The Iowa Premium plant in Tama on Tuesday morning, March 21, 2017. News-Herald/John Speer

Three HDR projects have been recognized by American Council of Engineering Companies of Iowa in its 2017 Engineering Excellence Awards competition.

The Iowa Premium Wastewater Treatment Plant received the Grand Place Award in the Water and Wastewater Category. The Grand Place Award is the state’s top honor and the two Grand Place Award winners will move on to the ACEC’s national competition in April.

The Council Bluffs Interstate System Railroad Relocation Project received the Grand Place Award in the Transportation Category.

The Iowa DOT Crude and Biofuel Study received an Engineering Excellence Award.

HDR Joined Iowa Premium

In Design

HDR partnered with Iowa Premium to reopen a beef packing plant that closed its doors more than 10 years ago by designing an accompanying wastewater treatment facility to meet current and future discharge requirements.

Iowa Premium’s state-of-the-art $7.2 million wastewater treatment facility quickly incorporated several design aspects that reduced cost, planned for future nutrient requirements, shortened construction and startup schedules and improved operational efficiency.

The facility handles a wastewater amount equivalent to a municipal facility serving 203,500 people approximately the same population as Des Moines.

Bringing Iowa Premium’s plant to life is also making a big impact on a small community. In addition to 600 new jobs and partnerships with Iowa State University and the Tama-Toledo Food Pantry, the plant supports local family farms, providing a place to process Black Angus cattle.

Council Bluffs

In 2004, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and city of Council Bluffs began a $1.04 billion program to modernize and increase capacity and safety of Interstates 80, 29 and 480 in Council Bluffs. One of the goals was to reduce the number of rail crossings to improve rail flow and safety, and the affected railroads responded enthusiastically. HDR’s role was to develop a railroad consolidation plan and assist in obtaining necessary agreements and federal filings.

About HDR

For more than a century, HDR has partnered with clients to shape communities and push the boundaries of what’s possible. HDR has 10,000 employees, in more than 225 locations around the world.