H2M architects + engineers receives 2012 Engineering Excellence Diamond Award

H2M architects + engineers is the proud recipient of the American Council of Engineering Companies of New York's (ACEC NY) 2012 Diamond Award for the South Farmingdale Water District (SFWD) project titled, "Treatment Online in Advance of Impending Plume." The awards ceremony recently took place in New York City where H2M won the ACEC NY Engineering Excellence Diamond Award in the water resources category. The judging was based on complexity, future value to the engineering profession, original or innovative application of new or existing technologies, and meeting or exceeding client needs. The South Farmingdale Water District (SFWD) operates 11 wells at six plant sites that supply drinkable water to an estimated population of 45,000. A groundwater contamination plume caused by operations at the 635-acre Northrup Grumman and U.S. Navy Bethpage complex has been detected in a series of outpost monitoring wells installed upgradient of Plant No.1, a multi-well plant site. H2M fast tracked the design incorporating iron removal vessels to eliminate the potential for clogging of the media in the air strippers, masonry/steel panel building designed to accommodate treatment process expansion if a third well on site is impacted in the future, controls package and piping layout to facilitate multiple treatment scenarios thereby maximizing treatment capabilities, sustainability considerations including superstructure design to maximize natural light to interior work spaces, variable frequency drives on all process pumps and radiant heat panels to limit heat to work areas, roof configuration to facilitate the addition of solar panels, building located on site to take advantage of an existing slope thereby minimizing excavation costs and separate natural gas and diesel fuel emergency generators and automatic transfer switches to provide emergency power for office and water supply operations. The project was completed and brought online under budget and on schedule in advance of the impending plume reaching public potable water supply wells, with no financial impact on local residents since funding for the project was obtained from the U.S. Navy. The American Council of Engineering Companies of New York (ACEC NY) is the state's premier organization for consulting engineering firms, representing 280 companies and more than 20,000 employees in New York. The organization's mission is to further the business interests of its members through advocacy, networking, education and business services. H2M is a full-service consulting and design firm offering the expertise of more than 260 architects, engineers (water supply, civil/site, structural, M/E/P, wastewater and environmental), planners, designers, inspectors, surveyors and scientists. H2M meets the challenges associated with buildings and infrastructure and has been serving various markets throughout Long Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut for more than 75 years. For more information about H2M visit www.h2m.com. # # #