Portfolio Helene Emergency Response Services

• Significant Flooding Damage: The Town of Spruce Pine’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) had severe flooding from Hurricane Helene.
• The flooding caused a power loss. It also damaged key parts of the plant. These included the electrical room, one clarifier, the chlorine room, and the rotating screen at the headworks.
• Assessment and Immediate Plan: WithersRavenel, along with contractor partners, quickly assessed the damage. A complete rehabilitation would take too long. The team proposed a plan to restore temporary plant operations through critical repairs and temporary improvements. Those repairs included minor repairs to Clarifier I, structural improvements to Clarifier 2, replacing key electrical components, rehabbing the rotating screen, and building a temporary discharge.
• Swift Restoration: The WWTP was operational within eight weeks after the storm. Temporary mobile WWTP units were purchased to keep essential services running. During this interim period, this helped schools and a state prison reopen.

WithersRavenel helps Spruce Pine get wastewater treatment operational after Helene

Following Hurricane Helene, the Town of Spruce Pine contacted WithersRavenel for help. They needed to restore wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure. The Town’s WWTP experienced significant flooding, resulting in:

• Power loss through complete destruction of service to site.
• Electrical room filled with floodwaters. The floodwaters left 18 inches of silt. It also prevented operation of all parts of the plant, even after power was restored.
• One of two clarifiers being undermined on one side due to wash out under the structure.
• Destruction of chlorine room and chlorine contact chamber.
• Destruction of rotating screen at headworks and debris/silt filling the headworks channel after flooding.

WithersRavenel, in collaboration with multiple contractor partners, assessed the site within days after the storm event. Due to the extent of the damage, the plant infrastructure needed a complete rehabilitation. It would require months of construction. Therefore, plant operations would be restored after an unacceptable period of time.

Instead, WithersRavenel formulated a plan for restoring temporary plant operations by rehabilitating key plant elements and reconstructing temporary improvements. The plan involves:

• Restoring use of Clarifier I for clarification via minor repairs.
• Performing structural foundation improvements to Clarifier 2 and repurposing the tank to be used for chlorine contact/ dechlorination.
• Replacing key electrical components required to power site.
• Rehabbing the rotating screen by replacing key parts.
• Building a temporary HDPE discharge out of Clarifier 2.

The WWTP was back online within eight weeks of the storm event. In the interim, we located and helped the Town quickly procure two mobile WWTP units to place at key locations. This allowed for the reopening of multiple schools and a state prison.