Microfiltration Plant at Highland Park

Many Pittsburghers know Highland Park for its public amenities including the uncovered Highland Reservoir. Approximately 50 percent of our customers are served by this reservoir and maintaining it as an uncovered reservoir is a goal shared throughout Pittsburgh. But, do you know how we are able to maintain it as a public asset? The answers lie in the adjacent Membrane Filtration Plant (MFP), where water leaving the Reservoir is treated again before being sent to customers for consumption. 

PWSA Production Project Manager, Marc Frangipani, walking through the ultraviolet disinfection chamber.

The MFP was taken out of service in early 2017 to meet stricter water quality standards. Many upgrades have taken place including the rehabilitation of the microfiltration system—where compact polymer tubes containing microfilters act as artificial “membranes”—and the installation of cutting-edge ultraviolet disinfection technology. 

After joining Team PGH2O earlier this year, Production Project Manager, Marc Frangipani, has helped to oversee the completion of this work. “Our main objective right now is to complete the final touches and convert the MFP from a construction site to a production site,” said Marc, who expects the MFP to be back in service by the end of July.

PWSA Plant Operator, Chris Valore, monitoring SCADA from a remote station.

To ensure that the facility is indeed ready to resume production, Marc’s team is conducting various tests to ensure that the MFP is working internally and in conjunction with the rest of our infrastructure, which is monitored via a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system. The SCADA system allows us to precisely observe and intervene in the behavior of our distribution network—it also logs important metrics that we report for regulatory compliance.  

Marc’s primary duty as the manager of the MFP is to ensure that the water we produce at this location is to the highest standard that we can possibly achieve. Marc has enjoyed working with the team and saw everyone rise to the challenge of this project. 

Congratulations to Marc and the MFP team. Your hard work will bring the MFP back online. We appreciate your efforts to ensure the safety and reliability of our water and to maintain the Highland I Reservoir as a treasured outdoor recreation space for many years to come.