WESTFIELD, MA — Construction has commenced on Springfield Water and Sewer Commission’s new West Parish Water Treatment Plant, which will ultimately deliver a 65 MGD facility featuring a dissolved air flotation filtration system. With Walsh Construction as the general contractor and Hazen and Sawyer leading the design, the crucial water treatment plant will remove chemicals produced as byproducts of the current disinfection process, further improving the quality of water distributed to the community.

Dissolved air flotation is a water treatment method designed to eliminate suspended particles like oil or solids. This process involves dissolving air into the water under pressure and then allowing it to escape at atmospheric pressure in a flotation tank. As the air is released, it forms small bubbles that attach to the suspended particles, causing them to rise to the water's surface, where they can be collected by a skimming device. The West Parish facility will encompass a wide array of intricate components, including the installation of rapid sand filters for treating the water, chemical storage and dosing equipment, a dewatering facility, new electrical feeds, and an emergency generator, as well as a workshop, laboratory, and administrative areas, along with enhancements for site access, parking, and stormwater management. The project is anticipated to be complete in 2028.

Incorporated in 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, Walsh Construction is one of the largest general contracting, construction management, and design-build firms in North America. The firm operates out of regional offices across the United States, working with union labor and union subcontractors in the building, transportation, and water sectors.