Batesville Makes Waves with Innovative Water Treatment (Infrastructure | Winner, Class II)

In 2009, Batesville was faced with an environmental trial forcing the city to completely change its water system. However, the city didn’t shy from the challenge, and it wasn’t long before innovation was coming in waves.

When Batesville’s previous wastewater facility was no longer able to adequately clean and release all of the wastewater it was taking in, the city quickly developed a solution by the name of the Batesville Wastewater Treatment Facilities Improvements Project. This project served as a plan to create a full-scale rehabilitation of the current wastewater treatment facility collection system.

The project’s real feat, though, was the Moving Bed Bio-Reactor, a treatment system employing free-floating media in an aerated basin, which uses bacteria to remove toxins. This anti-pollutant system helped double the city’s wastewater capacity, and releases water back into the White River that is cleaner than the river itself. Once completed in March 2016, this revolutionary facility became Arkansas’ first, and the nation’s largest MBBR system. This massive system allows room for expansion, as it can handle up to 10.8 million gallons of water, more than double the 4.3 million gallons the facility could manage previously.

With a focus on sustainability and general environmental awareness, this facility’s benefits stretched beyond water. The sewer-and-tunnel design is estimated to save 62 percent of energy annually. Monetarily, the project fell $11 million short of its projected budget, and is expected to save $90,000 per year on energy costs. The water expansion also allowed local industries, such as poultry and manufacturing facilities, to expand and generate additional revenue for the city.

The city’s accomplishment did not go unnoticed.

After being recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Green Project under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the city was awarded $12.6 million, including $6.3 million in loan forgiveness. Former Vice President Joe Biden also recognized the project in his report, “100 Recovery Projects That Are Changing America.”

Batesville needed seven years to create and complete the updated system. When the previous plant was unable to adequately clean and release water, the city faced two major threats: a halt in economic and residential growth, and potential devastation of residents’ main water resource, the White River. These concerns were brought to the forefront when the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality issued a Consent Administrative Order requiring something be done about the city’s water crisis.

Creating a plan for the Batesville Wastewater Treatment Facilities Improvements Project was only half the battle. The city needed to create partnerships with its citizens, local organizations, consulting engineers, agencies, contractors and public officials. To kick this off, the city proposed a temporary one-cent sales tax increase to support the project, which passed with 93 percent of the votes. From there, the city devised a team and a plan. Once completed, the city surpassed its goals of sustaining 9 million gallons of water and returning water as clean as the river, by being able to sustain 10.8 million gallons of water and releasing water cleaner than the river.

When faced with adversity, Batesville went above and beyond, all while setting new standards for wastewater facilities. Monetary compensation and national recognition are only a few of the benefits of the city’s innovative program. This facility has opened up doors for industry, growth and sustainability in Batesville.