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Issue link: http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/816402
acting as a buffer between AlexRenew's treatment tanks to the south and the 1.2 million square feet of planned residential and commercial development to the north. Their integration also provides field access and a seamless connection to planned biking and pedestrian paths. Additionally, the NMF and Environmental Center both use AlexRenew's reclaimed water for nonpotable purposes. During design and construction, AlexRenew worked with the public, stakeholders, and its public-private partners. The utility created a website for public comment that included community updates, blog posts, and a webcam to show current construction progress. As part of an ongoing commitment to be a good neighbor, AlexRenew's NMF operates with an advanced odor control system. Due to various site constraints, less than half of the 10-acre South Carlyle site was available for development. Because of its history as an unregulated dump, the site was enrolled in Virginia's Voluntary Remediation Program, which encourages environmental cleanups that may not otherwise take place. Resource protection areas, which covered about half of the site, were not only maintained but repaired and improved as part of SANUP. During construction, sustainability was a key focus of the NMF. For instance, AlexRenew: • Removed 85,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and restored a brownfield site; • Planted more than 1,000 native trees and shrubs and expanded an adjacent streamside buffer by 69,000 square feet; • Installed sustainable stormwater practices; • Recycled 85 percent of demolition and construction waste; • Used 21 percent recycled material and at least 90 percent regional material; • Installed energy and water monitoring systems; and • Built connections to future trails and green space. To optimize space, provide public field access, and address contaminated soils, the team built vertically when possible and used pile foundations to support all structures. More than 2,200 precast concrete piles were driven on the project. The NMF is partially below grade, and all process piping, pumps, and chemical analysis equipment as well as allocations for future wet weather solutions, electrical systems, and instrumentation had to be internal to the structure or buried. AlexRenew has a long history of innovation, driven by regulation, the need to process wastewater efficiently on its urban campus, and a customer-focused vision. The utility evaluates and leverages its unique circumstances so it can meet today's challenges while ensuring a healthy future for its community. SANUP is just one example of how utilities can go beyond meeting regulations to implementing projects that transform communities. n 24 wateronline.com n Water Innovations ADVANCEDTREATMENT Kristina Twigg is a communications specialist at Alexandria Renew Enterprises with a background in journalism and water resources. About The Authors Four activated carbon treatment vessels (left), each with a capacity of 15,000 cubic feet per minute, treat odorous air in the NMF tank headspaces and exhaust clean air away from the field. The NMF operating gallery (right) houses process pumps, pipes, valves, and instrumentation to reduce the need for routine access into the tanks. Rich Voigt, PE, ENV SP, is a principal project manager with CH2M.