Moab City Water Reclamation Facility

Client: City of Moab


BC&A provided engineering services for facility planning, preliminary engineering, and environmental assessment and permits, detailed design and bidding, and construction management services for the new Moab Water Reclamation Facility (WRF). This new facility replaced the existing wastewater treatment plant that was built in the 1950’s with an improved water reclamation facility. The intent of the new Moab WRF is to provide future wastewater treatment demand due to population growth, meet water quality discharge limits to the Colorado River, and protect the facility from a 100-year flood event. The project was constructed in fall of 2018.

The Moab WRF uses a 1.75 MGD peak monthly flowrate sequencing batch reactor (SBR) activated sludge process to achieve high effluent quality for discharge to the Colorado River. BNR capability is also provided, and supplemented with chemical addition if needed. A new influent pumping station, septage receiving facility, headworks with flow measurement, screening and grit removal, intermediate and final pumping stations, two SBR reactor basins, blower facilities, UV disinfection, flow equalization and sludge holding basins, screw press solids dewatering and utility water pumping station are all included. The SBR basins are provided with removable submerged fine bubble diffusers, floating mixers, submersible return sludge pumps and decanter equipment. Filters can be added in the future to meet reuse quality standards if required. The capacity may be increased to 2.6 MGD peak monthly flowrate in the as flows increase by adding a third SBR basin with its equipment and additional blowers.

The Moab WRF is in an environmental sensitive area that is surrounded by a wildlife preserve, wetlands, and habitat for the yellow-billed cuckoo, a federally listed threatened and endangered species. The project included an environmental assessment, environmental permits and mitigation and protection measures for the yellow-billed cuckoo.

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Quick Project Facts:


  • Constructed in 2018
  • Bowen Collins & Associates was involved in pre-design, final design, environmental and construction management
  • Construction cost was $13,086,000
  • NEPA, environmental permitting and yellow-billed cuckoo protection and mitigation