Priming the pump.

Conveniently located within the Metro Memphis Market, DeSoto County, Mississippi offers the perfect blend of big city amenities and small town living. It is no surprise then that DeSoto County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country. In fact, population in the county grew by an unbelievable 44% between 2000 and 2008.

The signs of this kind of growth can be seen in new residential areas, additional shopping options, more recreational opportunities and the like. But of great concern for the county back in the late 1990's wasn't what could be easily seen. It was what couldn't be seen: the infrastructure to support the wastewater collection, treatment and disposal that would be necessary to support a burgeoning community. Of even greater concern was how the county would be able to fund an aggressive, long-range infrastructure plan.

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Pickering has a long-standing reputation for providing a full suite of quality architectural and engineering services. But we also understand that without proper funding, counties and municipalities cannot take on major infrastructure projects. So our work with the Desoto County Regional Utility Authority began not simply as an engineering project but as support for putting in place a funding program - including obtaining numerous grants - that would be required to lessen the financial burden on the citizens of DeSoto County. Working with local, state and federal assistance agencies and elected officials, Pickering assisted in securing both low-interest loans and grants through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, the U.S. Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A decade later, the result is an award-winning project that includes the first major unified wastewater treatment plant in the state.

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A wastewater master plan.

Once funding sources were identified, Pickering developed a master plan that would maximize accessibility to capital sources, minimize the number of wastewater discharge points, optimize the operational framework for the wastewater system - and protect environmentally sensitive areas from impairment due to wastewater discharge.

A major component of the project was the design of two, independent wastewater treatment facilities and a system of gravity interceptors to provide collection and transportation of wastewater from the more populated areas of the county. Sub-interceptors, pump stations, and force mains transport wastewater to the primary interceptors.

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