Phantom Ranch Wastewater Treatment Plant Short Term Improvements

The existing wastewater plant at the bottom of the Grand Canyon was not meeting permit discharge requirements and was experiencing flows much higher than the plant was originally designed for. GSE was tasked with retrofitting the existing treatment plant to accommodate higher treatment levels while keeping the campsite open. To install the new equipment, our team determined that a temporary treatment system was required. GSE installed a packaged three chamber MBBR, blower skid to provide aeration, and DAF skid to coagulate and remove solids from the process flow. Phantom Ranch is a remote location that is a 10-mile hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a 5,000-foot elevation change. This extreme remote construction required support from multiple helicopters for access, crew, and material transport. All this work was completed with temperature ranges from 20 to 118 degrees.