Clark Celebrates Dedication of Howard County’s Little Patuxent Reclamation Plant

April 16, 2021

Clark Celebrates Dedication of Howard County’s Little Patuxent Reclamation Plant

On April 12, Howard County marked the official opening of the Little Patuxent Reclamation Plant, Addition No. 8 with a dedication ceremony.

Clark Construction provided construction manager-at-risk services for Phases I and II of the Biosolids Processing Facility Improvements project, a massive four-year upgrade and renovation effort that builds upon Clark’s successful work in the water and wastewater market. HDR served as the engineer on the project.

The Little Patuxent plant serves 56% of Howard County residents and is capable of processing up to 29 million gallons of wastewater per day. The Addition No. 8 project allows for direct heat drying of anaerobically digested biosolids produced as part of the wastewater treatment process, adds enhanced odor control facilities, and includes other process, control, and electrical enhancements.

Upgrades from Phase I and Phase II will significantly reduce the amount of biosolids produced daily, greatly reduce the need for hauling and disposal, and enable the Class A material produced to be used by local farmers and the community.

To ensure that the plant remained fully functional during these operations, the Clark Team developed a plan detailing required temporary treatment operations and project sequencing required to maintain wastewater flow throughout the plant during construction.

Work at the facility presented unique challenges for the team and served as a major source of growth for Clark’s self-perform trades. Ben Miller, project executive for Clark Water, reflects, “Our management and field leadership worked closely with manufacturers to plan ahead and problem-solve in the field while using their experience to ensure a smooth installation and transition to operations.”

The foremen referenced a 3D model of the system on their iPads throughout the process, which was critical to planning and executing the assembly. The team also managed supply chain disruptions related to COVID-19 with many global vendors, including some in Germany and Mexico, identifying local suppliers where necessary and redesigning missing equipment components in the field.

Through collaboration with the Howard County Department of Public Utilities, HDR Engineering and Clark were able to solve many challenges while keeping the treatment plant in full permit compliance and operation.