Tripling treatment capacity and capitalizing on space to provide safe drinking water from the Tennessee River

Citico Water Treatment Plant - Replacement of Sedimentation Basin 1

The Tennessee American Water Company (TAW) pledges to provide safe water for the community relying on Citico Water Treatment Plant (WTP)—in alignment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) partnership goals. When the WTP’s two 100-year-old sediment basins began to show signs of deterioration, TAW engaged our help to improve its infrastructure.

The WTP didn’t have room for a new basin, and space was even tighter for upgrading the capacity while keeping the WTP fully functional. We focused on finding a solution to replace Basin 1 and retire Basin 2 within these site constraints while meeting water quality needs. To construct a new Basin 1 within the existing footprint of the old basin, we coordinated closely with TAW staff and their contractor. Design and construction included careful sequencing to maintain treatment capacity and protect existing facilities. We demolished and backfilled Basin 2, giving TAW space for future facilities.

As a result, the plant’s treatment capacity tripled to 18 million gallons (68.1 million litres) per day, all within the existing footprint. Completed two months ahead of schedule, the WTP exceeds design water quality performance and provides TAW with operational flexibility for decades to come.