Apex is pleased to partner with the City of Fargo, ND to provide reliable, efficient, and state of the art wastewater solutions. Apex staff have worked with the City for many years providing recommendations and improvements through system analysis, planning, funding, design, and construction. By using this cohesive approach to services, Apex gains an understanding of details, issues, and concerns on a daily basis that the plant experiences. In return, the City of Fargo is able to witness how Apex provides cost-effective solutions, return on investments and innovative solutions in the best interest of the City.

In 2010, Apex Engineering Group was awarded the Wastewater Consulting Contract through a qualifications based selection process. Apex staff relied on existing plans, reports, documents, as built drawings, and open, honest communications with City staff to build on their previous experience.

The existing Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) Plan included details of equipment and infrastructure with prior inspection notes and evaluation of remaining service life, operational performance, efficiency and safety. The equipment was then cataloged creating a central database asset management system. Using this Facility Plan as a guide, the first Apex designed and constructed project were improvements to the effluent and supernatant pumping. Historically, during high river levels, the WWTF would pump effluent 4.5 miles to the stabilization ponds, resulting in significant operational demands and higher electrical costs. Apex provided an innovative solution by designing a 25 mgd effluent pumping facility that allows the City to discharge to the Red River even during major flood events. The new effluent pump station was put into operation in the spring of 2013.

Based on current growth throughout the Red River Valley, there was the potential opportunity to better the community with a facility large enough to accept wastewater from surrounding communities, creating a regionalized WWTF. Critical components in the Facility Plan included flow forecasts, loading projections and a computer model that assessed the hydraulic and organic loading capacities of the existing individual process components as well as the overall WWTF. Future regulatory impacts were analyzed with a variety of treatment options, and a final recommendation was outlined. Options were also explored and analyzed to allow for expansion of the biosolids handling, treatment, storage and disposal facilities. Alternatives were evaluated using a matrix approach which include operational, safety and maintenance impacts, as well as monetary capital and present worth values.

In 2013, the City requested that Apex update the 2010 Facility Plan to incorporate higher anticipated population growth in the region and update costs. The Facility Plan outlined improvements to meet future needs. Phase I improvements to replace aging infrastructure on the existing east trickling filter train were constructed over a span of two years from 2015 to 2017. Phase II will expand the capacity of the facility, creating a regionalized wastewater treatment facility to service the surrounding area. The new west train will meet future regulatory requirements set by the North Dakota Department of Health. Phase II is currently in the design phase.

Operations staff assisted Apex team members to compile a Capital Improvements Plan used to forecast user rate impacts and budget for capital improvements and future operational expenditures. State Revolving Funds, sale of reclaimed effluent for reuse purposes, and sales tax revenue will be used for funding the recommended improvements.