Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - MSA Professional Services, Inc., out of Dubuque, Iowa, has called upon a senior design team at UW-Platteville for assistance in designing a wastewater treatment plant for Farley, Iowa.

The current wastewater treatment facility in Farley is 30 years old. Over the years, the codes regarding wastewater treatment in Iowa have changed and the plant located in Farley no longer complies with the current regulations. The project assigned to the design team is to assist MSA with the design and redevelopment of a wastewater treatment plant that is up-to-date and will remain cost-effective for the small town of Farley.

The senior design team consists of three fifth-year seniors who will each be graduating this May. The team includes Brian Niemann, originally from Milton with a major in environmental and civil engineering; Nick Dums, from Dickeyville, with a major in civil engineering and an emphasis in environmental and transportation engineering; and Eric Keleher, from Marshfield, with a major in civil engineering and an emphasis in environmental engineering.

So far the team has visited the site of the wastewater treatment plant in Farley, interviewed the current operator of the plant and met with Steve Thompson of the MSA office in Dubuque to discuss project plans and correlate information. The team has also analyzed the current situation of the plant, researched the current codes and regulations and selected the proper equipment for the upgrade of the plant.

The next step for the team involves completing the final design with the help of MSA guiding the group and presenting the final report.

Throughout the project, the team members have encountered several challenges. The first challenge involved keeping the current plant running while redesigning each area piece by piece. Since there is no room in the current location to build a new plant, each section of the old plant must be redeveloped while keeping the plant as a whole running and efficient. Another problem that the plant is currently facing is the poor condition of the sewer lines. Every time there is rainfall, rainwater seeps into the sewer pipes and increases the water flow throughout the plant, slowly down the treatment process. As the team faces each of these challenges, it must also remember that the solutions reached must remain cost-effective and within the budget for the town of Farley.

While working on this project, the team members have learned numerous aspects regarding wastewater treatment plants. One aspect is the length of time that is needed to complete the process. One semester is not enough time to design and acquire the adequate information and background to complete the redesign of a wastewater treatment facility. The team has learned that redesigning the plant is a trial and error process to determine optimum results. By fitting different pieces together, the team is able to measure which solutions work best.

Classes offered at UWP have prepared the team with fundamental information for the project. These classes have introduced basic theories behind wastewater treatment plants and their applications. Although their classes have provided them with adequate background knowledge and theories, the team members agree that no skills attained in the classroom can compare to the real life, hands-on experiences involved with a senior design project. The team has also been aided throughout the project by UWP professors, Lisa Riedle and Max Anderson.

The team members are currently making future employment plans to follow graduation. Keleher has accepted a position with MSA Professional Services, Inc., out of the Baraboo office. Niemann and Dums are currently interviewing and weighing their job options.