CASE STUDY:
PC-748 BABY CREEK CSO CONTROL FACILITY

Owner: City of Detroit Water & Sewerage Department
Engineer: Tetra-Tech
Prime Contractor: Walbridge
Project Manager: Robert Marsh
Project Foreman: Doug DeBastos
Completed: Summer of 2007

The Baby Creek CSO Control Facility was built to handle storm water. The building is designed to screen the incoming sewer overflow, chemically treat the storm water, and release the overflow to the Detroit River with treatment rather than in a raw form as was previously done.

The first step in this process included the construction of a new Class 1, Division 1 explosion-proof screening building housing sixteen screens, thirty-two chemical injection pumps and a series of gates all activated by the new Ovation control system.

The chemicals are stored in a secondary building containing two sodium hypochlorite tanks and chemical feed pumps. Because of the highly corrosive nature of this chemical building, PVC-coated galvanized rigid conduit was utilized to provide a long-lasting installation.

The new control system is housed within the new service building, which also houses odor-control equipment, HVAC equipment, electrical equipment, and main control panels.

Once treated, the next step in the process is to release the overflow through a 72-inch, 5,400-feet-long reinforced concrete sewer toward the Detroit River. Before its actual release into the river, it passes through an effluent-sampling building where samples are drawn to verify the overflow has been treated to meet the requirements of Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Accusonic’s electronic multi-path flow meters were installed to provide velocity and flow level data within the sewer system, both before and after treatment. Reports are generated by the control system for the various regulatory authorities.

The project also improved the existing Woodmere Pump Station located on the same site. Two new primary switches and transformers were installed to replace outdated equipment and increase the electrical service size for future needs. This upgrade was accomplished while maintaining constant service to the facility so the owner’s operations were never interrupted.