Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant

Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant. . , 1 What it Does , Fort Wayne's Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant treats, softens and filters drinking water to serve more than 250,000 people in Fort Wayne and the surrounding areas. The water treatment process, and the testing that is done throughout the process, ensures that our customers always receive water that is safe and is as good or better than state and federal standards require. The plant is located at the confluence of the three rivers, just north of downtown Fort Wayne. Water comes from the St. Joseph River into the plant where pollutants are removed to make the water safe to drink before it is delivered to our customers. , , 2 Original Construction , In 1933, the original Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant was completed at the point where the St. Mary's River and the St. Joseph River come together to form the Maumee River. The original plant provided filtration and water softening facilities to treat 24 million gallons of water per day. The plant was constructed on a 25-acre tract of land east of Spy Run Avenue. The site is historically significant ans saw the passing of the prehistoric mound builders; native Americans including Iroquis, Shawnee and Miami; French trappers; British conquerors; and finally the American pioneer. The desire to make the plant building a landmark carried through the planning and design phases. The building was designed in a collegiate gothic architectural style by the firm of Hoa, Decker, Shoecraft and Drury of Ann Arbor, Michigan and originally consisted of a central tower with wings extending from four sides. The exterior of the building is covered with Indiana limestone. , , 3 Expansions , Both the 1954 and the 19979 expansions of the filtration and softening facilities added an additional 24 million gallons of water per day (MGD) of capacity to the plant, bringing its total ability to produce finished water to 72 MGD. In 1973, an addition to the plant was built to house new water testing and analytical laboratories. In 2005-06, City Utilities invested $4 million in a major electrical upgrade at the plant, including the construction of backup electrical generators. In 2007, the new North Pump Station was constructed to send water from the plant out to all parts of the city. It has five pumps, each capable of pumping 16 MGD. , , Newest Technology , In order to maintain compliance with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, a new drinking water disinfection system using ultraviolet (UV) light was installed at the plant in 2013, UV is a very effective method for eliminating _____ substances from drinking water. It was selected by City Utilities because it is easy to operate and is the best _______ to fit with the other treatment processes used at the plant. The portion of the plant that originally housed pumps was ___ to house the UV treatment units as shown below. , , History , 1933 , Original Plant Completed , 1954 , Capacity Addition , 1979 , Capacity Addition , 1993 , Lab Addition , 2006 , Electrical Generator Addition , 2007 , High Service Pump Station , 2014 , UV Disinfection Addition ,