The Smyrna Water Treatment Plant struggled to achieve both regulatory limits and customer satisfaction with their facility for decades. Very high levels of iron and manganese, hardness, TOC, and taste and odor causing compounds plagued treatment staff and caused customer complaints every year when the J. Percy Priest Reservoir destratified. SSR proposed a similar treatment process to that at the Stones River Water Treatment Plant due to the success of that facility at treating similar raw water from the reservoir. In order to prove the efficacy of the proposed treatment system, SSR designed, coordinated, and operated a successful pilot scale treatment system at the facility for three months.

The new design proposed wholesale modification processes including lime softening and membrane filtration. The lime softening process provided substantially adequate reductions for all three areas of concern. In order to improve the taste, hardness, and odor of the water provided to local residents, the new expanded facility includes a second lime softening plant and membrane filtration system. The design also included an on-site chemical generator for water disinfection.

Construction of the facility encountered a number of challenges primarily caused by unsuitable soils and sinkholes not identified by the geotechnical evaluation of the site. SSR worked with both the contractor and the geotechnical engineer to identify and implement remedial activities for both challenges. Construction of the treatment facilities was accomplished successfully without a single disruption of service to the customers of the Town of Smyrna.