AeroCell Installation Project Spotlight -Inn History Grand Canyon, Arizona
Updated: Oct 27, 2021
Quick Facts:
Application: Commercial
Product: AeroCell (Open Cell Biofilter)
Engineer/Designer: CD&E
Installer: Palmerosa Construction
Location: Williams, Coconino County, Arizona
Situation
Jeff Fox was building a small community of vacation cabins with future expansion needs not far from the Grand Canyon in Coconino County Arizona. Inn History Grand Canyon provides top tier themed vacation rentals influenced by the surrounding area’s history. They help guests visit the heart of the Grand Canyon by immersing them in the past. The construction needed an efficient way to treat the effluent flowing from each cabin and ultimately decided that Anua’s systems would be the perfect solution.
Jeff wanted to maximize the number of cabins he could build on the property while also allowing ample space between the cabins so visitors could maintain privacy and personal space. Jeff also wanted to limit the number of trees he needed to remove to reduce his total environmental impact to complete the project. The goal was to efficiently use every square foot in order to maximize green space blended with sustainable housing concepts.
Solution
The onsite treatment system needed to treat all the effluent produced by these cabins while maintaining strict environmental and size requirements. The project owner contacted engineering firm CD&E to help him develop a plan to accomplish his goals. After reviewing the site and the environmental goals, the engineers suggested AeroCell with shallow drip irrigation dispersal as the ideal onsite treatment solution.
The engineers at CD&E had to first develop a site drainage plan that wouldn’t encroach on the onsite treatment system or the open spaces. Once they accomplished this, they managed to fit in an adequately sized drip field due to the treatment capabilities of AeroCell.
AeroCell is based on simple, passive biofiltration principles. The treatment of the effluent within the system is achieved by a combination of unique physical, chemical, and biological interactions between the effluent and the open cell foam media. Timed dosing and recirculation attenuate the flow to the dispersal area and then into the native soil. Furthermore, the properties of the open cell foam media allow for high level treatment with no by-pass, which protects the lake water quality and exceeds Arizona’s effluent treatment standards.
The solution consists of a local precast concrete primary tank with Lifetime LT9-1/32 effluent filter, local precast concrete dosing tank with duplex recirculation pumps and gravity recirculation device, an AeroCell IM-1060 treatment pod, drip dosing tank with manual headworks, , and a shallow drip irrigation field.
Results
AeroCell provided the perfect solution for the project. Mike Palmer of Palmerosa Construction and his crew installed the system easily with just a few tips from the Anua staff overseeing the installation. This is Phase I with a larger AeroCell system already designed for Phase II.