Date
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Time
3:15 PM - 3:45 PM
Location Name
KICC M108 (Level 1)
Name
Navigating the Permitting Process for the Process Improvements at Omohundro Water Treatment Plant
Track
Other/Special Topics
Description

The City of Nashville has undergone significant growth in recent years. The influx of new residents and businesses has increased the demand for potable water. In response to past growth and an expectation of continued future growth, Metro Water Services has been tasked with upgrading its two water treatment plants to increase capacity and improve resiliency to wholly meet the City’s needs. From previous expansions and modifications of the Omohundro Water Treatment Plant (OMO), which has existed on the banks of the Cumberland River since 1888, the current capacity of the plant is 90 MGD. The proposed project will expand that capacity to 150 MGD. To do so, the project will provide new treatment systems, pump stations, and raw water intakes, all of which require varied permitting activities. The project team responsible for regulatory compliance evaluated the conceptual plan for improvements and took inventory of applicable federal, state and local permit requirements. Due to the complexity of the permit requirements. A permitting matrix/workflow was developed that indicates responsible agencies, component data and administrative requirements, anticipated submission and approval dates, and corresponding construction work packages. The matrix was to illustrate the interconnectivity of each permit as well as construction sequencing and timelines. Ultimately the matrix highlighted and uncovered interconnections that increased efficiency and improved schedule timelines for our submittal, review, stakeholder communication, and approval processes. A Cultural Resource Study identified the presence of significant objects at the project site, including buildings registered on the National Register of Historic Places, that may be impacted by construction. The project team organized the flow of information between the regulatory agencies and drafted a Memorandum of Agreement between the State Historic Preservation Office, MWS, and other contributing agencies. The MOA outlined resource mitigation guidelines to properly document the potential changes to the historic nature of the site. A Water Resource Inventory Report identified environmental features at the project site. The project team evaluated potential losses to aquatic features due to project construction and through state and federal permitting guidelines, coordinated for a permit-responsible mitigation site on existing Metro Nashville property, directly across the Cumberland River from the project site. The PRM site provides for an immediate and direct offset to the water resource losses caused by the project. All other agency and stakeholder permit requirements, including right-of-entry permits for railroad and utility easements, were included in the design schedule to ensure regulatory compliance did not have a negative impact on the overall project schedule.