WesTech Engineering, Inc. of Salt Lake City, Utah will supply four 195 ft. diameter COP™ clarifiers, and additionally, replacement and upgrade of six existing 195 ft. diameter clarifiers to the proprietary COP Clarifier design for the Miami Dade South District WWTP. Located in Miami Florida, the South District Wastewater Treatment Plant has a current capacity of 112 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated water. The expansion will increase water treated to roughly 285 MGD to meet increased demand caused by population growth.

The COP™ (Clarifer Optimization Package) Clarifier design offers capacity improvements over standard sedimentation clarifiers and this was a key consideration for Hazen and Sawyer, the engineering firm who designed the project for Miami-Dade County. Increased demand upon existing fresh water sources has resulted in the regulatory mandate that all effluent from wastewater treatment plants be upgraded to protect these sources, which include aquifers and the Everglades.

Jim Kelley of Moss Kelley Inc. of Coral Springs, Florida worked closely with the county, Hazen and Sawyer, and the manufacturer, WesTech. “In the end,” stated Kelley, “the citizens of Florida will benefit for many years to come. It is very gratifying to work with people who cooperate to assure a positive outcome. This is a very satisfying contract to have won. One which we all have been working on for several years.”

Tom DeJong of WesTech will oversee the production group responsible for design, manufacture and installation of the new clarifiers. “Over the last thirty-five years we have gained the experience needed for large projects like this, and that is invaluable. We are eagerly moving forward on this project. Inspection and commissioning trips will be enjoyable, especially if they are scheduled in January.” The project is scheduled for completion in 2013.