Angel of the Winds RV Resort Finds Single Source for Its Wastewater System, Components
Angel of the Winds RV Resort in Arlington, Washington, is all about luxury. Located minutes from Angel of the Winds Casino Resort, the Pacific Northwest glamping paradise features luxury yurts and RV sites, a state-of-the art clubhouse, putt-putt golf, pickleball courts, and more. Its eight well-appointed yurts and 180 fully equipped RV sites—which include 20/30/50-amp power as well as water and sewer connections—provide the perfect blend of comfort and nature.
With all that luxe, it only makes sense that the resort’s wastewater treatment system and infrastructure be top of the line, too. So, as plans were being made, project engineers worked with Robert “Bob” Nation, head of equipment supplier Fextex Systems Inc. in Yakima, Washington, for his expertise on wastewater treatment systems, septic tanks, and all the related components.
Site Conditions
At the beginning of the project, the site itself was a blank canvas, Nation recalled. It had some elevation ups and downs, along with groundwater in places, but the design team started from nothing. “The engineer developed the site from zero,” he says. “Nothing was there. So, we were able to talk about what to do with the wastewater collection from the very beginning.”
As Nation and the engineers discussed sewer options and the benefits and drawbacks of each system, they and the client ultimately settled on a decentralized collection system with secondary treatment and drainfield on the property’s northwest corner. A buffer zone—a wetland preserve with a meandering mile-long hike and interpretive signs—now sits between the RV sites and the wastewater treatment facility, obscuring any views of equipment.
Water Treatment, Components
Instrumental in the project’s success, Nation and his Fextex team worked closely with engineers to develop a wastewater treatment system that could meet its challenging design parameters. The system would need to handle 14,400 gallons per day average flow with a 28,800 gpd (109,020 L/d) maximum design flow, along with reducing BOD from 300 mg/L to a discharge level of 40 mg/L, TSS from 195 to 40 mg/L, and TKN from 195 to 20 mg/L.
“There were a lot of phone calls between us and information shared as we made sure the system would work,” Nation said. The engineer respected Nation’s recommendations so much, in fact, that Fextex was the sole distributor on the wastewater portion of the project. “Everything spec’d was what I recommended.”
So, here’s what they came up with. Sewer lines run from the RV sites, clubhouse, public restrooms, and other wastewater sources to two lift stations—a grinder and a duplex STEP system—for treatment. The sewage flows to a 25,000-gallon primary tank, passes through filtration, and goes to a 25,000-gallon (94,635-liter) anoxic tank. From there, the effluent goes through a series of 20,000-gallon (75,708-liter) aeration tanks and on to secondary treatment through six Orenco® AdvanTex® AX-Max™ units. The effluent travels to an OmniMax-D™ MBBR tank for refinement and then through an AX-Max unit for third-stage polishing. The treated and clarified effluent is finally discharged in the primary drainfield.
AdvanTex systems use a fixed-film, attached-growth treatment process and are an excellent solution for small- and variable-flow applications. In an AdvanTex system, wastewater is uniformly distributed onto the textile media in an unsaturated condition. The system uses fractional horsepower fans to draw air through the media and provide sufficient oxygen for aerobic digestion. Low-horsepower, high-head turbine pumps operate intermittently with sophisticated controls that automatically adjust pump run-times based on daily flows to meet preset recirculation ratios.
Sheltered Operations
Nation from Fextex also encouraged Angel of the Winds designers and owners to install two fiberglass buildings from Orenco Composites™, a division of Orenco Systems, to protect the infrastructure investment and provide a sheltered place for operation and maintenance staff to complete their duties. One structure would hold the wastewater treatment components, while the other would house clean-water components.
Orenco Composites manufactures a variety of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) products, including buildings, tanks, basins, and covers. These FRP products are lightweight, tough, and corrosion resistant, with a high strength-to-weight ratio. They don’t rot, rust, or absorb water, making them ideal for a wide range of water and wastewater applications.
Using a vacuum-infusion manufacturing process, the company creates high-performance DuraFiber® FRP structures that are strong and durable. So, DuraFiber buildings were just what the Angel of the Winds project needed.
“We ended up with two large-scale buildings on the project: the wastewater treatment building for the AX-Max system and the clean-water building for the pumps, controls, and chemical feed for the water system,” said Darren Simmie, Orenco Composites sales manager.
The wastewater utility building measures 40 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 10 feet high (12 meters long, 3½ meters wide, and 3 meters high). It features an overhead door, lighting, and ventilation. The UV units, plumbing, and valving came preinstalled, as did the chemical feed plumbing and flow meters. Fextex’s team was instrumental in designing this building’s plumbing system.
This structure also tapped into another Orenco Systems’ division, Orenco Controls™, for the floor-mounted control panel, which came ready to go. All Orenco’s products are integrated and function seamlessly together.
The water utility building is slightly larger at 40 feet long, 14 feet wide, and 9 feet high (12 meters long, 4.25 meters wide, and 2.75 meters high). It, too, has an overhead door, lighting, and ventilation. But this building has two rooms: one for chemical feed, booster pumps, and controls, and the other for chemical storage. Rounding out the package are preinstalled wiring and electrical panels that operate pump skids and chemical feed equipment.
Crews installed the structures in just four hours. Weighing 12,000 lbs (5443 kg) and 10,600 lbs (4808 kg) respectively, the buildings were lifted with a crane, set on concrete, and attached with anchors.
Better Than Planned
Overall, the project proved to be a huge success for everyone involved. The construction and installation went better than planned, Nation said, noting that it went much faster than he anticipated given the size of the build. “It took months, not years,” he said. “The client had money and was ready to go!”
Plus, everyone involved worked together to create the best product—a luxury RV resort—possible. “I enjoy working with the engineers and contractors, working through the process,” Nation said. “We all take pride in what we do.”