Chazen to be Recognized with Award in Engineering Excellence

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. (November 5, 2020) – The Chazen Companies, an employee-owned multi-disciplinary firm, has been selected by the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC New York) for a 2020 Engineering Excellence Silver Award in the Waste and Storm Water category for its Pawling Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade project.

The Engineering Excellence Awards recognize engineering firms for projects and design achievements in the public and private sector in a variety of categories and help publicize the significant contributions consulting engineers make in our communities. Each year, over 60 member firms submit projects that are judged by a panel of industry experts on criteria including complexity, innovation and value to society. Awards are distributed based on average scores received and are assigned one of four levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond.

Since 2013, Chazen provided project management, engineering design, permitting and construction support for the Pawling Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade in the Town of Pawling. The project, awarded a 2020 Engineering Excellence Silver Award, addressed the client’s three objectives for the Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade: respect the environment, be energy efficient and allow for community growth. Chazen designed upgrades that increase the plants treatment capacity with the addition of phosphorous removal, influent pump station modifications, a new headworks building, anoxic and aerobic bioconversion in the sequencing batch reactors to enhance nitrogen removal, chemical and biological phosphorus removal, tertiary filtration, UV disinfection and post-aeration, effluent recycling, and outfall improvement. A belt press was also added to reduce the cost of biosolids and add future bio-composting of the biosolids cake.

Many challenges were faced including regulatory, geotechnical, ecological, process and structural all within a complex and constrained site. The upgrades were also executed while the existing plant remained operational, a challenge given the site’s topography and surrounding roads, railway and private land.

The Pawling Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade ultimately reduces impacts to New York State waters, allows for economic growth along the Route 22 corridor and surrounding areas, and demonstrates Pawling’s care for the environment and the community’s economic health.

“We are proud of the advancements made to the Pawling Wastewater Treatment Plant related to the protection of the environment and positive impact on the community’s economic future. We thank the Town and Village of Pawling for the opportunity to advance this award-winning capital improvement project,” said Joseph M. Lanaro, P.E., M.ASCE, senior principal and vice president of engineering services at The Chazen Companies.

Chazen’s Silver Award-winning project is among a total of 139 projects that will be honored at the 53rd Annual Engineering Excellence Awards Virtual Gala on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020. A full list of winning projects and ticket information can be found online at https://acecny.org/event/eea-virtual-2020.

About Chazen

Founded over 70 years ago, The Chazen Companies is an employee-owned, multi-disciplinary firm providing civil engineering, land surveying, planning, environmental and safety consulting, code services, landscape architecture, construction services, transportation planning and traffic engineering to clients in the private and public sectors. Chazen’s 150 employees proudly collaborate with municipalities, state agencies, developers, landowners, utility companies, and industrial, healthcare, education, and nonprofit clients from project concept to completion, taking a customized approach to every project. With offices in Glens Falls, Troy, Poughkeepsie and White Plains, NY; Nashville and Chattanooga, TN; and Portland, OR, Chazen delivers world-class performance focused on creating effective, long-term partnerships with its clients. Learn more at www.chazencompanies.com.

About ACEC New York

ACEC New York is a proactive coalition of almost 300 firms representing every discipline of engineering related to the built environment – civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, geotechnical – and affiliated companies. Their shared goals are to further the business interests of their membership, enhance the quality and safety of the environment, and help ensure the vitality of their communities. For more information, visit www.acecny.org.

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