Improving the ecosystems in the Detroit River

Lou Romano Water Reclamation Plant Upgrade and Expansion

To protect the natural ecosystem of the Great Lakes, and in particular, the Detroit River, the Lou Romano Water Reclamation Plant required major upgrades. Our team of environmental and engineering staff completed this complex, $110 million project to increase primary treatment capacity and add secondary treatment, making this plant the largest biological aerated filter (BAF) wastewater treatment facility in North America at the time of commissioning.

Built over six contracts to meet financing goals and minimize disruption to existing operations, the facility nearly doubled in capacity going from 164 MLD to 273 MLD and includes a secondary biological treatment with a capacity of 218 MLD. Using a state of the art system, there are now 16 BAF cells that form the backbone of the secondary treatment process. The BAF cells treat and contain the sludge, then send the cleansed water through a channel to be treated by ultraviolet light, removing the need for chlorine treatment, before being released into the Detroit River.