'Low-impact' US wastewater plant wins design award

One of the US' largest wastewater treatment facilities has won a design award, recognising the low impact the facility has had on its local area.

The Johns Creek Environmental Campus in Fulton County, Georgia has won the Design-Build Institute of America's National Design-Build Award for a wastewater project costing more than $25 million (£15.9 million).

It represents the largest membrane bioreactor plant in the US and has been designed by Brown and Caldwell (BC) engineers to be as unobtrusive as possible, producing a minimal amount of noise and odours.

The site has been constructed with red brick to blend in with the surrounding environment and also incorporates a park, nature trail system and an educational facility.

Paul Williams of Fulton County said: "The creative way the BC team addressed our environmental, community and financial restrictions helped to make this far more than a wastewater facility. It's a community asset."

Earlier this month, London's Thames river was awarded the International Theiss River Prize thanks to the success of wastewater treatment initiatives in the area.

Posted by Joseph Hutton