McBaine Water Treatment Plant improvement project
The City of Columbia is working to improve the McBaine Water Treatment Plant. The project is expected to restore the plant’s capacity to treat 32 million gallons of water per day and includes rehabilitation and replacement projects that will enhance the performance of and extend the life of the facility.
To learn more about this project, visit the project page on the City's website.
Want to know more about the City of Columbia's water treatment process? Click here.
May 15, 2025
Primary Basin 3 has really started to come together. After the base was built, crews moved the spur gear into place and then capped it off with the drive assembly. The clarifier spins to remove suspended solids, and the sludge settles to the bottom, moving cleaner water to the secondary basin.
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Once the drive assembly was completed, crews worked to install the bridge that spans Primary Basin 3. The team built the bridge and then moved it as a single piece over the basin. Precision was important. The bridge had to fit over the drive assembly and onto the brackets attached to the basin walls. A fraction of an inch out of place meant the bridge wouldn't fit.
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Crews began installing rods that will align the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3. The baffle curtain will be arranged similar to a queue for an amusement park ride. This slows the water flow, allowing more solids and sediments to settle at the bottom. Water is taken from the top to the filtration building and further treament.
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May 8, 2025
The new clarifier is being installed in Primary Basin 3. Crews were busy painting the components of the clarifier to prepare them for installation. The new walkway also was being assembled, with crews planning to install it as a single piece. As the clarifier is constructed, crews will begin installing the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3.
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Work on the filters has also begun. Crews replaced the underdrains in Filter 1 and have begun putting in new filter media and backwash lines. New filter media, air scour piping and underdrains will be installed that will more efficiently separate impurities from the anthracite filter.
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The outside masonry on the chemical building is completed, and crews are putting the roof on the building.
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Among other work completed recently:
- Installed a new flow meter on the 36-inch central pipe
- Installed ductbanks and conduit and completed the electrical room in the filter building
- Installed miscellaneous chemical feed pipes
Feb. 4, 2025
The floor in Basin 3 is being replaced. A drainage issue had caused the ground under the basin to become uneven, which impacted the clarifier. Crews fixed the issue, allowing them to level the ground to make the floor even. Crews were able to construct the frame and begin pouring the new concrete floor.
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Masonry work continues at the Chemical Building. Concrete door stoops were poured. Along with exterior walls going up, the interior rooms that house the chemicals and equipment are beginning to take shape. Crews are scheduled to have the roof in place by the end of the month.
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Jan. 7, 2025
Walls for the new Chemical Building are going up! Crews worked through December to get the framing completed and the floor poured. And then construction of the walls began. Per regulations, crews can only add 4 feet to the height of the wall at a time. A red brick exterior that matches the filter building (as seen in the background) will be added once the walls have been finished. The new Chemical Building will have feed rooms for chlorine, fluoride and liquid ammonium sulfate as well as a storage area for the chlorine gas.
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Oct. 31, 2024
Rehabilitation on Primary and Secondary Basin 3 has continued over the past couple of weeks. Crews used a jackhammer to break away the concrete in the middle of Primary Basin 3. Some excess groundwater got under the basin and caused the floor to become uneven. Appropriate drainage will be installed before the concrete is poured. Crews also began removing a coating off the concrete inside the basins -- some by scraping, some by jackhammering and some by pressure washing. After the coating has been removed, crews will repair flaws in the concrete with an injection method.
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Meanwhile, over at the Chemical Building, piping for water and the different chemicals has been installed in the ground. Electric conduits were scheduled to be installed before the concrete floor could be poured. The chemical that the pipes will be used for is indicated by the color of the tape rings. The number of tape rings is a guide so crews know which pipe is which.
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An old lime silo and the crane structure have been removed. The lime silo had not been used since the 2005 expansion, when a new silo had been erected.
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Oct. 1, 2024
The walkways, weirs and clarifier have been removed from Basin 3. The clarifier keeps influent water moving while suspended solids clump together and settle to the bottom of the basin and removed. The water at the top flows into weirs, which direct the water for secondary clarifying. Construction crews have begun making preparations to pour new concrete in the basin before the installation of new equipment. Crews have also started work removing the equipment from the secondary clarifier No. 3. In the secondary basin, crews will install baffle curtains, which will help the Utility improve treatment efficiency.
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Aerator 3 has been removed. Crews have it timed so that at least two of the four aerators will remain in service during the winter months.
With the new aerators, staff will be able to back a truck to the aerators for media cartridge removal and maintenance.
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The pile testing has been completed, and construction of the new chemical building will begin.
Sept. 10, 2024
Preparations are underway as the McBaine Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project begins.
Crews began pile load testing this week before construction of the new Chemical Feed Building. Piles are concrete cylinders driven into the ground at the proposed construction site. Testing piles by applying force will allow Bowen Construction to gather information about the soil and optimize design for the proposed building. Bowen Construction will be testing 36 piles to collect the data.
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Primary and Secondary Basin 3 were emptied prior to construction. Demolition of the Lime Silo and Aerator No. 3 was scheduled to begin this week.
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Water Treatment Plant comments and QandA
Please leave your comments or questions about the McBaine Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project. City staff will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.
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