Leslie Postek, Gwin, Dobson & Foreman Environmental Engineer, is now certified as a CEP-IT by the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals. ABCEP is the lead organization for credentialing environmental professionals. Leslie, a graduate of Gannon University, assists the GD&F environmental team with water and wastewater treatment design projects. She also works with water and wastewater utilities to maintain compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act regulations. Leslie serves on the Blair Chamber’s Sustainability Committee.
After ten years of study, planning, design and construction, Morgantown’s Cobun Creek No. 2 dam and reservoir is complete. Gwin, Dobson & Foreman recognizes the dedicated perseverance and outstanding efforts of Leo Drass P.E., Project Engineer; Graham Smith, Resident Engineer; and Bob Lechner, Construction Services Coordinator. Commissioned by the Morgantown Utility Board, the new 375 million gallon reservoir with a 75-foot high earth embankment dam addresses the contaminant vulnerabilities of the Monongahela River, its previous sole water supply. Now known as Flegal Reservoir, the dam will provide for a safe yield of 3.5 million gallons per day (MGD), a 33-day supply at current demand (11.4 MGD), and a 15-day supply at the 24 MGD maximum demand condition.
A major $11 million water system improvement for the Alexandria Borough Water Authority includes major improvements at the Robinson Run Intake Reservoir, water treatment system upgrades, transmission main and distribution system replacement, new water storage tank and system-wide meter replacement/automatic meter reading system. The reservoir will be upgraded with a new intake structure, bentonite slurry wall seepage barrier, new spillway and stream intake. The project is scheduled for completion this fall. The Gwin, Dobson & Foreman Project Engineer is Matt Orner and John Walter is the GD&F Resident Project Representative.
Dam safety improvements at Bellwood Dam are entering the second year of construction with work at the labyrinth weir spillway, flip-bucket terminal structure, new intake tower and seepage collection system. Allison Park Construction is the contractor for the $25 million project. Leo Drass, P.E. is the Gwin, Dobson & Foreman Project Engineer and Scott Johnson is the Resident Project Resident Representative. Bellwood reservoir is one of 12 major reservoirs operated by the Altoona Water Authority.
Related water treatment upgrades at the nearby Bellwood Water Treatment Plant are at the 50% completion stage. The $11 million project includes a new ozone pretreatment system, new chemical feed equipment and membrane microfiltration technology. The GD&F Project Engineer is Jim Potopa, P.E.
Published by the Pennsylvania Municipal Authorities Association, the February 2023 edition of “The Authority” featured an article about the Nixon-Kocher Advanced Water Treatment Plant. This $25 million facility was commissioned on February 21, by the State College Borough Water Authority.
The plant, which serves one of the largest customer zones in the State College area, treats raw water from the Nixon-Kocher well fields near Pine Grove Mills, PA. The karst-derived aquifer is vulnerable to bacteriological impacts, emerging contaminants and agricultural-related pesticides/herbicides.
Gwin, Dobson & Foreman, the Water Authority’s long-time engineer, utilized a multiple-barrier design approach. Advanced treatment processes were employed including membrane filtration for sub-micron particle removal, granulated activated carbon for organic contaminants and ultraviolet disinfection as an additional pathogen barrier and future advanced oxidation process. The facility was designed with a 3.3 MGD capacity with future expansion to 5.0 MGD.
Gwin, Dobson & Foreman Engineers was the recipient of the 2023 Diamond Award for Engineering Excellence presented by American Council of Engineering Companies of Pennsylvania. GD&F’s design of the new 8 million-gallon-per-day, advanced water treatment facility for the Town of Moorefield, WV, was selected under the Water Resources category.
Moorefield supplies water for a service area of 6,500 people in addition to supplying water to a large poultry processing facility. Its existing treatment plant threatened the town’s ability to meet more stringent regulations for pathogen removal, emerging contaminants and disinfection by-products. After extensive pilot studies, GD&F designed one of the most advanced water treatment facilities in WV. The design incorporates a unique, multiple barrier process approach through enhanced coagulation, pressure membrane filtration, and ultraviolet disinfection processes, and features passive river intake screening.
The $26 million project ensures a safe and reliable treated water supply facility for the Moorefield service area customers.
