Sanitary Tank provides safeguard for Louisville VA Medical Center

One of the largest and very important parts of that infrastructure is a sanitary tank that can hold 600,000 gallons of wastewater produced at the main hospital and supporting facilities.

The tank, which is approximately 41 feet tall and 67 feet wide, allows a place for the liquids to separate from the solids for processing before liquids are released into the local sewage system.

Ideally the tank will only be used in emergency situations, according to Carl Lindsay, lead quality assurance representative for the Louisville VA Medical Center mega-project.

"The sanitary tank for our project will only act as a holding tank for the new VA hospital in the event that there are any issues with the sanitary line after it has left the VA site," he explained. "Any sanitary waste that is held in the tank will be pumped out via a lift station once the issue with the line outside of the VA site has been remedied."

Construction Control Representative Nick Shell said that constructing such a large piece of infrastructure has been an ongoing process for about a year.

"The process for the tank itself started with excavating the area, which included removing tons of bedrock in the area. Once that was complete, we were able to set the anchors for the ground slab, followed by the vertical rebar and forms," he explained. "Currently, the contractor is placing individual sections of formwork followed by concrete as we are making our way from west to east."

Shell said construction of the sanitary tank has come along smoothly.

"We have experienced some weather interference with the cold and rain, but it is to be expected," he said. "The hardest challenge has been the site water runoff for the sanitary tank. Natural channels were filling up the excavation area with surrounding ground water, sometimes creating upward of eight feet of standing water. It took some time but eventually we were able to get essential water pumps in the area to limit the buildup of standing water so work could progress."

Challenges aside, the sanitary tank will perform an important task once the hospital is operational.

"The sanitary tank has provided challenges and may not be as exciting as other features of work on this site but is an essential piece to support the mission of the medical center," Shell said.

Work on the tank should be complete within the next few months.

The $900 million project includes the construction of a new 910,115 square-foot medical center, parking structures, a 42,205 square-foot central utility plant, roadways, sidewalks, and other site improvements.

The new 104-bed, full-service hospital will provide world-class healthcare for more than 45,000 Veterans in Kentucky and Southern Indiana by integrating modern patient-centered care concepts to provide the best possible care for Veterans. In addition, to specifically address the needs of women Veterans, the new hospital will include a Women's Health Clinic with four Patient Aligned Care Teams.

The project designed by URS-Smith Group Joint Venture is being constructed by Walsh-Turner Joint Venture II, Chicago, Illinois.

Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2026.

To learn more about the project visit: www.va.gov/louisville-health-care/programs/new-robley-rex-va-medical-ce….

Source: U.S.Army