Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Every semester University of Wisconsin-Platteville engineering students preparing for graduation participate in a senior design class where they are placed in groups and assigned projects to complete by the end of the semester. Usually the projects include road design, building planning, or other such engineering proposals. But this year senior design students, Dave Haen, Sean Hayes, Wendy Hineman, Amber Smith, and Jeremiah Wendt, were assigned to work for the first time in UWP history, on a national landmark.

The students worked at Frank Lloyd Wright's 600-acre estate in Spring Green which houses the Taliesin Fellowship, established in 1932 as a school for contemporary architects. Since becoming a national landmark in 1976, the Taliesin Preservation Project has been underway, led by Tom Green, estate manager. The student team completed a septic system analysis for Midway Barn, Hillside School, Tan-Y-Deri, and two small cottages on the site and provided recommendations for new and upgraded systems.

"We also worked to maintain aesthetics, by situating the tanks so no one can tell they're on the property, while keeping the integrity of the property," said Smith. These guidelines comply with Wright's philosophy and principles of organic architecture that encompass three main points: nature of the site, needs of the client, and nature of materials.

The team looked at three systems and advanced technology for the project including an EZ Flow System, the conventional gravel system, and the recommended Infiltrator System. The entire system including installation, piping, and the drain fields will cost approximately $30,000 to $35,000. Said Hayes, "We're actually going to end up with three systems for the five buildings which includes four new tanks and three new drain fields." The team's design uses the flow of gravity to help facilitate where the wastewater will be directed. "Gravity flow allows for simple maintenance. But it's important to establish the estimated flow out of buildings, number of guests at any given time, etc. to ensure that there are no back-ups," said Smith.

Added Hineman, "Using this method there was only one place where designing a pump was required." The students attended a trade show in Dubuque about wastewater treatment systems. "We were shown demos of how different systems work and received a lot of information about septic systems," said Haen. This opportunity helped them learn more about septic systems since they learn primarily about municipal wastewater treatment in class.

Particularly helpful from an academic standpoint was Max Anderson, the department chair for civil and environmental engineering. "He has been a tremendous help to our project. We call him the septic system guru," said Wendt. Overall the students feel that they learned the most from the strict codes they need to comply with.

Smith commented, "Our project is unique in that every member of our team was involved with every aspect of the project." Added Wendt, "It was an honor to work at a national historic landmark with so much history and prestige."

Haen, Hayes, and Wendt are environmental engineering majors from Green Bay, Racine, and Merrill respectively. Hineman and Smith are double majors in environmental and civil engineering from Limeridge and Waukesha respectively. After graduation Hineman and Smith will work as wastewater engineers at Donahue & Associates of Sheboygan.