By accessing the nearby Vine Brook Aquifer, the Town of Burlington was able to construct a new water treatment facility that provides additional water capacity of approximately 0.95 million gallons per day, while creating a new recreational facility for the community.

Challenge:  The Town needed to identify an affordable water source to solve its chronic water shortage. The Vine Brook Aquifer provided a high yielding source of water, but traditional methods of using temporary or permanent fill to reach the proposed well site would result in destruction of wetland resources. The Town also experienced water quality problems with the aquifer groundwater supply.

Solution: Kleinfelder designed an environmentally sensitive bridge over the wetlands, with a light foundation system that enabled construction in less than two months. Kleinfelder also designed a 4.5 MGD greensand filtration and air stripping facility to treat the Vine Brook groundwater to the Environmental Protection Agency’s primary and secondary drinking water standards.

Project Results: Kleinfelder’s solution provided water for the Town while preserving the pristine beauty of the wetlands and creating a landmark recreational facility for bird watching and wildlife observation. The innovative concept, bridge design, and construction technique enabled the Town to access potentially its last remaining high capacity groundwater source.