The Star City Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Improvements Project in the City of Morgantown, West Virginia, has been awarded an American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) National Engineering Excellence Recognition Award.  We identified and evaluated long-term combined sewer overflow (CSO) control options to meet the needs of the aging Star City WWTP, address wet-weather operational issues, and reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSO) into the Monongahela River. The recommended plan increased average daily flows and loadings by more than 20 percent, accommodating 14.6 million gallons per day (MGD), with a peak flow of nearly 21 MGD.

The geographic restrictions of the project site impacted and, thereby, influenced all wastewater treatment elements of this project. The Star City WWTP is located on a sliver of land between the highly used multimodal Caperton Trail and the Monongahela River. This tight site included a pinch point with just 14 feet between the river and nearest existing structure. The team was not only able to upgrade the biological portion of the plant for year 2035 flows, but also provide a process easily expandable for flows for 2055 and beyond. The Star City Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Project has also won the 2023 ACEC Wisconsin Engineering Excellence Best of State Award.