Greenfield Projects: What to Know Before Building a New Water Treatment Plant

By definition, greenfield water treatment plants are entirely new facilities that are purpose-built from the ground up. Whether it is a relatively simple small-scale system or a high-capacity facility with a complex array of sub-systems, greenfield water treatment projects present unique opportunities—and challenges.

Benefits

Projects that aim to expand or update an existing water treatment facility—sometimes called brownfield projects—are limited by factors like constraints on space, incompatibility of new technologies with existing infrastructure, or site contamination. But because greenfield water treatment plants are entirely new facilities, they offer more freedom from a design perspective. By effectively starting with a blank slate, greenfield water treatment plants are often able to not only achieve the target water quality parameters of the project, but they are also able to deliver other benefits, like energy efficiency, resource recovery opportunities, or minimal waste generation.

Challenges

For all their benefits, greenfield water treatment plants have some challenges, including:

• Time-consuming and complex permitting processes. New water treatment plants are subject to complex layers of regulatory requirements, and developers will need to expend considerable time and effort to understand applicable environmental protection laws and work with the appropriate authorities to obtain permits to construct and operate the new facility.
• Lack of supporting infrastructure. Greenfield projects are located on previously undeveloped sites, so they may require building new roads or utility connections, which can significantly affect the timeline and overall cost of the project.
• Water availability. Project sites in water-stressed regions or those that are located far from a suitable water supply may require significant investment into pipelines or infrastructure, which can drive up the cost of a project.
• Public opposition. Greenfield projects can sometimes encounter resistance from local communities due to concerns over potential environmental impacts, public health risks, and nuisance odor or noise. Engaging with community members throughout the planning process can help to prevent delays or other issues later in the process.

All these challenges can add time and cost to a greenfield project, so it is crucial to take them into account when planning.

Steps in a greenfield water treatment project

Like any major construction project, building a greenfield water treatment plant is a complex process that may take many months or even years to complete. Below, we’ve offered a basic overview of typical steps involved in building a greenfield water treatment facility.

Planning

The earliest phases of a greenfield project entail consideration of the current state versus the desired future state. During the early planning phases, owners need to assess their water treatment needs in terms of volume and the target water quality parameters needed for the intended application. Planning should also include a site selection process, during which the project team will evaluate potential locations to ensure that the facility has adequate space and access to needed resources. This can include assessing the topography of the area, and verifying whether there are any environmental restrictions governing the use or development of the land. Planners also need to carefully consider where the plant will source its water, and where it will discharge liquid wastes. Potential water sources can include groundwater, bodies of surface water (e.g. lakes, rivers, or reservoirs), or even reclaimed water or wastewater.

Design

Following some preliminary planning, an owner will typically begin working with an EPC firm or an engineering consultant of some kind. During the design process, the project team will consider the characteristics of the stream(s) to be treated, target water quality parameters, applicable regulations, and other factors.  This process often entails rigorous testing and experimentation to collect data and determine what treatment processes are best suited for the facility. The products of the design process can include a number documents, such as a process design, structural design, hydraulic design, detailed engineering drawings, and/or project specifications.

Construction

Once a solution design is approved, construction can finally begin. This phase begins with site preparation to clear and grade the land, followed by construction of any buildings. In most cases, the actual water treatment equipment will be sourced through a procurement process and fabricated off-site. It is then shipped to the project site, where it is installed along with any pipes, tanks, and peripherals. The site may be inspected multiple times throughout the construction process to ensure that all structures are built in accordance with the design specifications, and the facility is compliant with environmental regulations and permitting requirements.

Testing

Before the new water treatment facility can be brought online, it will first undergo comprehensive testing. Early rounds of testing may be called “pre-commissioning,” which can refer to testing of individual system components, as well as cleaning and flushing to remove any residues left from manufacturing and construction. In some cases, this may overlap with earlier phases, and can include factory acceptance testing (FAT) that is done by the manufacturer prior to shipping, as well as site acceptance testing (SAT) that is conducted upon delivery.

Commissioning

Once construction is complete, the project will move into a commissioning phase that entails integrating controls, calibrating systems, and conducting pre-functional testing (PFT). PFT differs from earlier testing activities by assessing performance and functionality of the system as a whole, rather than just its individual components. Such testing is often performed with innocuous substances like air or water to check for issues prior to introducing any process chemicals. Once all issues are remediated, the project then moves into a start-up phase. At this point, the project team and/or contractor will develop standard operating procedures (SOPs), train operators, and execute final testing, before finally bringing the system online.

Operations

Following successful completion of testing and commissioning phases, the new water treatment plant will enter into operation, an ongoing phase that entails routine maintenance and monitoring of equipment in line with SOP and regulatory compliance requirements.

Optimizing a new water treatment plant

Greenfield water treatment plants are major projects, entailing considerable costs to build the facility and to keep it running. Being aware of a few best practices can help to keep costs down and ensure the best possible return on investment.

Minimizing CAPEX

To help keep capital expenses as low as possible, owners should look for ways to make the facility design more efficient. One key way to keep costs under control is to ensure that the facility is sized appropriately—in short, don’t pay for capacity you don’t need. In some cases, intermittent or seasonal fluctuations in volume can be met by modular or temporary systems, which afford flexibility and scalability while keeping costs under control. Similarly, greenfield water treatment projects can sometimes save on construction costs by adopting space-saving technologies to keep the facility as compact as possible. Clever design strategies can also help to keep capital and operational expenses down, such as by arranging equipment to take advantage of gravity or otherwise minimize the need for pumps and additional piping.

Finally, when planning a new facility, it is important to investigate available funding options. In some cases, public-private partnerships and/or government grant and loan programs may be available to help make investment in water treatment infrastructure more attainable, especially for greenfield projects that serve small and underserved communities.

Minimizing OPEX

Water treatment plants take a lot of water and energy to run, so it is wise to build efficiency into the plant design wherever possible. Increasingly, new water treatment facilities are incorporating water reuse strategies, such as using treated effluent for non-potable applications. By doing so, facilities can reduce the amount of freshwater they draw in, while also reducing the amount of waste effluent they produce. This not only helps cut associated costs, but it can also help a facility stay well below permitted withdrawal or discharge limits.

Similarly, water treatment plants can offset operations costs by implementing resource recovery strategies that reduce the overall amount of solid and liquid waste generated by the facility. Examples include recovery of metals or other materials from industrial wastewater streams, as well as recovery of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus at sewage treatment facilities. In some cases, recovered materials can even be sold, which can create an additional revenue stream to offset operational costs.

Finally, facilities should take advantage of available automation technologies. Most modern water treatment facilities will incorporate controls and automation, SCADA, remote monitoring and control systems, and optimization technologies. These tools not only reduce the workload for live operators, but they also help to prevent accidents and downtime, and ensure ongoing compliance with regulatory standards, thereby helping facilities avoid unexpected penalties or other costs.

How can SAMCO help?

SAMCO has over 40 years of experience designing, engineering, and building process separation and wastewater treatment systems. We offer a comprehensive range of services spanning engineering, design, lab and pilot studies, fabrication, installation, or ongoing support to suit a variety of applications and projects.

Whether you’re looking to build a new water treatment plant from the ground up, maintain existing equipment, or meet a temporary challenge, SAMCO can help. Contact us today to discuss your project with our expert team, or visit our website to set up a call with an engineer or request a quote. You can also check out our blog to learn more about process purification and separation systems, wastewater treatment systems, industrial water conservation strategies, and more.