Forest Trails Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement
Isle of Palms, S.C.
Award of Merit

Owner Isle of Palms - Water and Sewer Commission
Lead Design Firm Thomas and Hutton
General Contractor Ruby-Collins Inc.
Civil Engineer Thomas and Hutton
Structural Engineer Thomas and Hutton
MEP Engineer Brown and Caldwell

Design and construction of a new membrane bioreactor plant on an existing site—in a residential area and sharing property boundaries with three occupied homes—required special attention to aesthetics. Fashioned to echo the typical design of a beach house, the new facility is made of cast-in-place concrete and masonry. The project consisted of constructing a new primary screen, influent pump station, membrane bioreactor system, secondary screen and odor control system. Crews had to conduct careful planning and monitoring of work activities to minimize disturbances to nearby residents. Another challenge was to maintain continued operations of the existing plant while construction of the new facility took place less than 40 ft away.