Keegan’s Bayou Plant, a waste water treatment facility located on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, needed to update its facility. Houston’s growth had caused the plant to update its facility to accommodate the area’s growing population. The city took over the plant as a result of  the expansion and found that the plant’s existing chlorine contact chambers did not have a baffle system in place to aid in the even dispersion of chlorine throughout each chamber. Once the decision was made to install a new baffle system, low cost and the use of a non-corrosive material were key concerns.

Strongwell distributor Glass-Steel of Woodlands, Texas, overcame the facility’s concerns by developing a new baffle system using Strongwell Baffle and EXTREN^® rectangular tubes and angles for the plant’s two chlorine contact chambers. Materials considered for the project included: aluminum, stainless steel, poured in-place concrete and concrete columns with redwood baffles. However, an FRP system became the clear-cut choice because it was a less expensive alternative and was more corrosion resistant.

“Chlorine is such a corrosive material,” said Glass-Steel owner Pat Lindsay. “The system we designed using Strongwell’s baffle, tubes and angles was much more economical than any other alternative materials.”

The project began in the spring of 2002 and was completed that summer. “We found it very easy to install,” Lindsay said. “The workers were pleased with how fast they could install it and liked working with such a lightweight material.”