Sterling Creek Water Reclamation
Richmond Hill, GA

As the Engineer of Record, Hussey Gay Bell was engaged by the City of Richmond Hill for the new plant to replace the existing plant built in the 1990s. Completed in 2016, the Sterling Creek project generally consisted of the planning, design and construction of a new 4.0 MGD five-stage biological nutrient removal and membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant. The new plant, an Ovivo Kubota flat plate MBR system and the first of its kind in coastal Georgia, is able to treat up to 3.0 MGD – double its previous capacity of 1.5 MGD. By installing additional membrane cassette equipment, the plant can readily expand to 4.0 MGD. The plant utilizes several steps in treating sewage including biological treatment and solids separation via the membrane bioreactors. The use of complex membrane technology allowed for high-quality effluent to meet or exceed permitting requirements and provides the Yellow Zone community with a renewable reuse of reclaimed water. In 2017, the project was named an ACEC-GA State Award-Winning project.