The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York has selected a Buffalo-area Erdman Anthony project for a 2021 Engineering Excellence Award in the category of wastewater and stormwater. 

Creative thinking and years of engineering expertise underpinned the solutions devised for the East Aurora Water Resource Recovery Facility, which needed its influent bar screens – or mechanical filters capable of removing large objects from wastewater – replaced.

For starters, the small plant and the even smaller influent bar screen building belied the immense complexity of replacing and upgrading the facility.

After verifying the record-plan data following a deep dive into hard-to-decipher existing records, Erdman Anthony conducted several site investigations and surveys to assess the site’s conditions.

Solutions devised for the facility ultimately included replacing the influent bar screens, replacing the existing bar screen building with a prefabricated structure, adding a new 480V, three-phase power source, and making various exterior improvements.

Completion of the project has helped to maintain water quality in Erie County and significantly reduced operational and maintenance efforts at the plant.

When sharing news of the award, ACEC New York commended Erdman Anthony for embodying the quality and engineering expertise represented by the entire association.

Read more here about the East Aurora Water Resource Recovery Facility influent bar screen replacement project.