More and more non-sewage waste is being flushed by customers today, posing treatment issues and increased cost in the operations and maintenance of the wastewater treatment process. Mahaffey Borough Municipal Authority wanted to optimize the overall treatment process and be proactive in addressing these issues. They sought to modify the treatment process by installing two new items: a mechanical bar screen at the influent of the treatment process and an Ultraviolet (UV) unit for disinfectant as the final process prior to discharge into the receiving waterway, the Susquehanna River.

JHA Companies was able to provide the design, permitting, bidding and construction management services needed for both elements, with installation completed by Derstine Company, LLC. The mechanical bar screen allows for the capture and physical removal of undesirable non-sewage items from the wastestream that otherwise would have passed through a grinder, been conveyed into the lagoons, and settled, unnecessarily occupying valuable volume. Additionally, the incorporation of UV disinfection provides a cost-effective alternative to chlorine for final treatment.

Because of the Authority’s proper asset management practices and diligence in annual budgeting, both significant system modifications were covered by the Authority’s capital improvements account without having to borrow or implement a rate increases for the customers.

Travis Long, VP and Director of Environmental Services at JHA, worked on this project alongside Roy Markle, Operations Manager at the Mahaffey Borough Municipal Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant.
“Working with Mahaffey Borough Municipal Authority has been an honor and a privilege,” Travis noted. They “stand head and shoulders above a lot of communities despite being a small rural system,” proactively keeping their facilities up-to-date amidst changing regulations, and faithfully overseeing their assets.

On collaborating with JHA, Roy said, “JHA is wonderful to work with. We’ve had several engineering firms since I’ve worked here, but [with JHA] everything was done correctly…”

“The most important thing is that we go unnoticed,” he said, “that the sewage plant operates, and no one pays any attention.” JHA Companies feels fortunate for the chance to team up with our client to achieve that goal.