Pare Corporation designed and oversaw construction of a 37,000 gallon-per-day on-site wastewater treatment system (OWTS) at the Wickford Village housing complex in North Kingstown, RI. The complex previously utilized a substandard treatment system that generated excessive odors, disrupting users of a nearby park and bike path, and provided inadequate treatment of wastewater from the complex.

Pare’s design included a wastewater collection system of new gravity and pressurized sewer pipe with new concrete septic tanks installed at each building. Site disturbance was minimized during construction by sleeving new sewer force main piping through existing gravity lines that were to be abandoned, thereby reducing the need for excavation while lowering construction costs.

The centerpiece of the project was the installation of an Orenco Advantex treatment system and construction of a 13,000 square-foot bottomless sand filter (BSF). The treatment system consists of a system of packed-bed textile filters through which wastewater is recirculated to achieve a highly treated effluent. Effluent is then disposed of in the BSF, which is constructed of a network of perforated pipe, crushed stone, and sand.

The system produces a highly treated wastewater, helping to maintain water quality in downstream coastal receiving waters such as Mill Cove to the north and east. The project was recognized in the February 2009 issue of WaterWorld Magazine for its innovative design approach to help minimize site disturbance and unpredictable excavation costs.