PRESERVING THE FALLINGWATER ENVIRONMENT BY IMPLEMENTING A ZERO-DISCHARGE WASTEWATER RECLAMATION SYSTEM

摘要

Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright ‘s world-famous “house on the waterfall,” is a masterfulintegration of building and site. Designed in 1935, it is recognized as an icon of modernism, andwas voted the most architecturally significant building of the 20th century by the AmericanInstitute of Architects. Fallingwater’s celebrated cantilevers soar over a waterfall located on BearRun, a stream of “exceptional value,” as categorized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.While the building is noted for exceeding conventional standards for technology and design, itspristine site poses difficult problems for wastewater treatment and disposal.The current wastewater system at the Fallingwater site includes a combination of holding tanks,composting toilets, and land adsorption systems. These systems do not provide adequatewastewater treatment, frequently produce offensive odors, and are difficult to operate andmaintain. The new wastewater system is designed to accommodate increasing visitor demands atFallingwater and potential future visitor demands at the Bear Run Interpretative Center.A new wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) will treat and reclaim wastewater generated at theFallingwater site. The new WWTP will replace the various disposal systems currently in use.The treatment processes selected for Fallingwater include a biological membrane treatmentsystem followed by carbon adsorption and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. These treatmentprocesses will produce an effluent suitable for public access reuse and recycling. In fact, thisproject is one of the first public access reuse projects in Pennsylvania.All of the reclaimed water will be reused onsite for 1) toilet flush waster at the Visitor’s Pavilion,Bear Run Barn, Friend House, and Gardener’s Cottage; 2) irrigation of a cutting garden locatednear the Gardener’s Cottage, which will also be used as an interpretative site for the reclaimedwater system; 3) irrigation of key Rhododendron forests; 4) irrigation of landscaped parking lotmedians; and 5) irrigation of a forested site with a subsurface drip irrigation system to providebackup reuse capacity during the winter months and wet periods.