Press Releases

Kleinfelder Partners with Clients to Reduce Environmental Impacts

BOSTON, Massachusetts – With our relentless passion to create meaningful change and our strong technical expertise, Kleinfelder drives innovation that reduces adverse environmental impacts. By partnering with clients, public and private organizations, and regulators, we develop cost-effective design solutions that conserve resources, reduce waste and carbon footprints, and address climate change while delivering added value to our clients.

Grant Funding Used to Pilot Energy Efficiency Project at Wastewater Treatment Plant

Kleinfelder has partnered with the Town of Plymouth for the past three years, providing engineering design to support maintenance, operation and optimization of their wastewater infrastructure.  As a client that is committed to protecting the environment, Kleinfelder recommended the Town participate in Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s (MassCEC) Wastewater Treatment Pilot Program which incentivizes piloting adoption of technology that has the potential to increase the energy efficiency of the wastewater treatment process at publicly owned Massachusetts wastewater treatment districts and authorities.

Led by Kleinfelder engineers Kate Roosa and Dingfang Liu, a proposal was prepared detailing plans to implement innovative sensor technology at the Town of Plymouth’s wastewater treatment plant. The proposal was submitted through MassCEC’s grant application process and resulted in the Town being awarded a $135,750 grant for a pilot project to improve their wastewater treatment operations.

Implementation of Innovative Energy-Saving Technology

Already three months into the pilot program, Kleinfelder has assisted the Town of Plymouth with selecting and purchasing nutrient monitoring sensors that will allow the Sequencing Batch Reactor process blowers to operate more precisely utilizing ammonia-based aeration control.  By improving nutrient monitoring and aeration delivery, Kleinfelder hopes to significantly reduce the amount of energy required for treating wastewater and improve nitrogen removal, resulting in improved water quality in the Plymouth Harbor.

With MassCEC’s grant administered on a milestone basis, Kleinfelder is now preparing for the next step of the pilot program which will involve installation and testing. Kleinfelder anticipates the project to close in summer 2020, with the final deliverable being a report for MassCEC detailing the enhancement process and efficiencies gained.  The report will be made available to operators of wastewater treatment plants so others can learn from the pilot project.

Environmental Stewardship Leads to Return on Investment

By partnering with Kleinfelder to participate in MassCEC’s Wastewater Treatment Pilot Program, the Town of Plymouth is at the forefront of utilizing cutting-edge technology to optimize wastewater treatment operations while minimizing environmental impacts through energy conservation and nutrient reduction.  With energy usage being one of the Town’s highest ongoing operational costs at the wastewater treatment facility, the initiative to pilot sustainable technology and design principles will translate to more cost-effective operations, yielding a strong return on their investment.
Town of Plymouth, Sewer Division
The Town of Plymouth’s Sewer Division protects the environment by minimizing health/pollution risks while meeting the US EPA and MA DEP’s stringent criteria. The Division optimizes process control and long-term infrastructure integrity through a strategically planned and coordinated inspection, analysis, preventive maintenance and scheduled replacement program, with emphasis on serving the needs of the sewer utility rate payer with minimal financial impact.

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center
MassCEC is a quasi-public economic development agency dedicated to accelerating the growth of the clean energy sector across the Commonwealth to spur job creation, deliver statewide environmental benefits and to secure long-term economic growth for the people of Massachusetts. MassCEC works to increase the adoption of clean energy while driving down costs and delivering financial, environmental, and economic development benefits to energy users and utility customers across the state.

Kleinfelder. Bright People. Right Solutions. Founded in 1961, Kleinfelder is a leading engineering, design, construction management, construction materials inspection and testing, and environmental professional services firm.  Kleinfelder now employs more than 2,200 professionals and operates from over 75 office locations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.  The company is headquartered in San Diego, California.  Poised for growth, Kleinfelder continues to provide high-quality solutions for our diverse client base.  Visit Kleinfelder.com or follow us on LinkedIn/Kleinfelder.