Two Parkhill Projects Recognized in Texas Engineering Excellence Awards

Two Parkhill projects have been recognized in the 2021 American Council of Engineering Companies Texas Engineering Excellence Awards. The Northern Delaware Basin Landfill project for Oilfield Water Logistics was awarded a gold medal in the Environmental category. This project is now eligible to compete at the national level for the ACEC Grand Conceptor Award. The Canadian River Municipal Water Authority High Capacity, Deep Well, Beta Pumping Unit Replacements project was recognized with a silver medal in the Water and Wastewater category.

Through the Northern Delaware Basin Landfill project, Parkhill developed construction plans and technical specifications to bring this fully integrated facility into operation. The innovative process proposed during permitting included the ability to accept both liquid and semi-solid drilling fluids, processing them to separate as much liquid as possible and rendering them dry enough for land disposal in a double composite lined landfill. These wastes must be properly managed to protect local inhabitants’ health and safety as well as the environment.

The goals for the CRMWA High Capacity, Deep Well, Beta Pumping Unit Replacements project were to improve the reliability and resiliency of the John C. Williams Wellfield. The project used a “Beta” submersible motor application, a unique application of technology typically found in mining and petroleum industries. Adapting this technology to municipal wells for this large horsepower size and production capacity (1,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute) has essentially provided a new application for this type of equipment and an option for engineers to apply in the municipal discipline. This project set a new standard that will further improve with the attrition of other existing pumping units and the construction of new wells.

The Engineering Excellence Awards Competition has been held by ACEC since its inception in 1975 to honor and recognize outstanding achievements within the engineering community. The distinguished panel of judges from around the state selected 9 Gold Medal and 8 Silver Medal-winning projects from 37 entries based on uniqueness, originality, technical, value to the engineering profession, complexity, and how successfully the project met the needs of the client.