Frankfort Water Treatment Plant Expansion

The City of Frankfort, IN worked with Wessler in 2008 to design a new wellfield and water treatment plant. The plant included aeration, detention, pressure filtration, and disinfection via chlorine gas. Wessler designed the plant to be expandable by leaving connections and hydraulic capacity for additional treatment equipment in an effort to make the plant future-proof. In the years following the project, Frankfort experienced more rapid growth than was expected, particularly in industrial water demands. In 2018, they partnered with Wessler again to expand the plant.

The expansion project went smoothly as a result of the planning that had been done in the original plant. A new detention tank, two new aerators, two new high service pumps, and two new filters were all installed in spaced dedicated for them previously. The project also included the construction of two new wells in the wellfield (which sits above two aquifers – one shallow, and one deep). Frankfort’s expansion would have meant investment in a chlorine gas scrubber and, before sparing the expense of a scrubber, asked Wessler to re-evaluate disinfection options. After a review of the alternatives and a lifecycle cost analysis, it was determined that on-site hypochlorite generation was the best alternative for Frankfort. Wessler connected the City with another community that operated an OSG facility so they had a chance to speak with operators and pros/cons firsthand before making their decision.

The new facility was constructed with OSG for disinfection and went live in 2022. Wessler helped Frankfort achieve funding for this project through the IFA’s SRF loan program by preparing a preliminary engineering report and asset management plan. Due to Frankfort’s efforts to move this project forward efficiently, they moved quickly from the study phase through construction and were able to secure funding before the inflation of the Covid-19 crisis came into effect. The project was completed with remaining contingency funds which Frankfort was able to use for additional improvements and equipment.