From the left, are Manny Prada, Michael Brinker and Lee DeAlmeida

The Rahway Valley Sewer Authority enlisted the assistance of CCMS to provide construction management services and overall quality assurance of the work. The CCMS team included project manager Manny Parada, project engineers John Buonocore and Sunil Chauhan and chief inspector Walter Ritchie. The firm also coordinated the effortts of the project's three design consultants, Paulus, Sokolowski & Sartor, CDM and Metcalf & Eddy.

One of-the first contractors involved with the constellation at the site was JH Reid General Contractor. Beginning in early 2004 the firm constructed a new to-generation and sludge drying facility. Leading the activities on this $21 million project were Joe Domas, project managers and TJ Fearon project engineer. This new facility enables the Authority personnel to remove methane gas from the existing digesters and blend it with natural gas to be burned in four new Caterpillar engines which will produce electricity to be used at the plant.

JH Reid's crew built the new 10,278 square foot structure to house the four engines and the sludge dryer. Heat from the engines are collected and exchanged to dry the sludge and also to provide hot water at the plant. The firm also installed piping from the facility to the digesters as well as conveyors to the new building and an existing dewatering building. As the sludge is dried the water that is removed is retreated and discharged. Delta Electrical Enterprises was the electrical subcontractor and Sylvan Piping of NJ installed interior piping on the project.

In June 2005, Northeast Remsco Construction began installation of 6,064 linear feet of gravity relief-sewer. Completion of this pipeline will eliminate any future overflow into the nearby Rahway River. The Northeast Remsco supervisory team at the site included Rich Palmer, PE, project manager, Joe Petriello project superb intendent and Giovanni Scotto, project engineer.

The gravity sewer pipe was installed using the microtunneling technique. Microtunneling is a trench less pipe installation method that combines pipe jacking with a tunnel boring machine remote control, laser guidance and pressure balancing. During the microtunnel operations the excavated material is mixed with water in the crushing chamber. The resultant slurry is then pumped through the jacked pipe to the surface where the slurry is decanted. The excavated spoils are removed from the site through ordinary means, while the clean water is returned to the tunnel heading to complete the waler circuit.

Northeast Remsco completed the pipe installation by driving nine tunnels. Ten shafts ranging from 12 feet to 35 feet deep were constructed by G.G. Construction to facilitate the microtunneling work. That same firm also installed nine sanitary manholes in each of the shafts.

The first drive was the installation of 670 linear feet of 48 inch PVC lined concrete pipe, supplied by Vianini Pipe, through shale, beneath the Rahway River. Northeast Remsco used a Herrenknect AVN 1200T microtunneling machine fitted with a rock cutting wheel to complete this drive. The remaining eight drives involved the installation of 5,394 linear feet of 42 inch polycrete pipe supplied by Amitech USA.  The drive lengths ranged from 455 linear (bet to 842 linear feet through varied geology, including clay. decomposed rock and glacial till. Northeast Remsco used a Herrenknect AVN 800 microtunneling machine fitted with a mixed face cutting wheel and an increasing kit to complete these drives.

Northeast Remsco completed most of its contract by the Summer of 2006. Some milling and paving will be completed on this $11 million project during the Fall of this year.

The largest contract at the site is the $137 million plant expansion being constructed by EE Cruz & Co. This project includes the addition of a tertiary treatment process and constriction of a new head works building which will screen solids and flotables at a single location. Previously, the screening process was performed at three different locations at the facility.

The EE Cruz team is led by Charles Montalbano project manager and Jack Tobin assistant project manager. The contractor install led piping to three primary tanks which have been modernized as well as to a new tank. New pipe was also installed to four modernized secondary clarifiers and two newly installed clarifiers. Connections were then made to six new effluent filters which will provide tertiary treatment. Water that is removed is then disinfected with ultra-violet lamps.

Also installed were four screw pumps to aerate the water and assure that the oxygen levels are correct before it is discharged through an existing outfit I into the Arthur Ki1l. EE Cruz is also installing a new return sludge pump station which will house three new I 4,500 gpm pumps. A rotary drum thickener building will be added and an aeration basin will be retrofitted as well. When sludge is pumped to the aeration basin for aeration, part of the material will be sent to the clarifiers and part is sent to the thickeners. Material will then be conveyed to the digesters denatured and sent to the co-generation plant. Final completion should be in 2008.

The Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority serves the needs of approximately 300,000 residents and 3500 industrial and commercial customers in eleven towns including Clark, Cranford, Garwood, Kenilworth, Mountainside, Raway, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Westfield and Woodbridge. Michael Brinker is the interim executive director of the Authority, and Bob Valent serves as plant chief engineer and superintendent. The Authority obtained approximately $235 million of low interest loan financing from the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust to defray the cost of the plant upgrades. The Trust has provided approximately $3 billion in low interest loans since 1987 for infrastructure needs.

This article was reproduced from:
Utility & Transportation Contractor
October 2006