Grand Canyon Railway
Boiler Wastewater Management

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Last Updated: 12/11/18

CLIENT

GRAND CANYON RAILWAY
Eric Hadder, Chief Mechanical Officer
Micheal Gallegos, Environmental Health and Safety Technician
Website

TECHNICAL ADVISOR

Wilbert Odem, Northern Arizona University CENE Professor
Email: wilbert.odem@nau.edu
Phone: 928-523-4449

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The goal of the Grand Canyon Railway (GCR) project is to develop a management plan for the effluent boiler wastewater and remaining tender water from the winterization process for two biodiesel-fired steam locomotives. The wastewater is produced from a process called “Boiler Blowdown” in which water in the boiler is heated and pressurized to blow out the built-up sediment at the bottom of the boiler. The resulting wastewater has a high pH and high concentration of total dissolved solids. The GCR would like to reuse the water on-site or dispose of the wastewater at the Williams Wastewater Treatment Plant but the effluent does not meet the plant's incoming wastewater standards. These parameters will be treated to meet minimum requirements for discharge into Williams Wastewater Treatment Plant.

TEAM ROLES

All roles within the project were shared equally between team members.

STEPHEN KITT
Environmental Engineering
sak245@iris.nau.edu

Stephen is a senior environmental engineering student at Northern Arizona University, graduating in Fall of 2018. He is currently the secretary for the National Society for Black Engineers NAU chapter and an American Society for Civil Engineers member. Stephen is currently working as a student manager for NAU’s Student Service Center where he is furthering his leadership skills.

CYDNEY MATTHEWS
Environmental Engineering
cmm633@nau.edu

Cydney is a senior environmental engineering student at Northern Arizona University, graduating in Fall 2018. She is currently employed by NAU as a teaching assistant for CENE 280, an introductory course to mass transport and environmental fate. She has completed an internship position with Western Technologies as a materials testing technician, assisting with water and wastewater testing. Cydney has extensive knowledge in fluid dynamics and water quality. This curriculum has allowed her to be proficient in the latest software of AutoCAD, MODFlow, Matlab, WaterGEMS, Microsoft Office, HEC-RAS, and Simulink.

JOSHUA ROUBIK
Environmental Engineering
jdr335@nau.edu

Joshua is a senior environmental engineering student at Northern Arizona University, graduating in Fall of 2018. Joshua is currently employed part-time as a team leader for a non-profit in Flagstaff, Arizona. In this position, he led a team of 10 staff in annual fundraising. He has extensive experience leading teams working towards a common goal.

MELLISA YIN
Environmental Engineering
my267@nau.edu

Mellisa is a senior environmental engineering student at Northern Arizona University, graduating in Fall of 2018. She was awarded the NAU Gold Axe and was named the NAU CEIAS Outstanding Senior. Mellisa has worked as a Water Resources Technician at the City of Flagstaff, an NAU TA, and as an NAU Peak Performance math tutor. She has also completed undergraduate research on arsenic phytoremediation of BLM mine sites at NAU and on salt sequestration with saltgrass for riparian remediation at NMSU. Mellisa has acquired knowledge of AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and the Microsoft Office suite of programs. She has also developed leadership skills as the president and co-founder of the NAU chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.

PROJECT INFORMATION

DOCUMENTS