. H. Miller, W. P. Ela, K. E. Lansey, P. L. Chipello and R. G. Arnold, "Nitrogen Transformations During Soil - Aquifer Treatment of Wastewater Effluent - Oxygen Effects in Field Studies," ASCE Journal of Environmental Engineering, p. 132, 2006. [10] A. M. Harivandi, "Evaluating Recycled Waters for Golf Course Irrigation," U.S. Golf Association Green Section Record, vol. 6, no. 42, pp. 25-29, 2004. [11] A. D. Gupta, "Artificial Recharge of Groundwater," 2013. [Online]. Available: from http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/publications/techpublications/techpub-8e/artificial.asp. [Accessed 21 October 2015]. [12] RSMeans, Building Construction Cost Data, Norwell, MA: Reed Construction Data, 2012. [13] "Construction Cost Estimates for Car Wash in Pocatello, Idaho," RSMeans, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://learn.rsmeans.com/rsmeans/models/car-wash/idaho/pocatello/. [Accessed 4 November 2015]. [14] J. Moore, "How Much Money is Needed for a Car Wash Business?," Chron, [Online]. Available: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/much-money-needed-car-wash-business-21610.html. [Accessed 4 November 2015]. [15] "Gantt Chart," INVESTOPEDIA, [Online]. Available: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gantt-chart.asp. [Accessed 21 October 2015]. [16] F. J. Reh, "New Manager's Guide to Performance Metrics," About.com Money, [Online]. Available: http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/g/metrics.htm. [Accessed 21 October 2015]. [17] "Problem Statement," Wikipedia, 13 October 2015. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_statement. [Accessed 21 October 2015]. [18] E. A. Locke and G. P. Latham, "Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation," American Psychologist, vol. 9, no. 57, pp. 705-719, 2002. [19] "Objective," Dictionary.com, [Online]. Available: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/objective. [Accessed 22 October 2015]. [20] B. Egeland, "Project Management Tips: Guidance for Real Life Situations - Defining Project Constraints," Seavus, 30 June 2011. [Online]. Available: http://pmtips.net/Blog/defining-project-constraints. [Accessed 22 October 2015].

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