At North America’s Largest Wastewater Site, F.H. Paschen Crosses 25 Percent Mark on Massive Water Recovery Rehab Project

DETROIT, Michigan - National infrastructure builder F.H. Paschen has reached the 25 percent completion mark on a $60 million Screened Final Effluent pumping station project for the Great Lakes Water Authority this month.

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) is one of the top 10 largest public water and wastewater systems in the United States, serving nearly 4 million people (about 40% of Michigan’s population) across an expansive regional service area.

Located at the GLWA Water Resource Recovery Facility on West Jefferson Avenue in Southwest Detroit, recognized as the largest single-site wastewater treatment facility in North America. The new pumping station, once completed, will allow the plant to recirculate treated effluent back into its daily operations instead of using clean drinking water. This process lowers operating costs and conserves treated municipal water for surrounding communities.

Work on the GLWA Detroit facility builds on the national growth of F.H. Paschen's water sector which includes being recognized by Engineering News-Record as a top 25 water treatment builder in the United States.

Crews broke ground in Summer 2025 and are finishing deep foundations and structural concrete work, which will wrap up in January 2027. The project remains on schedule for final completion in May 2028.

"Reaching this point on the foundation work keeps us on schedule for the mechanical phases ahead," said Mike Mancik, Project Executive at F.H. Paschen. "Our teams are coordinating daily with GLWA plant operators so routine wastewater processing continues without interruption."

The next stage requires executing more than 50 separate utility shutdowns and tie-ins across active structures. The work includes modifying secondary water systems in the machine shop basement, installing new quench water booster pumps in the incineration facility, and adding a backup chemical feed system.

Jacobs is serving as the lead design engineer, with NORESCO acting as the owner’s representative.

"Water authorities across the Midwest are looking for practical ways to cut operational costs and protect their fresh water," said Ken Swartz, Vice President at F.H. Paschen and Water Sector Lead. "This project gives GLWA the infrastructure to reuse treated water directly within their daily treatment cycle."

Source: F.H. Paschen.