Downloadable App (Remote Accurately Determines the Rate, Total and Velocity of Water Flow

IN MY WORDS: Education at AlexRenew begins in the lobby PAGE 20

HEARTS AND MINDS: Kids’ books tell the stories of water PAGE 18

tpomag.com AUGUST 2018

LET’S BE CLEAR: Show us your welcome sign PAGE 8

Travis Medina Operations Manager Fort Wayne, Ind.

‘Every Day Is Earth Day’ FORT WAYNE TURNS BIOSOLIDS AND WATER PLANT LIME RESIDUALS INTO BENEFICIAL PRODUCTS PAGE 32

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FREE FREE AdEdge Water INFO INFO Technologies, LLC ...... 21 ❒ Komline-Sanderson ...... 39 ❒ Aeration Industries International ...... 37 ❒ Kuhn North America, Inc...... 65 ❒

Aerzen ...... 27 ❒ Lakeside Equipment Corporation ...... 3 ❒ AllMax Software, Inc...... 19 ❒ Landia, Inc...... 43 ❒ American Water Works YOU Markland Specialty ❒ Association ...... 59 Engineering Ltd...... 53 ❒ Anue Water Technologies, Inc. 23 ❒ ALWAYS ❒ MELTRIC Corporation ...... 72 NOV ...... 73 ❒ Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. .. 72 ❒ HAVE A Park Process ...... 72 ❒ Paxxo ...... 59 ❒ BDP Industries, Inc...... 37 ❒ CHOICE Robuschi USA ...... 17 ❒ Blue-White Industries ...... 2 ❒ Roto-Mix, LLC ...... 69 ❒ Boerger, LLC ...... 67 ❒ ScreenCO Bright Technologies, Division Systems of Sebright Products, Inc. ... 65 ❒ ScreenCo Systems LLC ...... 72 ❒ CEM Corporation ...... 50 ❒ SEEPEX Inc...... 23 ❒ Centrisys/CNP ...... 41 ❒ Duperon Corporation ...... 15 ❒ Smith & Loveless, Inc...... 11 ❒ Eagle Microsystems, Inc...... 71 ❒ Southern Valve & Fittings EleMech, Inc...... 5 ❒ USA, Inc...... 72 ❒ USP Technologies (formally US Peroxide) ...... 8 ❒ Enviro-Care Company ...... 31 ❒ Flottweg Separation Technology, Inc...... back cover ❒ Vaughan Company, Inc...... 29 ❒ Force Flow ...... 69 ❒ Vulcan Industries, Inc...... 51 ❒ Walker Process Equipment, ❒ HUBER Technology, Inc...... 9 ❒ A Div. of McNish Corp...... 37 ❒ Hurst Boiler ...... 7 ❒ WWETT Show ...... 74 YSI, a Xylem brand ...... 4 ❒

JDV Equipment Corporation 59 ❒ CLASSIFIEDS ...... 72

Keller America Inc...... 75 ❒ You have a choice in process monitoring.

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4 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR advertiser index AUGUST 2018

FREE FREE AdEdge Water INFO INFO Technologies, LLC ...... 21 ❒ Komline-Sanderson ...... 39 ❒ Aeration Industries International ...... 37 ❒ Kuhn North America, Inc...... 65 ❒

Aerzen ...... 27 ❒ Lakeside Equipment Corporation ...... 3 ❒ AllMax Software, Inc...... 19 ❒ Landia, Inc...... 43 ❒ American Water Works ❒ Markland Specialty Association ...... 59 Engineering Ltd...... 53 ❒ Anue Water Technologies, Inc. 23 ❒

MELTRIC Corporation ...... 72 ❒ NOV ...... 73 ❒ Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. .. 72 ❒ Park Process ...... 72 ❒ Paxxo ...... 59 ❒ BDP Industries, Inc...... 37 ❒ Robuschi USA ...... 17 ❒

Blue-White Industries ...... 2 ❒ Roto-Mix, LLC ...... 69 ❒ Boerger, LLC ...... 67 ❒ ScreenCO Bright Technologies, Division Systems of Sebright Products, Inc. ... 65 ❒ ScreenCo Systems LLC ...... 72 ❒ CEM Corporation ...... 50 ❒ SEEPEX Inc...... 23 ❒ Centrisys/CNP ...... 41 ❒ Duperon Corporation ...... 15 ❒ Smith & Loveless, Inc...... 11 ❒ Eagle Microsystems, Inc...... 71 ❒ Southern Valve & Fittings EleMech, Inc...... 5 ❒ USA, Inc...... 72 ❒ USP Technologies (formally US Peroxide) ...... 8 ❒ Enviro-Care Company ...... 31 ❒ Flottweg Separation Technology, Inc...... back cover ❒ Vaughan Company, Inc...... 29 ❒ Force Flow ...... 69 ❒ Vulcan Industries, Inc...... 51 ❒ Walker Process Equipment, ❒ HUBER Technology, Inc...... 9 ❒ A Div. of McNish Corp...... 37 ❒ Hurst Boiler ...... 7 ❒ WWETT Show ...... 74 YSI, a Xylem brand ...... 4 ❒

JDV Equipment Corporation 59 ❒ CLASSIFIEDS ...... 72

Keller America Inc...... 75 ❒

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FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX contents August 2018 top performers: WATER PLANT Page 24 All Hands on Task The team in Butte-Silver Bow took an active role in plant design, testing and startup. It has paid off in efficient performance and excellent water quality. By Jim Force

WASTEWATER BIOSOLIDS Page 12 To Boldly Go … The Lebanon Gasification Initiative breaks new ground in recovering resources 24 and driving a treatment plant toward self-sufficiency in renewable energy. 12 By Ted J. Rulseh

WASTEWATER PLANT Page 54 Keeping It Inside on the cover North Platte operators met the challenge of getting a temperamental new The Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling facility on track. Now they keep it running and save money by handling Facility converts solids from the projects in-house. Fort Wayne Water Pollution Control By Scottie Dayton Plant and the city’s Three Rivers 32 Water Filtration Plant into products WASTEWATER BIOSOLIDS Page 32 farmers and city residents can use to enhance ‘Every Day Is Earth Day’ their soils. “Our motto is, ‘Every day is Earth At Fort Wayne, the biosolids, water plant lime residuals, and solids from Day,’” says Brian Robinson, biosolids facility combined sewer overflow lagoons all make their way into products for 54 superintendent. “We try to live by that.” beneficial use. By Ted J. Rulseh

LET’S BE CLEAR Page 8 PLANTSCAPES Page 40 Water: Boosting the pressure Show Us Your Sign Art Celebrates Water By Craig Mandli The welcome sign in front of your facility can Sculpture, decorative fencing and watermarks give visitors a great impression. You’re invited highlight a newly expanded treatment plant WORTH NOTING Page 70 to send a picture of your sign to share with and a popular streamside trail. People/Awards, Events Treatment Plant Operator readers. By Jeff Smith By Ted J. Rulseh, Editor EXAM STUDY GUIDE Page 71 TECHNOLOGY DEEP DIVE Page 42 By Ron Trygar @TPOMAG.COM Page 10 De-ragging Differently Visit daily for exclusive news, features and blogs. A device inserted in a pump control panel INDUSTRY NEWS Page 71 regulates pump behavior to enable troublesome HEARTS AND MINDS Page 18 wipes to pass through. Book It! By Ted J. Rulseh coming next month: September 2018 A Write-Off Contest in a California water district FOCUS: lets middle school kids tell and illustrate stories Headworks and Biosolids Digital Technology/WEFTEC Pre-Show Issue Page 44 about water conservation and water quality. Management Directory �� Let’s Be Clear: Safety is boring. Or is it? By Ted J. Rulseh �� Top Performers: SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS Page 52 Water/Wastewater Operator: Chris Patterson, IN MY WORDS Page 20 Saving Both Ways Jacksonville, Alabama Warm Welcome The Great Neck Water Pollution Control District Water Plant: Island Water Treatment Plant in An Educational Lobby at Alexandria Renew drives down power consumption while pushing Sanibel, Florida Enterprises helps fulfill a vision of community up on-site power production. Wastewater Operators: Trailblazing women in engagement and waterway connections. By Steve Lund Richmond, Virginia By Ted J. Rulseh Wastewater Biosolids: Fort Wayne (Indiana) PRODUCT FOCUS Page 60 Biosolids Handling Facility HOW WE DO IT Page 30 Headworks and Biosolids Better Through Chemistry Management �� How We Do It: The value of a mock storm drill A compact biosolids system offers an alternative By Craig Mandli �� Sustainable Operations: Fast payback on cogenera- to aerobic digestion for a southeastern Florida tion in Fort Worth, Texas wastewater treatment plant. CASE STUDIES Page 64 �� In My Words: BAYWORK looks to fill the career By Scottie Dayton Headworks and Biosolids pipeline Management �� PlantScapes: Educational fence line exhibits in HOW WE DO IT Page 38 By Craig Mandli Alexandria, Virginia Sludge Buster �� A chopper pump with an aerator nozzle helps PRODUCT NEWS Page 68 Hearts and Minds: Model Water Tower Competi- tion for Florida students a small utility district eliminate troublesome Product Spotlights: buildups and cure odors in a key lift station. Wastewater: Versatile instrument measures �� Technology Deep Dive: A new approach to tank, By Chris French flow in industrial settings basin and digester mixing

6 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR contents August 2018 top performers: WATER PLANT Page 24 All Hands on Task The team in Butte-Silver Bow took an active role in plant design, testing and startup. It has paid off in efficient performance and excellent water quality. By Jim Force

FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX tpomag.com August 2018 7 let’s be clear

A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT Show Us Your Sign A great sign isn’t necessarily cheap, but going without one for that reason may well be a case of false economy. THE WELCOME SIGN IN FRONT OF YOUR FACILITY Besides, many plant operators are quite handy. If a local CAN GIVE VISITORS A GREAT IMPRESSION. YOU’RE designer can be hired to create a concept for a sign, chances are plant team members can conspire to handle at least part INVITED TO SEND A PICTURE OF YOUR SIGN TO SHARE of the execution, such as the installation and the related WITH TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR READERS. plantings of flowers and shrubs. So, what do you say? What’s your sign like? Do you have By Ted J. Rulseh, Editor one? Is it just the plant name routed into plain-looking boards? Or is it something with true eye appeal? Something that ver since my son was little, we’ve had fun conveys at a glance the purpose of your facility? A water pointing out business signs with letters miss- droplet? A glass of water? A leaping fish? A scenic riverscape? Eing. A big-box store for months advertised One Hour Phot (the “o” was missing from “Photo”). Once TAKE A PICTURE. SEND IT IN. a butcher shop touted Bee Tenderloin. I think you If you are proud of your plant sign, Treatment Plant know what that should have said. Operator invites you to share it. You’ll earn some credit from It has often amazed me that some businesses pay your peers, and you might inspire other plant teams to cre- so little attention to their signage. A letter falls off. ate signs of their own and put their best face forward. The light inside a letter burns out. Weeks and months If you want to contribute, just take a digital photo of FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX go by and it doesn’t get fixed. What does that kind of your sign, with your team members around it if you wish, neglect say to prospective customers? Whatever it is, and send it to me at [email protected]. We’ll publish it can’t be good. some of the most striking, most meaningful examples of great signage. I’m looking forward to seeing examples of DEDICATED TO WASTEWATER & WATER TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS BEST FACE FORWARD some of the best signs our industry has to offer. Published monthly by COLE Publishing, Inc. A sign means a lot. It’s often the first thing a customer sees. 1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd., P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 A sign with letters missing, or with faded, peeling paint, Call toll free 800-257-7222 / Outside of U.S. or Canada call 715-546-3346 Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CST might be better than no sign at all. But consider the impact Like something? Hate something? Agree? Disagree? Website: www.tpomag.com / Email: [email protected] / Fax: 715-546-3786 of a colorful, appealing sign, well-maintained. That’s bound Share your opinions about TPO articles through our Letters to the Editor. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: A one year (12 issues) subscription to TPOTM in the United to give a customer a positive vibe States and Canada is FREE to qualified subscribers. A qualified subscriber is any individual on the way in the door. Send a note to [email protected] or company in the United States or Canada that partakes in the consulting, design, installation, manufacture, management or operation of wastewater and water treatment facilities. ven though you’re Signs are also important to water To subscribe, return the subscription card attached to each issue, visit tpomag.com or call and wastewater treatment plants. 800-257-7222. not there to do Even though you’re not there to do Non-qualified subscriptions are available at a cost of $60 per year in the United States and E Canada/Mexico and $150 per year to all other foreign countries. To subscribe, visit tpomag.com retail business, you still want your or send company name, mailing address, phone number and check or money order retail business, you still (U.S. funds payable to COLE Publishing Inc.) to the address above. MasterCard, VISA and customers (community residents) Discover are also accepted. Include credit card information with your order. want your customers to see you in the best possible light. ADDRESS CHANGES: Submit to TPO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562; call 800-257- A great welcome sign can help. 7222 (715-546-3346); fax to 715-546-3786; or email [email protected]. Include both old and new addresses. (community residents) It’s true that many treatment Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected companies whose plants are in low-traffic areas; in products or services may be of interest to you. Your privacy is important to us. If you prefer to see you in the best not to be a part of these lists, please contact Nicole at [email protected]. such cases, a sign might not seem essential. But one could easily ADVERTISING RATES: Call 800-994-7990 and ask for Phil or Kim or email phil.hahn@cole possible light. A great publishing.com or [email protected] Publisher reserves the right to reject argue that’s where a sign is espe- advertising which in its opinion is misleading, unfair or incompatible with the character of the publication. welcome sign can help. cially important since without one, many if not most people have no EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Address to Editor, TPO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 or email [email protected]. idea the plant is there. If you want REPRINTS AND BACK ISSUES: Visit www.tpomag.com for options and pricing. To order people to support the rate increase for that near-future plant Are you ingenious? reprints, call Jeff Lane at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email [email protected]. upgrade, it helps if people start out with some idea that the To order back issues, call Nicole at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email nicole.labeau@ Have you solved a tough problem with a creative solution? colepublishing.com. plant exists, what it’s there for, and what you do. Share your story with 68,000 other professionals. CIRCULATION: 68,746 copies per month. So, why not have a sign — an eye-catching, attractive © 2018 COLE PUBLISHING INC. one — not just in front of your building, but at the begin- Send a note to [email protected] or call 877-953-3301 No part may be reproduced without permission of publisher. ning of the road or long driveway that leads to your plant? |

8 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR let’s be clear

A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT Remove debris. Show Us Your Sign A great sign isn’t necessarily cheap, but going without one for that reason may well be a case of false economy. Reduce maintenance. THE WELCOME SIGN IN FRONT OF YOUR FACILITY Besides, many plant operators are quite handy. If a local CAN GIVE VISITORS A GREAT IMPRESSION. YOU’RE designer can be hired to create a concept for a sign, chances Easy operation. are plant team members can conspire to handle at least part INVITED TO SEND A PICTURE OF YOUR SIGN TO SHARE of the execution, such as the installation and the related The STRAINPRESS® Sludge Screener removes WITH TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR READERS. plantings of flowers and shrubs. So, what do you say? What’s your sign like? Do you have debris without breaking line pressure. Cleaner By Ted J. Rulseh, Editor one? Is it just the plant name routed into plain-looking boards? sludge reduces downstream maintenance and Or is it something with true eye appeal? Something that protects other delicate parts of your water conveys at a glance the purpose of your facility? A water ver since my son was little, we’ve had fun treatment system. Simple, fully automated droplet? A glass of water? A leaping fish? A scenic riverscape? pointing out business signs with letters miss- operation ensures the minimal use of manpower ing. A big-box store for months advertised One E resources and attention. Hour Phot (the “o” was missing from “Photo”). Once TAKE A PICTURE. SEND IT IN. a butcher shop touted Bee Tenderloin. I think you If you are proud of your plant sign, Treatment Plant know what that should have said. Operator invites you to share it. You’ll earn some credit from See how it works at: It has often amazed me that some businesses pay your peers, and you might inspire other plant teams to cre- so little attention to their signage. A letter falls off. ate signs of their own and put their best face forward. huberforum.net/strainpress The light inside a letter burns out. Weeks and months If you want to contribute, just take a digital photo of go by and it doesn’t get fixed. What does that kind of your sign, with your team members around it if you wish, [email protected] neglect say to prospective customers? Whatever it is, and send it to me at [email protected]. We’ll publish 704-990-2053 it can’t be good. some of the most striking, most meaningful examples of great signage. I’m looking forward to seeing examples of DEDICATED TO WASTEWATER & WATER TREATMENT PROFESSIONALS BEST FACE FORWARD some of the best signs our industry has to offer. Published monthly by COLE Publishing, Inc. A sign means a lot. It’s often the first thing a customer sees. 1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd., P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 A sign with letters missing, or with faded, peeling paint, Call toll free 800-257-7222 / Outside of U.S. or Canada call 715-546-3346 Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CST might be better than no sign at all. But consider the impact Like something? Hate something? Agree? Disagree? Website: www.tpomag.com / Email: [email protected] / Fax: 715-546-3786 of a colorful, appealing sign, well-maintained. That’s bound Share your opinions about TPO articles through our Letters to the Editor. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: A one year (12 issues) subscription to TPOTM in the United to give a customer a positive vibe States and Canada is FREE to qualified subscribers. A qualified subscriber is any individual on the way in the door. Send a note to [email protected] or company in the United States or Canada that partakes in the consulting, design, installation, manufacture, management or operation of wastewater and water treatment facilities. ven though you’re Signs are also important to water To subscribe, return the subscription card attached to each issue, visit tpomag.com or call and wastewater treatment plants. 800-257-7222. not there to do Even though you’re not there to do Non-qualified subscriptions are available at a cost of $60 per year in the United States and E Canada/Mexico and $150 per year to all other foreign countries. To subscribe, visit tpomag.com retail business, you still want your or send company name, mailing address, phone number and check or money order retail business, you still (U.S. funds payable to COLE Publishing Inc.) to the address above. MasterCard, VISA and customers (community residents) Discover are also accepted. Include credit card information with your order. want your customers to see you in the best possible light. ADDRESS CHANGES: Submit to TPO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562; call 800-257- A great welcome sign can help. 7222 (715-546-3346); fax to 715-546-3786; or email [email protected]. Include both old and new addresses. (community residents) It’s true that many treatment Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected companies whose plants are in low-traffic areas; in products or services may be of interest to you. Your privacy is important to us. If you prefer to see you in the best not to be a part of these lists, please contact Nicole at [email protected]. such cases, a sign might not seem essential. But one could easily ADVERTISING RATES: Call 800-994-7990 and ask for Phil or Kim or email phil.hahn@cole possible light. A great publishing.com or [email protected] Publisher reserves the right to reject argue that’s where a sign is espe- advertising which in its opinion is misleading, unfair or incompatible with the character of the publication. welcome sign can help. cially important since without one, many if not most people have no EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Address to Editor, TPO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 or email [email protected]. idea the plant is there. If you want REPRINTS AND BACK ISSUES: Visit www.tpomag.com for options and pricing. To order people to support the rate increase for that near-future plant Are you ingenious? reprints, call Jeff Lane at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email [email protected]. upgrade, it helps if people start out with some idea that the To order back issues, call Nicole at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email nicole.labeau@ Have you solved a tough problem with a creative solution? colepublishing.com. plant exists, what it’s there for, and what you do. Share your story with 68,000 other professionals. CIRCULATION: 68,746 copies per month. So, why not have a sign — an eye-catching, attractive WASTE WATER Solutions © 2018 COLE PUBLISHING INC. one — not just in front of your building, but at the begin- Send a note to [email protected] or call 877-953-3301 No part may be reproduced without permission of publisher. ning of the road or long driveway that leads to your plant? | FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX

tpomag.com August 2018 9 @tpomag.com

Visit the site daily for new, exclusive content. Read our blogs, find resources and get the most out of TPO magazine.

OVERHEARD ONLINE “Silver nanoparticles are“ being incorporated into a range of products including wound dressings, clothing, “water filters, toothpaste and even children’s toys.” How Silver Nanoparticles Are Interfering With Wastewater Treatment tpomag.com/featured

PARACETIC ACID An Unexpected Savior No one at the Berkeley Heights sewer department was familiar with paracetic acid — that is until they heard it could save them $1 million. Facing permit regulations that required a new disinfection process, Berkeley Heights managers CRYPTOSPORIDIUM CRISIS thought they were relegated to an expensive UV disinfection system until sewer Remembering Milwaukee’s Outbreak department superintendent It’s every treatment plant’s worst nightmare: the people you serve Tom McAndrew started getting sick from your plant’s water. The most potent example of looking into paracetic acid this is the Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak of 1993. This disinfection. April marked 25 years since the infamous epidemic, which was tpomag.com/featured likely the largest waterborne illness outbreak in U.S. history. Coming back from such a disaster takes fortitude and commitment — and for the city of Milwaukee — over $90 million in immediate treatment upgrades. tpomag.com/featured Join the Discussion ACE18 HIGHLIGHTS Facebook.com/tpomag Twitter.com/tpomag Networking Opportunities An estimated 12,000 water experts from around the Emails & Alerts world gathered for the 137th American Water Works Visit tpomag.com and sign Association Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE18) up for newsletters and alerts. You’ll at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas in mid-June. Check out get exclusive content delivered right this online exclusive article to see some photos from the to your inbox and stay in the loop event and read about the highlights. on topics important to you. tpomag.com/featured

10 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR @tpomag.com

Visit the site daily for new, exclusive content. Read our blogs, find resources and get the most out of TPO magazine.

FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX top performer wastewater: BIOSOLIDS

The Lebanon Gasification Initiative converts wastewater biosolids and wood waste into electricity, reducing greenhouse gases and the amount of material sent to landfill. To Boldly Go... THE LEBANON GASIFICATION INITIATIVE BREAKS NEW GROUND IN RECOVERING RESOURCES AND DRIVING A TREATMENT PLANT TOWARD SELF-SUFFICIENCY IN RENEWABLE ENERGY

STORY: Ted J. Rulseh PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin Cherry

IT STARTED WITH A LANDFILL RUNNING OUT OF RUNNING OUT OF ROOM space and on borrowed time. It ended with an energy plant that each year The wastewater treatment plant wasn’t the driver behind the gasification diverts an amount of landfill waste equivalent to the cargo in a line of semi- project. Lebanon, a growing community of nearly 33,000 about 30 miles east of trucks 4 miles long. Nashville, already produced Class A biosolids in an autoheated thermophilic In the bargain, the plant produces one-third of a wastewater treatment aerobic digestion, or ATAD, process and applied the material to cropland. plant’s electricity and yields 1.6 tons per day of biochar, a product with com- “Landfills are filling up, and many rapidly developing cities like Leba- mercial value as a farm soil amendment and for other purposes. It’s also non are having that problem,” McRae says. “Our landfill had eight years left. clean, producing air emissions similar to those of natural gas and eliminat- Our city was searching for alternative ways to manage waste.” ing annual carbon emissions equivalent to taking 450 cars off the road. City officials looked at various energy plant designs, some that looked That’s the Lebanon (Tennessee) Gasification Initiative, in operation since good on paper but were not commercially proven, others with excessive oper- October 2016. The gasification plant consumes dewatered biosolids, shred- ating costs. Aries Clean Energy proposed a technology already in use in Cov- ded tires, and wood chips made from recycled pallets and shipping crates, ington, half an hour northeast of Memphis. Lebanon officials paid a visit, totaling 32 tons per day. An array of 3,192 solar panels adds a megawatt of liked what they saw, and found the Aries Clean Energy team credible. They power generation capacity for the wastewater treatment plant. signed a contract with Aries Clean Energy and broke ground for the gasifi- Scott McRae, project manager for the City of Lebanon, credits the proj- cation plant in October 2015. The city then hired McRae, to manage instal- ect’s success to a public-private partnership involving Aries Clean Energy, lation, operations and logistics. provider of the gasification technology, and Rockwood Recycling, which pro- It’s been like Star Trek. We’re going into frontiers never before seen.” duces the wood and tire chips that feed the facility, which ranks as the world’s PROCESSING BIOSOLIDS SCOTT McRAE largest downdraft gasifier. “It’s been like Star Trek,” McRae says. “We’re The gasification facility stands on the site of the Lebanon Wastewater going into frontiers never before seen.” Treatment Plant (10 mgd design/6 mgd average flow), which discharges to ‘‘ The wood is shredded by a contractor and delivered to the gasification facility.

12 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR top performer wastewater: BIOSOLIDS

STORY: Ted J. Rulseh PHOTOGRAPHY: Martin Cherry

tpomag.com August 2018 13 the Cumberland River. The facility uses an extended aeration activated Shutting down the ATAD will save about $250,000 per year on electricity. sludge process. “Our city leaders deserve a lot of credit for taking on this project,” Dranes Waste activated sludge passes through a rotary drum thickener (Hycor) says. “It’s quite innovative.” EVERYDAY PROUD TO SERVE THOSE WHO that yields material at 5 to 6 percent solids. It then enters the ATAD process, after which it is further dewatered in a centrifuge (Andritz Separation), yield- FINDING THE WOOD ing a dry product with the appearance of coffee grounds, according to Billy The key challenge in bringing the gasifier project to fruition was procur- WATER Dranes, treatment plant manager. ing the primary fuel. “Within the first few weeks of the project, I knew we As of late 2017, about 10 percent of that material was being mixed with needed 15 truckloads of wood a day,” says McRae, who came to his role with HEROES tires and wood chips and fed to the gasifier; the balance was still being land- experience in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. “You want to talk about Protect Our Water applied. The ultimate goal is to gasify all the biosolids; the amount is being some sleepless nights wondering where that volume would come from?” ramped up gradually as the process is fine-tuned. “Once we’re able to feed The original plan was to use wood chips from tree trimmings, but that all the biosolids to the gasifier, we will shut the ATAD down,” Dranes says. source was seasonal and not reliable. Instead, McRae focused on discarded “I’m interested in saving money. The treatment plant has about a $50,000 pallets and shipping containers, then being landfilled. The city struck an monthly electric bill, and the ATAD accounts for about one-third of that.” agreement in which Rockwood purchased a grinder and delivers the chipped wood to the gasifier. Lebanon representatives then approached community businesses, chiefly automotive manufacturers and suppliers, offering to take Scott McRae, project manager, is pleased with Lebanon’s success in finding their pallets for about the same cost as landfilling. waste management alternatives. “Our proposal was, ‘You send them to us, we’ll grind them up, and you’ll get some green credit for it,’” says Lincoln Young, director at Rockwood. “They loved it. By the time we got to the second or third door, we didn’t have to walk in with any explanation. The word had already spread. We had a 44-mile radius circled on the map showing how far we could go to collect the wood economically. We drew a new circle at 22 miles because the response was so great.” Rockwood also collects and grinds the discarded tires. “This project created a recycling option right here in Lebanon that did not previ- ously exist,” Young adds.

INSIDE THE GASIFIER Gasifier fuel is delivered in trucks and unloaded into two storage containers that can hold a 1.5-day supply of feedstock. The material is fed into the gasifier where it is thermochemically broken down. “At the belly of the beast, it’s about 1,800 degrees F,” McRae says. “There is no flame. We pump in oxygen at a rate 75 percent below the value required for ignition. The oxygen catalyzes superheat, but not fire.” Under the intense heat, the wood chips (roughly 2-inch cubes) are con- verted into a gas that is released and is burned in a thermal oxidizer. The hot combustion gases then pass across a heat exchanger to heat water. In turn, this water enters three 140 kW organic Rankine cycle units. By way of another heat exchanger, the water vaporizes industrial Freon, which then spins turbines to produce electricity. (continued)

Within the first few weeks of the project, I knew we needed 15 truckloads of wood a We serve an industry of everyday water heroes whose everyday job matters. ‘‘day. You want to talk about some sleepless nights Duperon is designed with your mission in mind. wondering where that volume would come from?” SCOTT McRAE

HONORS GALORE

14 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR the Cumberland River. The facility uses an extended aeration activated Shutting down the ATAD will save about $250,000 per year on electricity. sludge process. “Our city leaders deserve a lot of credit for taking on this project,” Dranes Waste activated sludge passes through a rotary drum thickener (Hycor) says. “It’s quite innovative.” EVERYDAY PROUD TO SERVE THOSE WHO that yields material at 5 to 6 percent solids. It then enters the ATAD process, after which it is further dewatered in a centrifuge (Andritz Separation), yield- FINDING THE WOOD ing a dry product with the appearance of coffee grounds, according to Billy The key challenge in bringing the gasifier project to fruition was procur- WATER Dranes, treatment plant manager. ing the primary fuel. “Within the first few weeks of the project, I knew we As of late 2017, about 10 percent of that material was being mixed with needed 15 truckloads of wood a day,” says McRae, who came to his role with HEROES tires and wood chips and fed to the gasifier; the balance was still being land- experience in the corporate and nonprofit worlds. “You want to talk about Protect Our Water applied. The ultimate goal is to gasify all the biosolids; the amount is being some sleepless nights wondering where that volume would come from?” ramped up gradually as the process is fine-tuned. “Once we’re able to feed The original plan was to use wood chips from tree trimmings, but that all the biosolids to the gasifier, we will shut the ATAD down,” Dranes says. source was seasonal and not reliable. Instead, McRae focused on discarded “I’m interested in saving money. The treatment plant has about a $50,000 pallets and shipping containers, then being landfilled. The city struck an monthly electric bill, and the ATAD accounts for about one-third of that.” agreement in which Rockwood purchased a grinder and delivers the chipped wood to the gasifier. Lebanon representatives then approached community businesses, chiefly automotive manufacturers and suppliers, offering to take Scott McRae, project manager, is pleased with Lebanon’s success in finding their pallets for about the same cost as landfilling. waste management alternatives. “Our proposal was, ‘You send them to us, we’ll grind them up, and you’ll get some green credit for it,’” says Lincoln Young, director at Rockwood. “They loved it. By the time we got to the second or third door, we didn’t have to walk in with any explanation. The word had already spread. We had a 44-mile radius circled on the map showing how far we could go to collect the wood economically. We drew a new circle at 22 miles because the response was so great.” Rockwood also collects and grinds the discarded tires. “This project created a recycling option right here in Lebanon that did not previ- ously exist,” Young adds.

HONORS GALORE

The Lebanon (Tennessee) Gasification Initiative is accumulating outstanding planning, construction and management. With that VISIT US AT WEFTEC BOOTH 6639 enough awards to fill an office wall. Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam came nomination for the National American Public Works Associa- recognized it with a 2016 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship tion Top Ten Projects of the Year. Award for Energy and Renewable Resources. The initiative was In addition, the initiative has received a Project of the Year named the Top Project of 2017 in the Environmental Leader Product accolade from Industrial Wastewater Digest and a Local Govern- and Project Awards. ment Award for Public Works & Utility Infrastructure from the The facility also won Project of the Year honors from the Greater Nashville Regional Council. Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association for www.duperon.com | 800.383.8479 | [email protected] FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX by the numbers Lebanon (Tennessee) Gasification Initiative 16,000,000: Pounds of waste diverted annually from landfill 312: Homes that could be supplied by the gasification plant’s electricity 32: Tons of wood, tires and biosolids fed to the gasifier daily 450: Equivalent of cars’ emissions eliminated 1.6: Tons of biochar produced daily 3,192: Solar panels on the wastewater treatment plant property

The entire gasification and power production process is highly automated. McRae serves as chief operator, and wastewater treatment plant team members Jesse Gilliam and Don Wheeler share time rounding out the operations team.

REAPING THE REWARDS The gasification initiative removes some 16 million pounds of waste from the landfill, helping to extend its life. The process consistently generates SITTING ON TREASURE more than 300 kW of electricity and at times operates at the full 420 kW capacity. It fulfills about a third of the wastewater treatment plant’s power The byproduct of Lebanon’s gasification process in Tennessee needs; the shutdown of the ATAD process will reduce the treatment plant’s is a commodity with potentially high value — environmental power demand by one-third. and economic. “The solar panels will take care of another third of the plant’s electrical The gasification step reduces wood chips to biochar particles, consumption,” McRae says. “On a good sunny day, we should be turning the about the size of a pencil eraser, containing about 68 percent electric meter backward.” Mayor Bernie Ash adds, “With the completion of the solar panel instal- carbon and various plant nutrients, and with excellent capacity to lation at the wastewater treatment plant, this facility is in a unique position absorb and hold water. For the time being, Scott McRae, project when compared to other cities our size. The leaders of this city don’t just talk manager, has chosen to store the biochar while he seeks to about being green. We’ve actually taken huge steps to increase green energy extract the highest possible market price for it. generation.” “Biochar has value,” McRae says. “On the West Coast, people And the green energy quest isn’t over. “This is part of a bigger vision for scoop it up. Here, we have to build the market. One possible route the future,” McRae says. “Now that we’ve proven the technology, as a next is to sell to a nearby incinerator, but the operator would expect step I would love to see three or four of these units in a chain reaction, where both a low price and a long-term supply contract. In terms of we would take all our municipal solid waste, dump it into a sorting station, revenue, the farming community is much more promising.” remove the glass and metals, pelletize the remainder, and then gasify it to The material can help farm soil retain moisture and provide make more electricity and more biochar, and eliminate more waste going to landfills. Pretty much anything that can be consumed in a fire can be gas- slow nutrient release to sustain crops through dry spells. How- ified — even food waste, once you eliminate the moisture content.” ever, at present, local farmers are skeptical: “They would take it if It’s a vision Lebanon and its residents can carry into the future. we gave it to them.” In response, he’s working on two research projects with the University of Tennessee to generate hard data showing that biochar can reduce commercial fertilizer costs, improve crop yields, and enable crops to germinate earlier. Biochar can also be used as floor covering in commercial-scale chicken houses to absorb airborne ammonia, reducing the need for ventilation and helping keep the chickens healthy. The project’s high-volume biochar production presents a challenge in finding enough users, but for now, McRae is being patient: “There’s no harm in storing it for now. We need to get the market jump-started because there is a lot of revenue potential.”

16 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR by the numbers Lebanon (Tennessee) Gasification Initiative 16,000,000: Pounds of waste diverted annually from landfill 312: Homes that could be supplied by the gasification plant’s electricity 32: Tons of wood, tires and biosolids fed to the gasifier daily 450: Equivalent of cars’ emissions eliminated 1.6: Tons of biochar produced daily 3,192: Solar panels on the wastewater treatment plant property

featured products from: Andritz Separation, Inc. Aries Clean Energy 800-433-5161 615-471-9299 The majority of the wood waste used in the gasification facility comes from www.andritz.com/separation www.ariesenergy.com used pallets, a more reliable source than tree trimmings. FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX HEARTS Along with that, Ortloff engages a company called Exceed, which employs AND MINDS developmentally disabled adults, to create a plush character based on the books (for example, Gobi the water drop and the 2018 character, Beatrice the bee). “I include the plush character as part of the packet,” Ortloff says. “The Otis the turtle was the subject of a kids sign up to take a character home overnight. Whatever the topic is, they contest winner and the model for share it with their families and then write about the experience on journal a plush character. sheets. The teacher sends all the journal sheets back to us. We copy and bind them and bring the booklets back for the kids.” In all, the Write-Off Contest and related presentations touch about 50 schools and 4,000 students each year. Past years’ themes have included the water cycle, groundwater recharge, water conservation, and tap water quality.

Book It! A WRITE-OFF CONTEST IN A CALIFORNIA WATER DISTRICT LETS MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS TELL AND ILLUSTRATE STORIES ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER QUALITY

By Ted J. Rulseh

ater droplets Gobi and Aguat live in a cloud as best friends. They through the writing contest, a poster contest, a theater assembly program, pre- fall as rain and get separated, Gobi happily living in a fishbowl and sentations, field trips, career days, community events, Student of the Month WAguat spilled from a hose on the lawn by the Water Waster. In the programs, workshops, and other activities. end, the Water Waster reforms and the friends reunite in the fishbowl. That’s the plot of a winning story from the Write-Off Contest held VITAL MESSAGES annually for middle school students by Eastern Municipal Water District The Eastern Municipal Water District delivers water to some 804,000 Students from Lakeside Middle School won the 2017 Write-Off Contest around and Rancho California Water District in Southern California. Kids write residents in a 555-square-mile area of western Riverside County. More than the theme of purified water replenishment. Front row (from left) are Arthur and illustrate storybooks for elementary-school readers on a variety of top- 600 employees operate facilities that include two freshwater filtration Marquez, Mariana Noriega, Alannah Witte, and teacher Shawna Yancy; back row: Joseph J. Kuebler and Philip Paule (Eastern Municipal Water District ics including water quality and water conservation. plants, two groundwater desalters, 28 wells, 78 water storage tanks, four board members), Suzanne Stotlar (Val Verde Unified School District board Now in its 11th year under the leadership of Malea Ortloff, public affairs water reclamation facilities with a combined 70 mgd capacity, and a recy- member), and Darrin Watters (school district deputy superintendent). The officer for education at Eastern Municipal Water District, the contest draws cled water distribution system. story title was Gobi, Aguat, and Savvy Get Squeaky Clean Again. entries that sometimes number in the hundreds. Each year’s contest has a Water is a precious commodity in Southern California, and that makes topic theme — for 2018, it was honeybees and water-wise gardens. water education vital, starting at young ages, Ortloff observes: “I’ve been The contest dovetails with the Eastern Municipal Water District’s mul- with the district since 1985. In 2004 when I got my current job, I wanted to The 2018 contest connects water-wise gardens with honeybees, in keeping tifaceted education program, which reaches about 67,000 students per year do something for middle school kids because sometimes they get left out. with the district’s policy of protecting bees in view of their declining popu- That’s when they start changing classes, and field trips are more difficult to lation. “If we go to a tank site or other work site where there are bees, we organize. So I created the Write-Off Contest.” won’t exterminate them,” Ortloff says. “We contact a beekeeper to move them. The district invites students from about 50 middle schools in its terri- We’re teaching kids that bees are not something to be afraid of. We had about tory to submit illustrated stories of 500 to 1,000 words, written for grades 500 students from 12 schools participate, and we received about 300 stories.” K-5. Stories must include a central character. Students can work alone or in In the winning story, a young girl who was stung by a bee in second groups of up to four. The stories are judged by Ortloff and her assistant grade wastes water spraying bees in her yard to get rid of them. Her dad Ailene Earl, Rancho California district representatives Meggan Valencia tries to get her to stop. That night in a dream she becomes a bee, and another and Grace Cardenas, teacher Teresa Barnett, and volunteer Vicki Owens. bee named Beatrice teaches her about the importance of bees and saving They typically choose one winner but sometimes select more. Designer water. She grows up to become a beekeeper. Jennifer Wahl puts the winning books together; the district does the print- The authors were Natalia Fernandez, Jude McLean and Paulina Ortega; the Education Center on the property, view demonstrations involving non- ing in-house. Ultimately, hundreds of copies are printed. illustrator was Vanessa Ycu, and their teacher was Juan Jimenez, all from point source and groundwater pollution, and take part in hands-on activities. The winning authors, illustrators and their teachers are honored at a Vista Verde Middle School. Ortloff is gratified by teachers’ embrace of the entire education program: Student Recognition Event. The students receive an iPad mini or Chrome- “We get very good word-of-mouth, and this program has been going on for book, copies of the book, and a trophy; teachers get books and a gift card. BIGGER PICTURE a long time, and everything about The winning books are distributed to elementary schools and libraries and Ortloff sees the Write-Off Contest as part of an education program based it is free. Teachers see the quality of are available as e-books on the district website. on building blocks: “I like to see the kids when they’re in kindergarten and it and are pleasantly surprised. It What’s Your Story? first grade start building their knowledge, so by the time they come out for makes me feel really good that they BEYOND PUBLISHING a field trip, they understand the whole water portfolio — not just that they keep coming back year after year. TPO welcomes news about your The Write-Off program doesn’t end there. “After the contest, I take the need to save water, but that saving water impacts everything down the line.” It’s a really nice thing we get to do public education and community books and develop a curriculum packet around them,” Ortloff says. “Then Field trips, so popular they are booked two years in advance, include a for our schools. We have a great outreach efforts for future articles in the Hearts and Minds column.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EASTERN MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT I go into the elementary schools with the stories and do presentations.” tour of the Eastern Municipal Water District’s San Jacinto Valley Regional board that supports education.” Send your ideas to editor@tpo Besides the book, the packet includes worksheets; pages to color; an educa- Water Reclamation Facility, including constructed wetlands that are part of Malea Ortloff displays a number of the books and related materials that mag.com or call 877-953-3301. have been produced as part of the Write-Off Contest. tional CD, word jumble and maze; and other activities. the treatment process and also provide a habitat for birds. The kids also visit

18 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR HEARTS Along with that, Ortloff engages a company called Exceed, which employs AND MINDS developmentally disabled adults, to create a plush character based on the books (for example, Gobi the water drop and the 2018 character, Beatrice the bee). “I include the plush character as part of the packet,” Ortloff says. “The AllMax Software can Otis the turtle was the subject of a kids sign up to take a character home overnight. Whatever the topic is, they contest winner and the model for share it with their families and then write about the experience on journal a plush character. sheets. The teacher sends all the journal sheets back to us. We copy and save you time and make bind them and bring the booklets back for the kids.” In all, the Write-Off Contest and related presentations touch about 50 your job easier! schools and 4,000 students each year. Past years’ themes have included the water cycle, groundwater recharge, water conservation, and tap water quality. Contact us today to find out how. Book It! A WRITE-OFF CONTEST IN A CALIFORNIA WATER DISTRICT LETS MIDDLE SCHOOL KIDS TELL AND ILLUSTRATE STORIES ABOUT WATER CONSERVATION AND WATER QUALITY

By Ted J. Rulseh ater droplets Gobi and Aguat live in a cloud as best friends. They through the writing contest, a poster contest, a theater assembly program, pre- fall as rain and get separated, Gobi happily living in a fishbowl and sentations, field trips, career days, community events, Student of the Month Aguat spilled from a hose on the lawn by the Water Waster. In the programs, workshops, and other activities. W 2018 end, the Water Waster reforms and the friends reunite in the fishbowl. Booth 3947 That’s the plot of a winning story from the Write-Off Contest held VITAL MESSAGES annually for middle school students by Eastern Municipal Water District The Eastern Municipal Water District delivers water to some 804,000 Students from Lakeside Middle School won the 2017 Write-Off Contest around and Rancho California Water District in Southern California. Kids write residents in a 555-square-mile area of western Riverside County. More than the theme of purified water replenishment. Front row (from left) are Arthur and illustrate storybooks for elementary-school readers on a variety of top- 600 employees operate facilities that include two freshwater filtration Marquez, Mariana Noriega, Alannah Witte, and teacher Shawna Yancy; back row: Joseph J. Kuebler and Philip Paule (Eastern Municipal Water District ics including water quality and water conservation. plants, two groundwater desalters, 28 wells, 78 water storage tanks, four board members), Suzanne Stotlar (Val Verde Unified School District board Now in its 11th year under the leadership of Malea Ortloff, public affairs water reclamation facilities with a combined 70 mgd capacity, and a recy- member), and Darrin Watters (school district deputy superintendent). The officer for education at Eastern Municipal Water District, the contest draws cled water distribution system. story title was Gobi, Aguat, and Savvy Get Squeaky Clean Again. entries that sometimes number in the hundreds. Each year’s contest has a Water is a precious commodity in Southern California, and that makes topic theme — for 2018, it was honeybees and water-wise gardens. water education vital, starting at young ages, Ortloff observes: “I’ve been The contest dovetails with the Eastern Municipal Water District’s mul- with the district since 1985. In 2004 when I got my current job, I wanted to The 2018 contest connects water-wise gardens with honeybees, in keeping tifaceted education program, which reaches about 67,000 students per year do something for middle school kids because sometimes they get left out. with the district’s policy of protecting bees in view of their declining popu- That’s when they start changing classes, and field trips are more difficult to lation. “If we go to a tank site or other work site where there are bees, we organize. So I created the Write-Off Contest.” won’t exterminate them,” Ortloff says. “We contact a beekeeper to move them. The district invites students from about 50 middle schools in its terri- We’re teaching kids that bees are not something to be afraid of. We had about tory to submit illustrated stories of 500 to 1,000 words, written for grades 500 students from 12 schools participate, and we received about 300 stories.” K-5. Stories must include a central character. Students can work alone or in In the winning story, a young girl who was stung by a bee in second www.allmaxsoftware.com groups of up to four. The stories are judged by Ortloff and her assistant grade wastes water spraying bees in her yard to get rid of them. Her dad 800-670-1867 [email protected] Ailene Earl, Rancho California district representatives Meggan Valencia tries to get her to stop. That night in a dream she becomes a bee, and another and Grace Cardenas, teacher Teresa Barnett, and volunteer Vicki Owens. bee named Beatrice teaches her about the importance of bees and saving FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX They typically choose one winner but sometimes select more. Designer water. She grows up to become a beekeeper. Jennifer Wahl puts the winning books together; the district does the print- The authors were Natalia Fernandez, Jude McLean and Paulina Ortega; the Education Center on the property, view demonstrations involving non- ing in-house. Ultimately, hundreds of copies are printed. illustrator was Vanessa Ycu, and their teacher was Juan Jimenez, all from point source and groundwater pollution, and take part in hands-on activities. The winning authors, illustrators and their teachers are honored at a Vista Verde Middle School. Ortloff is gratified by teachers’ embrace of the entire education program: Student Recognition Event. The students receive an iPad mini or Chrome- “We get very good word-of-mouth, and this program has been going on for book, copies of the book, and a trophy; teachers get books and a gift card. BIGGER PICTURE a long time, and everything about The winning books are distributed to elementary schools and libraries and Ortloff sees the Write-Off Contest as part of an education program based it is free. Teachers see the quality of are available as e-books on the district website. on building blocks: “I like to see the kids when they’re in kindergarten and it and are pleasantly surprised. It What’s Your Story? first grade start building their knowledge, so by the time they come out for makes me feel really good that they BEYOND PUBLISHING a field trip, they understand the whole water portfolio — not just that they keep coming back year after year. TPO welcomes news about your The Write-Off program doesn’t end there. “After the contest, I take the need to save water, but that saving water impacts everything down the line.” It’s a really nice thing we get to do public education and community books and develop a curriculum packet around them,” Ortloff says. “Then Field trips, so popular they are booked two years in advance, include a for our schools. We have a great outreach efforts for future articles in the Hearts and Minds column.

tpomag.com August 2018 19 IN MY WORDS ARSENIC PHOTO BY JEFF MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT

Warm Welcome A GAME AN EDUCATIONAL LOBBY AT ALEXANDRIA RENEW ENTERPRISES HELPS FULFILL A VISION Ready to make the right move? OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND AdEdge is your one-stop resource for arsenic treatment systems WATERWAY CONNECTIONS for any size community. We now supply Bayoxide E33 adsorptive By Ted J. Rulseh media and E33 media replacements for the largest and the Visitors enjoy the AlexRenew lobby during a Water Discovery Day event. smallest systems. As always, AdEdge offers competitive pricing, isitors to Alexandria (Virginia) Renew Enterprises don’t have to wait experienced engineers, and unparalleled support. long to learn about the organization that keeps area waterways clean. : How does that branding translate into action? Essential messages greet them the minute they step in the door Van Riper: Around the same time, our citizen-led board created a vision V With AdEdge’s arsenic treatment systems’ global success history, of the six-story Environmental Center. An Educational Lobby contains col- for 2040 that took us from a passive treater of wastewater to a community orful, interactive displays about renewal of the waterways, renewal of resources, partner and a transformer. The vision says that by 2040, we will have served why would you go anywhere else? and more. as a catalyst and effectively partnered with watershed stakeholders so citizens The lobby is a physical representation of the brand identity of Alexan- can establish personal connections with the waterways, so we can eat local When you’re ready to make the right move, call us at 866.823.3343. dria Renew Enterprises (AlexRenew for short), formerly called the Alexan- fish and swim in local streams. We will also support a healthy and resilient dria Sanitation Authority. The brand reflects the vision of the organization’s local economy through stable rates supported by diverse revenue and maxi- CEO, Karen Pallansch, P.E., BCEE, and the board of directors. mum resource recovery, and inform citizens about the importance of water. The AlexRenew branding was introduced in 2012 at the city of Alexandria’s Earth Day celebration. The LEED Platinum Environmental Center opened in August 2016 Over the years, as we completed many facility upgrades to and the Educational Lobby two months later. protect the Chesapeake Bay, it made sense to change our Lisa Van Riper, director of communications, says www.AdEdgetech.com those facilities and the brand identity are paying sub- ‘‘name to help our customers understand who we are and what stantial dividends in engagement with the community and in customers’ connections with local waterways. She we really do, which is renew resources.” talked about the branding strategy, the organization’s LISA VAN RIPER Educational Lobby, and the benefits of both in an interview with Treatment Plant Operator. The Educational Lobby, our Environmental Center, and the nutrient management facility on the same site, with a multipurpose field on top of it : Why was a change in brand identity important to your organization? managed by the city, all reflect the 2040 vision and our brand identity. Van Riper: When we opened back in 1956, our brand identity was the Alexandria Sanitation Authority. Over the years, as we completed many : Besides the lobby, what does the Environmental Center include? facility upgrades to protect the Chesapeake Bay, it made sense to change Van Riper: Our customer service department is on the first floor. The our name to help our customers understand who we are and what we really second, third and fourth floors are our administrative offices. The fifth floor do, which is renew resources. We clean water to some of the strictest require- is currently unoccupied. The sixth floor has meeting rooms that community ments in the U.S. We use about 1.5 billion gallons of reclaimed water every organizations can rent at low or no cost. year. Last year we applied about 5,500 dry tons of Class A Exceptional Qual- ity biosolids on farms in Virginia. We use more than 90 percent of the bio- : How did the Educational Lobby come about? gas from our digesters. So it made sense to call us Alexandria Renew Van Riper: We had a cross-functional team. Our CEO and members Enterprises. We also changed our logo and extended our brand to say we are of our engineering and outreach teams were involved. The Design Minds Alexandria’s Water Transformers. from Fairfax designed the exhibits, and Capitol Museum Services from (continued) 20 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR IN MY WORDS ARSENIC PHOTO BY JEFF MARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT

(continued) FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX community partners help us hold art events. We invite people in and display their artwork on the wall.

: Is there a section to address the relationship between AlexRe- new and the waters? Van Riper: Yes. It’s called Renewing Our Waterways. The highlight is a 7,000-gallon fish tank filled with our reclaimed water. It features fish native to our area. It’s split in half; one side has catfish, gar, and bass, and the other side has more peaceful species like bluegills and sunfish. The signs on the front of the fish tank reinforce the value of clean waterways.

: Do you also highlight the wastewater treatment and recycling aspects? Van Riper: That section is called Renewing Our Resources. It’s an easy- to-understand, visually interesting and interactive way to learn about the PHOTO BY KRISTINA TWIGG basic steps we use to transform dirty water into clean water. As visitors go The Educational Lobby at the Alexandria Renew Enterprises Environmental Center includes a series of interactive displays. through the steps, a lit rail shows the water getting cleaner and cleaner. Kids love it. They spin the rail that separates blue beads from brown beads. They push a button and it shows what happens if we don’t clean the water with the Manassas did the fabrication. The microbes. There are all kinds of interactives that they love, and in the end, lobby really was our CEO’s vision, they see clean water. which was inspired by outreach as we planned the construction of our : What about showing visitors what they can do to help keep the Environmental Center. Community waters clean? members, and in particular an orga- Van Riper: The last area is How Can I Renew? An interactive touch nization called the East Eisenhower screen shows a cutaway of a house and all the areas of a home that use clean Design Review Board, suggested we water and send dirty water down the pipes to us. There’s also a touch screen consider a water learning center in visitors can use to understand how much water they use and how to save the building. water. Another display shows how visitors can protect the waterways, their pipes, and our pipes — what not to put down the drain. : How would you articulate that vision? : What are some things you do to get the most benefit from the Van Riper: The vision is for Educational Lobby? visitors to become immersed in the Van Riper: We have the art events. We’ve started a series of Saturday water management cycle and the con- events for kids and families who play soccer or other sports on the field next nections between AlexRenew and to our Environmental Center. A lit lenticular of our mascot, Moxie, is in the PHOTO BY KRISTINA TWIGG the community. It’s all about creat- lobby. We also have a real live Moxie, who is a theater instructor in town and A 7,000-gallon aquarium is the central attraction in the Renewing ing a place for our community, cus- interacts with kids at all kinds of events. Once a month, Moxie does story Our Waterways section of the tomers, and citizens to learn about hours in the lobby. In September, we’ll have our Master Gardeners here talk- Educational Lobby. and connect with water, the water- ing about native plants. A lot of tours start from our lobby — hundreds of ways, and the value of clean water. people come for tours every year. We host school groups and teachers, scout troops, adult learners, com- : What do visitors experience as they enter the Environmental munity organizations, and others who want to become better water stewards. Center? Different organizations have events on the sixth floor and some like to start Van Riper: You walk in the front door and on the left is our customer their events in the lobby. We have an annual Water Discovery Day with exhib- service manager, who works with people to pay their bills and answer ques- its inside and outside the lobby and on the sixth floor. Also, people walking tions. We also have a Little Free Library that looks like a water drop where by the building say, “Oh, my gosh, what’s that?” They bring their kids in and and we have water-centric books. To the right of the entrance are the recep- they play in the lobby. tion desk and the Educational Lobby. : How would you characterize the return on investment from the : What do visitors to the lobby encounter first? branding and these facilities for the public? Van Riper: The first area is Welcome to Alex Renew. There are two Van Riper: We have a large number of people in our community con- colorful blue welcome signs at each entrance. We have a biowall of plants necting with the local waterways, learning more about what we do here and that are watered by our reclaimed water. It’s a biofilter wall that helps pro- the return on their investment in clean water. It’s about engaging with thou- vide fresh air for the first two floors of the building. Outside the lobby there’s sands of people about water in general, about clean water, and about making a beautiful fountain that features our reclaimed water. connections. It creates much more understanding about what those bills are for. We’re the people who clean the dirty water. We’re the ones who help to : From the welcome section, where do visitors go? protect the waterways. That’s the return on investment. It’s priceless when Van Riper: Next comes Renewing Our Connection with a spinning we can make meaningful connections with people every day. It throws off history rail of Alexandria’s water and a push-button screen interactive where the cloak of invisibility that many water facilities have had. So many of us you can see photos of waterways in Alexandria and things we do on our cam- are becoming much more visible in our communities. What better way to do pus to clean the water. There’s also a community art wall. Three times a year, that than to have physical places to engage our citizens and customers?

22 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR Anue Water Technologies, a leader community partners help us hold art events. We invite people in and display their artwork on the wall. in highly-effective and sustainable engineered technologies, offers : Is there a section to address the relationship between AlexRe- proprietary technology for controlling new and the waters? odor, corrosion and FOG. The design Van Riper: Yes. It’s called Renewing Our Waterways. The highlight is , a 7,000-gallon fish tank filled with our reclaimed water. It features fish native CONTROL FOG features ease of operation coupled to our area. It’s split in half; one side has catfish, gar, and bass, and the other with full telemetry capabilities for side has more peaceful species like bluegills and sunfish. The signs on the remote programming and control. front of the fish tank reinforce the value of clean waterways. The integrated ozone and oxygen

: Do you also highlight the wastewater treatment and recycling generation systems are proven aspects? solutions for point source odor and Van Riper: That section is called Renewing Our Resources. It’s an easy- force main corrosion control. ANUE’s to-understand, visually interesting and interactive way to learn about the PHOTO BY KRISTINA TWIGG proprietary solutions provide safe, basic steps we use to transform dirty water into clean water. As visitors go The Educational Lobby at the Alexandria Renew Enterprises Environmental non-hazardous, and cost-effective Center includes a series of interactive displays. through the steps, a lit rail shows the water getting cleaner and cleaner. Kids love it. They spin the rail that separates blue beads from brown beads. They ODOR AND methods for the elimination and push a button and it shows what happens if we don’t clean the water with the prevention of FOG, odor and corrosion. Manassas did the fabrication. The microbes. There are all kinds of interactives that they love, and in the end, ANUE’s systems are used successfully lobby really was our CEO’s vision, they see clean water. which was inspired by outreach as by municipalities across North America we planned the construction of our : What about showing visitors what they can do to help keep the as well as several countries worldwide. Environmental Center. Community waters clean? 2018 Booth 8045 members, and in particular an orga- Van Riper: The last area is How Can I Renew? An interactive touch nization called the East Eisenhower screen shows a cutaway of a house and all the areas of a home that use clean CORROSION Design Review Board, suggested we water and send dirty water down the pipes to us. There’s also a touch screen consider a water learning center in visitors can use to understand how much water they use and how to save www.anuewater.comCake Pump BTHE_7x4&half_0702_WEFTEC.eps 760-727-2683 1 7/3/2018 10:53:52 [email protected] AM the building. water. Another display shows how visitors can protect the waterways, their pipes, and our pipes — what not to put down the drain. FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX : How would you articulate that vision? : What are some things you do to get the most benefit from the Van Riper: The vision is for Educational Lobby? visitors to become immersed in the Van Riper: We have the art events. We’ve started a series of Saturday water management cycle and the con- events for kids and families who play soccer or other sports on the field next nections between AlexRenew and to our Environmental Center. A lit lenticular of our mascot, Moxie, is in the PHOTO BY KRISTINA TWIGG the community. It’s all about creat- lobby. We also have a real live Moxie, who is a theater instructor in town and A 7,000-gallon aquarium is the central attraction in the Renewing ing a place for our community, cus- interacts with kids at all kinds of events. Once a month, Moxie does story Our Waterways section of the tomers, and citizens to learn about hours in the lobby. In September, we’ll have our Master Gardeners here talk- Educational Lobby. and connect with water, the water- ing about native plants. A lot of tours start from our lobby — hundreds of ways, and the value of clean water. people come for tours every year. We host school groups and teachers, scout troops, adult learners, com- C : What do visitors experience as they enter the Environmental munity organizations, and others who want to become better water stewards. M UNDER CONTROLROL Center? Different organizations have events on the sixth floor and some like to start Y Van Riper: You walk in the front door and on the left is our customer their events in the lobby. We have an annual Water Discovery Day with exhib- CCONVEYINGONVEYING CCAPACITYAPACITY CAKE PUMP BTHEBTHE service manager, who works with people to pay their bills and answer ques- its inside and outside the lobby and on the sixth floor. Also, people walking CM tions. We also have a Little Free Library that looks like a water drop where by the building say, “Oh, my gosh, what’s that?” They bring their kids in and and we have water-centric books. To the right of the entrance are the recep- they play in the lobby. MY SYSTEMS PPRESSURERESSURE tion desk and the Educational Lobby. CY : How would you characterize the return on investment from the UUPP TTOO 552525 PPSISI CMY : What do visitors to the lobby encounter first? branding and these facilities for the public? Remove conditions that affect cake pump YOURYOUR BEBENEFITSNEFITS WIWITHTH BBTHETHE Van Riper: The first area is Welcome to Alex Renew. There are two Van Riper: We have a large number of people in our community con- K system operation such as bridging, vibrations  Durable: Handles viscous to semi-solid Visit Us at and varying pressures with SEEPEX BTHE colorful blue welcome signs at each entrance. We have a biowall of plants necting with the local waterways, learning more about what we do here and products with low or no ﬂ owability WEFTEC that are watered by our reclaimed water. It’s a biofilter wall that helps pro- the return on their investment in clean water. It’s about engaging with thou- progressive cavity pumps and SEEPEX Touch  vide fresh air for the first two floors of the building. Outside the lobby there’s sands of people about water in general, about clean water, and about making advanced process controls. The centric and consumption Booth#6939 a beautiful fountain that features our reclaimed water. connections. It creates much more understanding about what those bills are edge running ribbon screw plus integrated  Energy-saving: Detects sludge cake in the for. We’re the people who clean the dirty water. We’re the ones who help to hopper level control ensures optimum product hopper and adjusts the pump’s speed SEEPEX Inc. : From the welcome section, where do visitors go? protect the waterways. That’s the return on investment. It’s priceless when inﬂ ow to the pump’s conveying elements and [email protected]  Hygienic: Keeps sludge contained and Van Riper: Next comes Renewing Our Connection with a spinning we can make meaningful connections with people every day. It throws off accurate analytic readings for true volume T +1 937 864-7150 history rail of Alexandria’s water and a push-button screen interactive where the cloak of invisibility that many water facilities have had. So many of us management. odors controlled www.seepex.com you can see photos of waterways in Alexandria and things we do on our cam- are becoming much more visible in our communities. What better way to do pus to clean the water. There’s also a community art wall. Three times a year, that than to have physical places to engage our citizens and customers? FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX

tpomag.com August 2018 23 top performer water: PLANT

The Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant, south of Butte, Montana.

STORY: Jim Force All Hands PHOTOGRAPHY: Thom Bridge THE TEAM IN BUTTE-SILVER BOW TOOK AN ACTIVE on Task ROLE IN PLANT DESIGN, TESTING AND STARTUP. IT HAS PAID OFF IN EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE AND EXCELLENT WATER QUALITY.

IF YOU’RE BUILDING A BRAND-NEW SURFACE WATER treatment plant, facing new requirements for Cryptosporidium and disinfec- Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant tion byproducts, and importing technology that’s never been used in the SERVICE AREA: | Portion of Butte, Montana United States before, you’d better have your operators on board. BUILT: | 2017 At Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, operators were not only on board — they POPULATION SERVED: | 35,000 shared the driver’s seat as their water utility planned and commissioned the SOURCE WATER: Basin Creek Reservoir new 7 mgd Basin Creek water treatment facility last year. It was the first in | the country to use ceramic membranes. PROCESS: | Ceramic membrane filtration “Our operations staff was essential,” says Jim Keenan, chief operator. PRODUCTION: | 7 mgd (design) “They were involved with the pilot testing. Our maintenance man and elec- SYSTEM STORAGE: | Water supplied on demand trician along with our operators built a pilot plant with an upflow clarifier INFRASTRUCTURE: 310 miles of distribution lines; 41 miles of followed by mixed media and ran it next to the membrane pilot. They were | transmission lines involved in the startup. They took part in training from the engineering firm ANNUAL BUDGET: | $650,000 (operations) (HDR), the membrane manufacturer (METAWATER USA), and the auto- WEBSITE: | www.co.silverbow.mt.us mation programmer.” GPS COORDINATES: | Latitude: 45°53’11.60”N; longitude: 112°32’22.28”W Operator Mark Reilly agrees: “It was quite a learning curve.” A veteran of eight years in the water treatment field, Reilly was familiar with the plate settler and clarifier technology in the district’s other two plants, but had no experience with membranes. ing the need for reliable sources and systems to provide for the growing com- “It was completely new, but participating in the startup and the commis- munity, formed the Butte City Water Co. sioning was a good way to learn. It was mostly reviewing documents, then An early dam on Basin Creek provided some water, but not enough. In going out every day and figuring out how things worked.” Recalling an ear- 1902, the Big Hole River/South Fork Reservoir was built, pumping water 27 lier career starting up plants in the polysilicon industry, he adds “It’s impor- miles across the Continental Divide to Butte residents and industries. A third tant to go slow. METAWATER thoroughly simplified it for us. They were supply from the Moulton Reservoir was added in 1907. here for about three months going over the computer screens.” Surface water treatment plants followed at Big Hole (16 mgd) and Moulton (2.5 mgd) in the mid-1990s. Planning for the Basin Creek plant began in WATER AND BUTTE 2010 when the Montana Department of Environmental Quality ruled that The relationship between water and Butte goes back to the Wild West filtration would be required to guard againstCryptosporidium and DBPs in days. The mining boom of the late 1800s created a huge demand for water water from the Basin Creek Reservoir, the utility’s third source. Historically, for gold, silver, and copper operations, while often leading to contamination the utility had simply disinfected the water with chlorine gas and applied of groundwater and surface water supplies. As early as 1891, Butte, recogniz- an algaecide as necessary on the reservoir.

OPPOSITE PAGE: The Basin Creek facility team includes, front row, from left: Mark Reilly, Randall Eldred and Gus Stajcar, operators; middle row: Chuck Lee and Dean Stringer, operators; Jim Dennehy, plant superintendent; and Zach Gleason, operator; back row: Mike Waldman, operator; Jim Keenan, chief operator; and John Kuchtyn, operator.

24 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR top performer water: PLANT

The Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant, south of Butte, Montana.

tpomag.com August 2018 25 CHOOSING MEMBRANES 10 racks of 10 modules, for a total of 400 modules. Each module contains 269 “It’s worked out really well,” Dennehy notes, remembering boil orders “We positioned the new plant on square feet of membrane surface and produces 69 gallons per square foot of from the distant past. “We’re all filtration now. Turbidity in water from Basin RELYING ON GRAVITY land close to power and existing pipe- membrane per day. With a pore size of 0.1 micron, the membranes provide Creek is 0.009 NTU.” Operator Reilly says the whole system is operator- lines and at an elevation (5,710 feet) an effective barrier against turbidity, bacteria, and viruses. Periodic back- friendly. He and 10 others on the operational staff take care of all three of Butte-Silver Bow (Montana) has put Newton’s first law of gravity to productive use, saving costs in to maximize the potential for gravity washing with air and water removes retained solids and deposits them in a the utility’s water treatment plants, rotating every two to three weeks. transporting water around one of the most complex water systems in the United States. flow through the plant and into the backwash waste recovery tank. Besides Dennehy, Keenan, and Reilly, the team includes operators Randy The utility maintains seven pressure zones and moves water across the Continental Divide near distribution system,” Keenan says. The filtered water (permeate) is collected in a pressurized pipe that moves Eldred, Don Hancock, Tom Stajcar, Joe Holland, John Kuchtyn, Zach Glea- Feely for the Big Hole source, and across Fish Creek for the Basin Creek source. At Basin Creek, the Pilot testing proved the effectiveness the finished water from the plant to a standpipe, which maintains enough son, Dean Stringer, Tom Starcevich, Mike Waldman and Doug Wedlake; Ed reservoir lies at 5,887 feet elevation when full, and the Basin Creek treatment plant is at 5,710 feet. of ceramic membranes and indicated hydraulic head to transport the water to the distribution system by gravity. Houchin, maintenance; and Chuck Lee, electrician. Just as Newton’s apple fell, water flows downhill from reservoir to plant and enters at up to 75 psi. that they were durable enough to with- At first the utility thought the Basin Creek plant would need 24/7 staff- Water flows through the plant by gravity, and produced water is discharged to a standpipe that in stand the pressures of gravity feed to WATER RECOVERY ing, but that’s not the case. Operators are on duty eight to 10 hours a day the plant. The manufacturer offered Backwash water flows to the recovery system, featuring a plate settler including weekends. With the latest automation in place, the plant can be turn supplies water to customers by gravity. As the standpoint empties, the membrane filters automat- a 20-year full-replacement warranty provided by WesTech Engineering and a recovery ceramic membrane con- operated remotely. “I can see it on my phone,” Keenan says. ically increase output, operating essentially on an on-demand basis. “We don’t have a finished water on the membrane modules. sisting of two METAWATER units with six modules in each (total of 120). (continued) storage tank,” says Jim Keenan, chief operator. “We operate most of the year on gravity bypass.” In the new plant, started up in the Water recovered by the plate settler and the membranes meets the same Two additional structures built along with the treatment plant have improved the distribution first half of 2017, up to 7 mgd of raw quality standards as filtrate from the full membrane system. A new pressure relief valve at the point of entry to the distribution system has replaced an water enters from the Basin Creek system and is discharged with the finished water. older one that was wearing out. The new 4 mgd Southside Pump Station allows the utility to move Reservoir at up to 75 psi. Self-clean- Backwash solids, along with solids retained by the Basin Creek water into any of the city’s other pressure zones as needed. ing 300-micron basket strainers (Amiad membranes, are pumped to the utility’s wastewater “The Basin Creek Reservoir supply often exceeds Basin Creek pressure zone demand,” Keenan USA) remove debris ahead of the mem- treatment plant. says. “The new pump station also allows us to displace water from the Big Hole Water Treatment Plant branes. A rapid-mix pump disperses chemical flocculants into the raw water in the spring when the Big Hole source water is most difficult to treat.” In the other seasons, as long as while pressure is maintained through reservoir water remains plentiful, Basin Creek production is maximized because it is more economical a hydraulic detention pipeline. Our operations staff was than the water from the Big Hole source. The ceramic membranes follow. essential. ... They were involved Four 100-module units each contain ‘‘in the startup. They took part in training from the engineering firm [HDR], the membrane manufacturer [METAWATER USA], and the automation programmer.” JIM KEENAN

The membranes are cleaned weekly with a chem- ically enhanced 5 ppm solution, which is pumped into the backwash tank and then soaks the membranes for about 30 minutes. A full clean-in-place operation was originally scheduled for six-month intervals, but cleaning wasn’t required for at least the first nine months after startup. In a clean-in-place, a solution of chlorine (3,000 ppm) and citric acid (1 percent) is heated and allowed to circulate and fully clean the membrane surfaces. The choice of the METAWATER units followed a competitive bidding process that included life-cycle costing. The recommended clean-in-place interval and the 20-year full-replacement warranty were other deciding factors, as was the manufacturer’s success with ceramic membranes across Asia. “The durabil- ity of the membranes and their ability to withstand upstream pressure of 75 psi was another important factor,” Keenan says.

EXCELLENT PRODUCT Jim Dennehy, Butte-Silver Bow supervisor of water treatment, reports that the project cost about $30 million, paid for through the state’s Natural Resource Damage Program underwritten by settlements with the mining industry. Day-to-day operating costs are Mike Waldman, plant operator, inspects the plant’s ceramic membrane filtration system (METAWATER USA). paid for through the utility’s rate structure.

26 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR CHOOSING MEMBRANES 10 racks of 10 modules, for a total of 400 modules. Each module contains 269 “It’s worked out really well,” Dennehy notes, remembering boil orders “We positioned the new plant on square feet of membrane surface and produces 69 gallons per square foot of from the distant past. “We’re all filtration now. Turbidity in water from Basin RELYING ON GRAVITY land close to power and existing pipe- membrane per day. With a pore size of 0.1 micron, the membranes provide Creek is 0.009 NTU.” Operator Reilly says the whole system is operator- lines and at an elevation (5,710 feet) an effective barrier against turbidity, bacteria, and viruses. Periodic back- friendly. He and 10 others on the operational staff take care of all three of Butte-Silver Bow (Montana) has put Newton’s first law of gravity to productive use, saving costs in to maximize the potential for gravity washing with air and water removes retained solids and deposits them in a the utility’s water treatment plants, rotating every two to three weeks. transporting water around one of the most complex water systems in the United States. flow through the plant and into the backwash waste recovery tank. Besides Dennehy, Keenan, and Reilly, the team includes operators Randy The utility maintains seven pressure zones and moves water across the Continental Divide near distribution system,” Keenan says. The filtered water (permeate) is collected in a pressurized pipe that moves Eldred, Don Hancock, Tom Stajcar, Joe Holland, John Kuchtyn, Zach Glea- Feely for the Big Hole source, and across Fish Creek for the Basin Creek source. At Basin Creek, the Pilot testing proved the effectiveness the finished water from the plant to a standpipe, which maintains enough son, Dean Stringer, Tom Starcevich, Mike Waldman and Doug Wedlake; Ed reservoir lies at 5,887 feet elevation when full, and the Basin Creek treatment plant is at 5,710 feet. of ceramic membranes and indicated hydraulic head to transport the water to the distribution system by gravity. Houchin, maintenance; and Chuck Lee, electrician. Just as Newton’s apple fell, water flows downhill from reservoir to plant and enters at up to 75 psi. that they were durable enough to with- At first the utility thought the Basin Creek plant would need 24/7 staff- Water flows through the plant by gravity, and produced water is discharged to a standpipe that in stand the pressures of gravity feed to WATER RECOVERY ing, but that’s not the case. Operators are on duty eight to 10 hours a day the plant. The manufacturer offered Backwash water flows to the recovery system, featuring a plate settler including weekends. With the latest automation in place, the plant can be turn supplies water to customers by gravity. As the standpoint empties, the membrane filters automat- a 20-year full-replacement warranty provided by WesTech Engineering and a recovery ceramic membrane con- operated remotely. “I can see it on my phone,” Keenan says. ically increase output, operating essentially on an on-demand basis. “We don’t have a finished water on the membrane modules. sisting of two METAWATER units with six modules in each (total of 120). (continued) storage tank,” says Jim Keenan, chief operator. “We operate most of the year on gravity bypass.” In the new plant, started up in the Water recovered by the plate settler and the membranes meets the same Two additional structures built along with the treatment plant have improved the distribution first half of 2017, up to 7 mgd of raw quality standards as filtrate from the full membrane system. A new pressure relief valve at the point of entry to the distribution system has replaced an water enters from the Basin Creek system and is discharged with the finished water. older one that was wearing out. The new 4 mgd Southside Pump Station allows the utility to move Reservoir at up to 75 psi. Self-clean- Backwash solids, along with solids retained by the Basin Creek water into any of the city’s other pressure zones as needed. ing 300-micron basket strainers (Amiad membranes, are pumped to the utility’s wastewater “The Basin Creek Reservoir supply often exceeds Basin Creek pressure zone demand,” Keenan USA) remove debris ahead of the mem- treatment plant. says. “The new pump station also allows us to displace water from the Big Hole Water Treatment Plant branes. A rapid-mix pump disperses chemical flocculants into the raw water in the spring when the Big Hole source water is most difficult to treat.” In the other seasons, as long as while pressure is maintained through reservoir water remains plentiful, Basin Creek production is maximized because it is more economical a hydraulic detention pipeline. Our operations staff was than the water from the Big Hole source. The ceramic membranes follow. essential. ... They were involved Four 100-module units each contain ‘‘in the startup. They took part in training from the engineering firm [HDR], the membrane manufacturer [METAWATER USA], and the automation programmer.” JIM KEENAN

EXCELLENT PRODUCT Jim Dennehy, Butte-Silver Bow supervisor of water BOOTH# 2816 treatment, reports that the project cost about $30 million, paid for through the state’s Natural Resource Damage Program underwritten by settlements with the mining industry. Day-to-day operating costs are Mike Waldman, plant operator, inspects the plant’s ceramic membrane filtration system (METAWATER USA). paid for through the utility’s rate structure. FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX

tpomag.com August 2018 27 BELOW: Mark Reilly closes a valve at the Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant. RIGHT: John Kuchtyn works in the lab.

We have operators on our staff who’ve been here for 30-plus years, and some who are much younger. They all LESSONS LEARNED ‘‘adapt to new technology differently, but everyone has accepted In water treatment, it seems every silver lining has a few black clouds. Basin Creek has experienced a kink their new roles.” or two, but Keenan says, “We’re pretty good at solving JIM DENNEHY problems here. During the startup period, we discovered a whole lot of entrained air in the filtrate. STEPPING UP “With gravity flow, we have no finished water tank, and we noticed that Basin Creek is enjoying its time as an embracer of innovative technol- the water we were discharging looked really milky, not a good thing for our ogy. Visitors from all over the world have come to witness the operation. The customers to notice from a brand-new plant.” At first the staff and engineers plant hosts dozens of engineering students from nearby Montana Tech, and couldn’t figure out where the entrained air was coming from, but eventually the plant has received several awards including the 2018 American Council they traced it to the backwash process. of Engineering Companies Grand Project Award, and the 2018 ENR Best “The units are designed to backwash every four to six hours with pres- Water Project Mountain States award. surized backwash water,” Keenan says. “We discovered they were backwash- Credit for this mile-high success story can be traced directly back to the ing too long.” When the cycle was completed, a large volume of pressurized beginnings of plant design and construction and, most important, operator air that had built up was released into the filtrate. An adjustment to the pro- involvement. “We have operators on our staff who’ve been here for 30-plus gramming solved the problem, and the superaerated water was never dis- years, and some who are much younger,” says Dennehy, who has 34 years charged to the distribution system. with the utility. “They all adapt to Another change in programming helped address an issue with the pair new technology differently, but every- of membrane racks in the recovery system. Each of the racks undergoes a one has accepted their new roles.” featured number of different sequences (backwash, chemical cleaning and others) at Keenan observes, “Our guys products from: regular intervals, and when one rack is down during a sequence, the other really stepped up. They had an idea Amiad USA accepts the full flow. what was coming, and they saw what 704-662-3133 Keenan says the transmembrane pressure data point was frequently get- was coming. I remember our first www.amiadusa.com ting too high and shutting down the recovery unit. When one of the two racks meetings with the design engineer; HDR was going through a sequence, the operating rack would accept so much flow I think they were really surprised 800-366-4411 that it could never fully recover to its normal transmembrane pressure. “We because our operators, as well as our www.hdrinc.com worked with the programmer to smooth out the process,” Keenan says. maintenance man and electrician, A third issue arose with the chemical feed system. “Originally, we were were so involved and peppered them METAWATER USA, Inc. 201-935-3436 feeding a calcium hypochlorite solution,” Keenan says. “We were having with many questions and ideas. http://usa.metawater.com trouble pumping the solution because the calcium hypo was mixed as a They’ve done an awesome job.” solid through a tablet feeder. It was forming a pasty material that plugged WesTech Engineering up the associated plumbing.” After trying to dilute the material and run the 801-265-1000 www.westech-inc.com pumps at a faster pace, the team simply switched to straight sodium hypochlorite solution.

28 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR BELOW: Mark Reilly closes a valve at the Basin Creek Water Treatment Plant. RIGHT: John Kuchtyn works in the lab.

A 102- by 45- by 28-foot-high building with open-end walls houses the processor and centrifuge for dewatering biosolids. The facility went online in early 2017.

Better Through Chemistry Dialing down polymer usage while still achieving high solids content helps reduce costs significantly. A COMPACT BIOSOLIDS SYSTEM OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AEROBIC DIGESTION

FOR A SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SWEET SPOTS Currently, the system feeds 0.6 gallons of sulfuric acid and sodium chlo- By Scottie Dayton rite and 0.35 gallons of Praestol K 275 FLX polymer (Solenis) per 1,000 gallons of RAS at 1.28 to 1.6 percent solids. For April, finished biosolids cake ince 1995, the Florida city of Vero Beach used Jones and Attwood twin CHEMISTRY WORKS averaged 21.5 percent solids. rotary drum thickeners (Ovivo USA) and two aerobic digesters to store The city’s 4.5 mgd (design) activated sludge treatment plant averages 2.5 “My operators want to see how dry they can get the biosolids and how S2 percent liquid biosolids. Ranchers and farmers applied 6.5 million mgd. After four smaller tile filtration beds (Hendrick Screen) replaced the much they can load on the truck,” Bolton says. “They want visual results; I gallons annually. original sand drying beds, their foundation became the site for the new bio- want monetary results. Dialing down the polymer usage is one way to do that.” By 2010, watershed restrictions had reduced the agricultural sites avail- solids facility. BCR built a 102- by 45- by 28-foot-high building with open The thicker the sludge, as from the digesters, the slower the flow rate. able. City officials hired a contractor with a portable centrifuge to dewater end walls for the processor and centrifuge, which went online in early 2017. Nevertheless, operators are keen to see what the system can do. “They were and landfill the material. “We’d run a 400,000-gallon batch through the “We’re still in startup mode with the processor, feeling it out and find- up to 140 gpm with flows from the clarifier, and there were no odors,” Bolton rotary drum thickener whenever the contractor arrived, which was monthly ing the sweet spots on everything,” Bolton says. “It seems to be working very says. “The chlorine dioxide knocked them out.” The chemical supplier tops in summer and every three weeks during the three-month winter tourist sea- well.” Upon activation, a Moyno pump (NOV) on a variable-frequency drive off the 2,500-gallon tanks of liquid acid and chlorite every 90 days. son,” says Rob Bolton, director of the city’s Water and Sewer Department. feeds digested sludge or RAS to the processor, with a static mixer before and An automatic, self-adjusting drive system discharges solids from the cen- The two aerobic digesters gave operators 60 days of trifuge through a 9-inch tubular conveyor to the nearby tractor-trailer. Oper- storage and the city a $90,000 annual electric bill for a ators standing on a platform move the conveyor arm to load the truck evenly. processing but are still determining how much to waste per day and weekly,” 150 hp blower. To circumvent the digesters and save When we ran digested sludge through the rotary drum “Once we set up the camera in the bay, the men can check the trailer from he says. “Once we figure that out, we can program the CleanB for a flow rate, money, the contractor dewatered return activated sludge thickener and processed it in the centrifuge, we had 16 to the control room,” Bolton says. “Everyone wants to play with the new toy and a time, or a batch.” from the bottom of clarifier No. 2. “The odor was hor- are happy to make the rounds.” Other components also remain in flux, making it difficult to evaluate rendous,” Bolton says. “We’re right on the Indian River ‘‘17 percent solids. The minute we turned on the chlorine dioxide, cost-effectiveness. For example, a dedicated in-line meter records monthly Lagoon next to homes and a busy intersection. Odor con- REFINING OPERATIONS electric costs remotely using fiber optic data transmission with Allen-Brad- trol is of major importance.” solids jumped to 19 to 20 percent.” Compared to the electric, tankage, aeration system, and maintenance ley operating software. It communicates with the plant iFIX SCADA system To address rising biosolids handling costs, the city ROB BOLTON involved with the aerobic digesters, the all-in-one CleanB system is simpler. (GE Digital). purchased a CleanB treatment system (BCR) for condi- “We program how many thousands of gallons to waste that day, push the Bolton wants to test other polymers, and the city has bid out the chemical tioning and odor control, and a CS18-4HC 2Ph FH solid bowl centrifuge after the chlorine dioxide generator. Feed lines with pulsating positive dis- button, and walk away,” Bolton says. “The machine automatically flushes the and hauling contracts. “One local bidder said he has land application sites skid (Centrisys/CNP) for dewatering. “Our goal is to process digested sludge placement pumps inject a 1:1 ratio of 50 percent sulfuric acid and 15 percent coils and shuts down when done.” north of us,” Bolton says. “That would cut 30 percent off our total hauling as we transition to direct processing of RAS, thereby eliminating the digest- sodium chlorite into the generator. Bolton’s biggest predicament is the plant’s constant wasting mode to the costs. With the numbers still not finalized, we’re estimating a total savings ers,” Bolton says. “The tanks will be cleaned and kept as a backup to the cen- As chlorine dioxide mixes with the material in the 10-inch-diameter ser- rotary drum thickeners. It interferes with shutting down the system on week- of $200,000 annually and a return on investment in five or six years.” trifuges or repurposed for nitrogen removal.” pentine piping, the chemical disinfects and deodorizes by oxidizing sulfides, ends or at least on Saturdays due to staffing. “We’re moving toward batch

30 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR wastewater: sulfates, and mercaptans. The chemical addition has a minimum detention HOW WE DO IT time of 10 minutes. Chlorine dioxide also changes the chemical properties of the material, enabling the polymer to produce drier solids. “When we ran digested sludge through the rotary drum thickeners and processed it in the centrifuge, we had 16 to 17 percent solids,” Bolton says. “The minute we turned on the chlorine dioxide, solids jumped to 19 to 20 percent.” Feed rates are based on the centrifuge’s design points of 80 to 120 gpm, with a range of 50 to 160 gpm. “Our goal is to process RAS at 120 gpm, which equals 6.5 hours given a retention time of 13 to 14 minutes in the coils,” Bolton says. “One cycle fills up half the tractor-trailer, and we’re processing 24 to 25 wet tons per load two to three times per week. To avoid a regrowth of odors, we don’t want the biosolids sitting any longer than two days.”

A 102- by 45- by 28-foot-high building with open-end walls houses the processor and centrifuge for dewatering biosolids. The facility went online in early 2017.

Better Through Chemistry Dialing down polymer usage while still achieving high solids content helps reduce costs significantly. A COMPACT BIOSOLIDS SYSTEM OFFERS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AEROBIC DIGESTION

FOR A SOUTHEASTERN FLORIDA WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT SWEET SPOTS Currently, the system feeds 0.6 gallons of sulfuric acid and sodium chlo- By Scottie Dayton rite and 0.35 gallons of Praestol K 275 FLX polymer (Solenis) per 1,000 gallons of RAS at 1.28 to 1.6 percent solids. For April, finished biosolids cake ince 1995, the Florida city of Vero Beach used Jones and Attwood twin CHEMISTRY WORKS averaged 21.5 percent solids. rotary drum thickeners (Ovivo USA) and two aerobic digesters to store The city’s 4.5 mgd (design) activated sludge treatment plant averages 2.5 “My operators want to see how dry they can get the biosolids and how S2 percent liquid biosolids. Ranchers and farmers applied 6.5 million mgd. After four smaller tile filtration beds (Hendrick Screen) replaced the much they can load on the truck,” Bolton says. “They want visual results; I gallons annually. original sand drying beds, their foundation became the site for the new bio- want monetary results. Dialing down the polymer usage is one way to do that.” By 2010, watershed restrictions had reduced the agricultural sites avail- solids facility. BCR built a 102- by 45- by 28-foot-high building with open The thicker the sludge, as from the digesters, the slower the flow rate. able. City officials hired a contractor with a portable centrifuge to dewater end walls for the processor and centrifuge, which went online in early 2017. Nevertheless, operators are keen to see what the system can do. “They were and landfill the material. “We’d run a 400,000-gallon batch through the “We’re still in startup mode with the processor, feeling it out and find- up to 140 gpm with flows from the clarifier, and there were no odors,” Bolton rotary drum thickener whenever the contractor arrived, which was monthly ing the sweet spots on everything,” Bolton says. “It seems to be working very says. “The chlorine dioxide knocked them out.” The chemical supplier tops in summer and every three weeks during the three-month winter tourist sea- well.” Upon activation, a Moyno pump (NOV) on a variable-frequency drive off the 2,500-gallon tanks of liquid acid and chlorite every 90 days. son,” says Rob Bolton, director of the city’s Water and Sewer Department. feeds digested sludge or RAS to the processor, with a static mixer before and An automatic, self-adjusting drive system discharges solids from the cen- FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX The two aerobic digesters gave operators 60 days of trifuge through a 9-inch tubular conveyor to the nearby tractor-trailer. Oper- storage and the city a $90,000 annual electric bill for a ators standing on a platform move the conveyor arm to load the truck evenly. processing but are still determining how much to waste per day and weekly,” 150 hp blower. To circumvent the digesters and save When we ran digested sludge through the rotary drum “Once we set up the camera in the bay, the men can check the trailer from he says. “Once we figure that out, we can program the CleanB for a flow rate, money, the contractor dewatered return activated sludge thickener and processed it in the centrifuge, we had 16 to the control room,” Bolton says. “Everyone wants to play with the new toy and a time, or a batch.” from the bottom of clarifier No. 2. “The odor was hor- are happy to make the rounds.” Other components also remain in flux, making it difficult to evaluate rendous,” Bolton says. “We’re right on the Indian River ‘‘17 percent solids. The minute we turned on the chlorine dioxide, cost-effectiveness. For example, a dedicated in-line meter records monthly Lagoon next to homes and a busy intersection. Odor con- REFINING OPERATIONS electric costs remotely using fiber optic data transmission with Allen-Brad- trol is of major importance.” solids jumped to 19 to 20 percent.” Compared to the electric, tankage, aeration system, and maintenance ley operating software. It communicates with the plant iFIX SCADA system To address rising biosolids handling costs, the city ROB BOLTON involved with the aerobic digesters, the all-in-one CleanB system is simpler. (GE Digital). purchased a CleanB treatment system (BCR) for condi- “We program how many thousands of gallons to waste that day, push the Bolton wants to test other polymers, and the city has bid out the chemical tioning and odor control, and a CS18-4HC 2Ph FH solid bowl centrifuge after the chlorine dioxide generator. Feed lines with pulsating positive dis- button, and walk away,” Bolton says. “The machine automatically flushes the and hauling contracts. “One local bidder said he has land application sites skid (Centrisys/CNP) for dewatering. “Our goal is to process digested sludge placement pumps inject a 1:1 ratio of 50 percent sulfuric acid and 15 percent coils and shuts down when done.” north of us,” Bolton says. “That would cut 30 percent off our total hauling as we transition to direct processing of RAS, thereby eliminating the digest- sodium chlorite into the generator. Bolton’s biggest predicament is the plant’s constant wasting mode to the costs. With the numbers still not finalized, we’re estimating a total savings ers,” Bolton says. “The tanks will be cleaned and kept as a backup to the cen- As chlorine dioxide mixes with the material in the 10-inch-diameter ser- rotary drum thickeners. It interferes with shutting down the system on week- of $200,000 annually and a return on investment in five or six years.” trifuges or repurposed for nitrogen removal.” pentine piping, the chemical disinfects and deodorizes by oxidizing sulfides, ends or at least on Saturdays due to staffing. “We’re moving toward batch

tpomag.com August 2018 31 top performer wastewater: BIOSOLIDS

EARTH DAY BEGAN ON APRIL 22, 1970. THE BIOSOLIDS SERVING THREE FACILITIES beneficial use program in Fort Wayne, Indiana, goes back almost that far. The biosolids program serves the three facilities that protect Fort The city’s Biosolids Handling Facility, established in the 1970s, con- Wayne’s water resources and deliver clean water to homes and businesses. verts solids from the Fort Wayne Water Pollution Control Plant and the The water plant, capacity 72 mgd, was built in 1933 and has seen several city’s Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant into products farmers and city upgrades, most recently to add UV disinfection in 2014. ‘Every Day Is residents can use to enhance their soils. The water pollution control plant (60 mgd design, 47 mgd average, “Our motto is ‘every day is Earth Day,’” says Brian Robinson, biosol- 100 mgd peak) was built in 1939 and also extensively upgraded, notably ids facility superintendent. “Our public information officer, Frank Suarez, with a new headworks building and new primary clarifiers in the early came up with that — he just said it on a news program one day. We try 2000s and an upgrade of the aeration system with coarse- and fine-bub- to live by that. We reuse as much as we possibly can. That’s pretty much ble diffusers (Sanitaire - a Xylem Brand) in 1998. how we operate out here.” The plant’s activated sludge process uses nine secondary treatment The facility, in a partnership with Fox Contractors that goes back 17 trains, each with its own aeration basin and final clarifier. Methane from years, converts biosolids and combined sewer overflow solids into a com- the six 1.7 million-gallon anaerobic digesters fuels boilers and a pair of post sold in bulk to farmers and landscapers and given at no charge to Guascor engines driving 400 kW generators that produce about one-third Earth Day homeowners. Dewatered lime from the water plant is sold to farmers for of the plant’s electricity. ’ soil pH adjustment. The city’s CSO facility consists of two side-by-side, 30-acre ponds 11.5 AT FORT WAYNE, THE BIOSOLIDS, WATER PLANT LIME RESIDUALS, It doesn’t end there: Facility staff members collaborate with the city to 12 feet deep. A pump station with 500 mgd capacity delivers storm flows Street Department on leaf pickup twice a year. The leaves, along with to the ponds from the city’s extensive combined sewer system. The ponds AND SOLIDS FROM COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW LAGOONS yard waste and brush brought by residents and other city departments, drain into an interceptor sewer that feeds the water to the treatment plant ALL MAKE THEIR WAY INTO PRODUCTS FOR BENEFICIAL USE are ground up, composted, and used in producing the city’s Class A bio- after storm events end and the treatment process catches up. solids product. For its efforts, the city received a 2017 Residuals & Resource All told, the Biosolids Handling Facility encompasses 582 acres, of STORY: Ted J. Rulseh | PHOTOGRAPHY: Marc Lebryk Recovery Award for Excellence in Operating from the Indiana Water which lagoons occupy 382 acres, providing 1.75 million cubic yards of Environment Association. capacity. In 2017, the site yielded 24,319 dry tons of biosolids product and 23,233 dry tons of the lime product.

An operator carries a load of compost to the mixing pad in a Caterpillar 730 haul truck at the Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling Facility.

We reuse as much as we possibly can. That’s pretty much how we operate out here.” ‘‘BRIAN ROBINSON

32 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR top performer wastewater: BIOSOLIDS

An operator carries a load of compost to the mixing pad in a Caterpillar 730 haul truck at the Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling Facility.

We reuse as much as we possibly can. That’s pretty much how we operate out here.” ‘‘BRIAN ROBINSON

tpomag.com August 2018 33 RESIDENTS ON BOARD

Any biosolids beneficial use program depends on public acceptance and support. The Fort Wayne, Indiana, program is so well accepted that the demand for product consistently exceeds supply. “One thing we do is open up our treatment plants to the public,” says Brian Robinson, superintendent of the city’s Biosolids Handling Facility. “We have three open houses set up this year, and we advertise them. Our Parks Department issues a calendar of things to do on the weekends, and we are listed on that. “We have had requests to hold tours of the Biosolids Handling Facility, and we’re trying to work out a way to do that. Because it’s such a large facility, that would involve either a lot of walking or some type of transportation.” To help with promotion, Robinson created a four-page handout to give to people at public events, such as rain garden workshops, which typically attract about 75 people. Another public resource is an information sheet developed by a Purdue University agronomist describing how to use biosolids as a soil amendment, as mulch, as a potting medium, and as a lawn fertilizer. Earlier this year, Robinson hosted a TV program on biosolids for the city’s public access cable channel. Meanwhile, the city has taken steps to make the biosolids facility attractive. “The entrance is designed so as to help retain property value for the surrounding homes,” Robinson says. “It includes a new driveway and hilled landscaping on the north side of the property. City representatives attended several neighborhood Residents pick up finished material at the Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling association meetings to discuss the design. When it was completed, The team at the Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling Facility includes, from left, Facility. Mulch is available as well. Cameron Douglas, Kevin Ort and Johnathon Stantz, equipment operators; we received a thank-you card signed by several neighbors.” Renee Hodgin, equipment manager; Travis Medina, facility manager; Fort Wayne (Indiana) In addition, the city offers biosolids and mulch delivery for Kim Schinbeckler, equipment operator; Tim Bruce, scale house manager; Biosolids Handling Facility can tweak the amounts coming out of each bin. If we want more biosolids or community gardens and provides biosolids at no cost to proper- Chris Hart, equipment operator crew leader; Tim Gallaway, equipment operator; more compost, Travis can make those adjustments.” Typically, the mixture ties being restored to help transform vacant lots into green space. Brian Robinson, superintendent; and Randy Davis,equipment operator. BUILT: | Early 1970s contains about 60 percent biosolids and 40 percent compost. There is also outreach to the water industry. In March, the POPULATION SERVED: | 310,000 The third bin in the plant is used to fill requests for custom batches, Indiana Water Environment Association held its statewide HANDLING BIOSOLIDS POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT FLOWS: | 60 mgd design, 47 mgd average which require a minimum order of 2,000 tons. In the past, custom blends residuals conference in Fort Wayne. “We had seminars in the The biosolids process starts with sludge pumped from four primary clar- BIOSOLIDS PROCESS: | Composting have included additives such as sand and horticultural perlite. The process morning, and then we did bus tours of our facility in the after- ifiers along with waste activated sludge from the secondary clarifiers. Rotary BIOSOLIDS VOLUME: | 27,000 dry tons/year, Class A is seasonal and weather-dependent; the basic aim is to maintain a 30-day noon,” Robinson says. “The state gave continuing education drum thickeners (Andritz Separation) deliver the material to the digesters BIOSOLIDS USE: | Land application supply. Before distribution, the material is screened to remove oversized credit to licensed operators who attended.” at 4 to 6 percent solids. “The digested material is pumped through an under- WEBSITE: | www.cityoffortwayne.org material. Final testing is also done to ensure regulatory compliance. ground pipeline about 2 miles to the biosolids facility,” Robinson says. “There GPS COORDINATES: | Latitude: 41° 5’12.75”; longitude: 85° 3’39.50” it is placed in 7-acre lined dewatering lagoons for natural drying.” Besides LIME AND CSO SOLIDS material from its own water pollution control plant, the city takes anaerobi- Lime is used at the Three Rivers Water Filtration Plant as a water soft- ity. The settled solids in the ponds are dredged and pumped into large bio- cally digested and nondigested sludges from other sources. ening and coagulation agent. Material removed from the treatment process filter bags for dewatering and thickening; the decant water flows back to the After two to three years drying in the lagoons, the material is windrowed The final biosolids material contains 68 to 70 percent solids. It is mixed is pumped via force main to the biosolids facility for dewatering in 23 lagoons. ponds. Composite samples of the CSO waste are analyzed for pollutants. to enable more dewatering to occur in a second year. The biosolids are then with compost made on the site from yard waste and wood chips. “We have a The dried product is tested for heavy metals before being sold to farmers. The dewatered solids are trucked to the biosolids facility and placed in turned about every two weeks. “All three-bin mixing plant,” Medina Periodically, undigested sludge and grit from the CSO ponds and the a 7-acre system of clay-lined lagoons. Soon afterward, the material is hauled water including storm runoff from says. “The biosolids are in one bin, collections system clean-out are treated and processed at the biosolids facil- to a 6-acre compost pad, blended with yard waste and wood mulch, and com- the site is sent to the water pollution We have a three-bin mixing plant. The biosolids and the compost is in another. It’s (continued) control plant,” notes Travis Medina, are in one bin, and the compost is in another. an electronically fed process. We can operations manager and Fox Con- adjust the feed rates according to The Fort Wayne Biosolids Handling Facility encompasses 582 acres tractors employee. ‘‘It’s an electronically fed process.” how we want each batch to be mixed.” and provides 1.75 million cubic yards of capacity. The dried material is tested by TRAVIS MEDINA The 9-by-12-foot top-opening way of mixed core samples taken bins load material onto three 42-inch- from the windrows. A sample of the mixed material is then analyzed for wide feeder belts that in turn dump the material onto a troughed 48-inch- heavy metals, PCBs, volatile solids, vector attraction reduction and patho- wide collecting belt. The material then flows onto a 42-inch-wide inclined gen reduction. Testing validates whether the material complies with Process belt that carries it to the screening unit. to Further Reduce Pathogens requirements and heavy metal concentration Robinson adds, “The feeder belts are controlled by variable-frequency limits. Any material that does not meet the requirements is reblended. drives. Each belt’s speed can be set by way of the operator interface, so we

34 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR RESIDENTS ON BOARD

From left, Tim Bruce, scale house manager; Brian Robinson, facility superintendent; and Travis Medina, operations manager, with Fox Contractors.

36 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR We also take in brush and grind it into mulch, which we sell that for $5 a ton. People can bring their trimmings for a drop-off fee of $20 per ton, prorated.” ‘‘BRIAN ROBINSON posted at a minimum of 131 degrees F for at least 15 days while being turned Also essential is a good relationship with state regulators at the Indiana at least five times with a self-propelled windrow turner. Department of Environmental Management. “They are there to help,” Medina When the compost begins to cool, it is placed in a curing pile to await says. “They do a great job of providing guidance and answering any ques- screening. At that point, another composite sample is analyzed for pollut- tions we have.” ants. The finished material is also analyzed for E. coli, enteric viruses, hel- Robinson adds, “The other big thing is getting publicity out there about minth ova, Salmonella and vector attraction reduction. the product so that people understand it’s safe and a beneficial option for use All the processed materials find a willing market. Homeowners take the on their flower beds, gardens and material, usually in smaller containers like 5-gallon buckets, but sometimes trees.” It’s a formula that has worked in pickup trucks. The compost materials sell in bulk for $12.20 per ton and for more than 40 years, and all signs featured the lime for $10.50 per ton. “For farmers who purchase large volumes, Fox indicate it will continue to work, products from: Contractors works with them on the pricing,” Robinson says. “We also take through many more Earth Days to Andritz Separation, Inc. in brush and grind it into mulch, which we sell for $5 a ton. People can bring come. 800-433-5161 their trimmings for a drop-off fee of $20 per ton, prorated.” www.andritz.com/separation Sanitaire - a Xylem Brand A TEAM SUCCESS STORY 855-995-4261 Lime used at the Three Rivers Making it all happen requires teamwork between the city and Fox Con- www.xylem.com/treatment Filtration Plant is dewatered in tractors. Besides Robinson, city team members are Chris Gach, assistant lagoons and sold to farmers. superintendent of the water pollution control plant and biosolids; Chris Hart, equipment operator crew leader; and Tim Gallaway, Renee Hodgkin, Kim Schinbeckler, and Johnathan Stantz, equipment operators. Fox Contractors personnel on site are Tim Bruce, scale house manager, and equipment operators Kevin Ort, Randall Davis, and Cameron Douglas.

From left, Tim Bruce, scale house manager; Brian Robinson, facility superintendent; and Travis Medina, operations manager, with Fox Contractors. FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX

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tpomag.com August 2018 37 Aeration Industries_TPO Magazine_July.indd 1 2018-07-03 2:01 PM wastewater: HOW WE DO IT

Tim Webb, left, operations manager, Llano County Municipal Utility District, with Art Savage from Landia.

Sludge Buster A CHOPPER PUMP WITH AN AERATOR NOZZLE HELPS A SMALL UTILITY DISTRICT ELIMINATE TROUBLESOME BUILDUPS AND CURE ODORS IN A KEY LIFT STATION

By Chris French

mid the pastoral landscape of the Blue Lake Estates Community, a group of cautiously optimistic operators, officials, and suppliers A gathered around the Deer Haven lift station in Texas. The question about to be answered for Llano County Municipal Utility District was whether its investment in a new pump would pay off. Even with just 480 residential connections at one of the most coveted neighborhoods around Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, the district was weighed down with lift station maintenance and increasing odor concerns. The culprit was an extremely thick and impenetrable scum and FOG layer that made it difficult to retrieve the duty pumps for service. While chopping and air injection chews up day until the lift station reached a point where there were no scum, plastics maintenance personnel often had to engage the scum layer at the main Deer rags and breaks down the solids that and solids on the surface. Once the layers of scum and trash were gone, the Haven lift station, things really came to a head at the district’s smaller, Sandy generate unwelcome labor hours in pump was adjusted to run for 15 minutes each morning. With this new Harbor lift station. lift stations. arrangement, the AeriGator prevents new scum layers from forming. This Float switches caught up in the scum blanket caused both duty pumps “We tried to resolve the lift sta- protects the duty pumps against heavy ragging and allows them to do their in the duplex station to run dry. The ultimate sacrifice of these pumps cost tion issues, but the Band-Aid approach basic job properly. $15,000 for replacement. wasn’t for us,” says Angela Thomas, The district decided it was time for a more proactive approach. The solu- district general manager. “The loss A SECOND SOLUTION tion was a chopper pump with an air injection nozzle. of our pumps at Sandy Harbor wasn’t After the success of the 6.5 hp chopper pump at the Deer Haven lift sta- something we wanted to repeat. Dar- tion, the district introduced a 6.5 hp Landia EradiGator chopper pump for MAINTENANCE HEADACHE rel told us how the Landia chopper the slightly smaller Sandy Harbor lift station, where the $15,000 pump fail- “To keep things moving and prevent overflows and reduce odors, we were pump would be the most cost-effec- ure had occurred. This chopper pump has no venturi nozzle; scum is not the constantly hosing down the lift sta- tive and efficient purchase we could primary problem there. tions to try and break the scum layer,” make for the long term. The EradiGator pump has a recirculation nozzle that keeps the lift sta- says Tim Webb, operations manager. The time we spent on callouts to prevent the lift stations from “It’s fair to say that because the tion well-mixed while macerating rags that could clog the duty pumps. Flow “But in about 30 minutes, the scum blanket of scum was so thick, we from the Sandy Harbor lift station goes to the Deer Haven lift station, and layer was back. overflowing is a thing of the past. Because of the new pumps, were all a little apprehensive when the combined raw wastewater is then pumped to the city of Horseshoe Bay “Untangling the floats had become we’re back to where we should be — basic preventative maintenance.” we switched the pump on for the first Wastewater Treatment Plant. routine. The whole thing was an ‘‘ time. We thought it could break Webb observes, “It may seem a small point, but we can now save $600 unpleasant, tricky job, having to TIM WEBB everything up to an extent, but it annually on the water hose connection that we had to have available for wash- reach out and inevitably get covered Webb noted that there was always the issue of plastics, sanitary products, mixed everything, right into the cor- downs at Deer Haven. For locations with no readily available water supply, in sludge. Simply getting to the duty pumps was difficult. We’re on a pres- and occasional seemingly indestructible mopheads, plus other surprises that ners of the Deer Haven lift station, the installation of the Landia pumps would make a big difference. The Aer- sure system here. There’s no gravity feed. Everything gets emulsified in the make it into the sanitary sewer system, a typical scenario at many munici- which was all the more impressive iGator can often eliminate the scum layers that form in a lift station or wet grinder pumps that have been issued to local residents, but the plastics float pal lift stations. because of it being a harder-to-mix, well to the point where washdown water is no longer needed. rather than sink. 12-by-12-foot tank. In just 30 min- “Since we started using the Landia pumps, the waste buildup is no lon- “The whole time our float system was being affected by the buildup of COMBINATION REMEDY utes, we could see a big difference.” ger sitting in the lift stations, so we have a much fresher product with greatly the sludge blanket. Our pumps would get air-locked. It reached the point For a solution, the district called on Smith Pump, a Texas-based firm The pump was run 24 hours per reduced odors. The time we spent on callouts to prevent the lift stations from where we had to spray under the pumps as we were lowering them and tilt- with a specialty in water and wastewater pumps and supplier of many of the overflowing is a thing of the past. Because of the new pumps, we’re back to ing them to release air. That was a challenge we could have done without. grinder pumps to area homes. Darrell Mize, customer relations manager, The AeriGator chopper pump where we should be — basic preventative maintenance.” Despite our constant efforts, we were fighting a losing battle, and ultimately suggested the AeriGator chopper pump (Landia) with an external knife cut- (Landia) chops debris and breaks we could not get to the pumps through such a thick blanket of scum.” ting system and a venturi nozzle that injects air into scum blankets. The downs solids.

38 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR wastewater: HOW WE DO IT

Tim Webb, left, operations manager, Llano County Municipal Utility Pump. Thicken. Dewater. Dry. District, with Art Savage from Landia. Paddle Dryer Belt Filter Press Gravity Belt Thickener

• indirectly heated • sludge dewatering • sludge thickening • produce Class A product • high cake solids • high rates Sludge Buster • high efficiency • low polymer cost • low polymer cost A CHOPPER PUMP WITH AN AERATOR NOZZLE HELPS A SMALL UTILITY DISTRICT ELIMINATE TROUBLESOME BUILDUPS AND CURE ODORS IN A KEY LIFT STATION Dissolved Air Flotation Rotary Vacuum Filter Plunger Pump By Chris French • sludge thickening • sludge dewatering • sludge transfer • wastewater clarification • wastewater clarification • positive displacement • high float solids • continuous operation • high suction lift mid the pastoral landscape of the Blue Lake Estates Community, a group of cautiously optimistic operators, officials, and suppliers A gathered around the Deer Haven lift station in Texas. The question about to be answered for Llano County Municipal Utility District was whether its investment in a new pump would pay off. Even with just 480 residential connections at one of the most coveted neighborhoods around Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, the district was weighed down with lift Komline - Sanderson station maintenance and increasing odor concerns. FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX The culprit was an extremely thick and impenetrable scum and FOG layer that made it difficult to retrieve the duty pumps for service. While chopping and air injection chews up day until the lift station reached a point where there were no scum, plastics maintenance personnel often had to engage the scum layer at the main Deer rags and breaks down the solids that and solids on the surface. Once the layers of scum and trash were gone, the Haven lift station, things really came to a head at the district’s smaller, Sandy generate unwelcome labor hours in pump was adjusted to run for 15 minutes each morning. With this new Harbor lift station. lift stations. arrangement, the AeriGator prevents new scum layers from forming. This Float switches caught up in the scum blanket caused both duty pumps “We tried to resolve the lift sta- protects the duty pumps against heavy ragging and allows them to do their in the duplex station to run dry. The ultimate sacrifice of these pumps cost tion issues, but the Band-Aid approach basic job properly. $15,000 for replacement. wasn’t for us,” says Angela Thomas, The district decided it was time for a more proactive approach. The solu- district general manager. “The loss A SECOND SOLUTION tion was a chopper pump with an air injection nozzle. of our pumps at Sandy Harbor wasn’t After the success of the 6.5 hp chopper pump at the Deer Haven lift sta- something we wanted to repeat. Dar- tion, the district introduced a 6.5 hp Landia EradiGator chopper pump for MAINTENANCE HEADACHE rel told us how the Landia chopper the slightly smaller Sandy Harbor lift station, where the $15,000 pump fail- “To keep things moving and prevent overflows and reduce odors, we were pump would be the most cost-effec- ure had occurred. This chopper pump has no venturi nozzle; scum is not the constantly hosing down the lift sta- tive and efficient purchase we could primary problem there. tions to try and break the scum layer,” make for the long term. The EradiGator pump has a recirculation nozzle that keeps the lift sta- says Tim Webb, operations manager. The time we spent on callouts to prevent the lift stations from “It’s fair to say that because the tion well-mixed while macerating rags that could clog the duty pumps. Flow “But in about 30 minutes, the scum blanket of scum was so thick, we from the Sandy Harbor lift station goes to the Deer Haven lift station, and layer was back. overflowing is a thing of the past. Because of the new pumps, were all a little apprehensive when the combined raw wastewater is then pumped to the city of Horseshoe Bay “Untangling the floats had become we’re back to where we should be — basic preventative maintenance.” we switched the pump on for the first Wastewater Treatment Plant. routine. The whole thing was an ‘‘ time. We thought it could break Webb observes, “It may seem a small point, but we can now save $600 unpleasant, tricky job, having to TIM WEBB everything up to an extent, but it annually on the water hose connection that we had to have available for wash- reach out and inevitably get covered Webb noted that there was always the issue of plastics, sanitary products, mixed everything, right into the cor- downs at Deer Haven. For locations with no readily available water supply, in sludge. Simply getting to the duty pumps was difficult. We’re on a pres- and occasional seemingly indestructible mopheads, plus other surprises that ners of the Deer Haven lift station, the installation of the Landia pumps would make a big difference. The Aer- sure system here. There’s no gravity feed. Everything gets emulsified in the make it into the sanitary sewer system, a typical scenario at many munici- which was all the more impressive iGator can often eliminate the scum layers that form in a lift station or wet grinder pumps that have been issued to local residents, but the plastics float pal lift stations. because of it being a harder-to-mix, well to the point where washdown water is no longer needed. rather than sink. 12-by-12-foot tank. In just 30 min- “Since we started using the Landia pumps, the waste buildup is no lon- “The whole time our float system was being affected by the buildup of COMBINATION REMEDY utes, we could see a big difference.” ger sitting in the lift stations, so we have a much fresher product with greatly the sludge blanket. Our pumps would get air-locked. It reached the point For a solution, the district called on Smith Pump, a Texas-based firm The pump was run 24 hours per reduced odors. The time we spent on callouts to prevent the lift stations from where we had to spray under the pumps as we were lowering them and tilt- with a specialty in water and wastewater pumps and supplier of many of the overflowing is a thing of the past. Because of the new pumps, we’re back to ing them to release air. That was a challenge we could have done without. grinder pumps to area homes. Darrell Mize, customer relations manager, The AeriGator chopper pump where we should be — basic preventative maintenance.” Despite our constant efforts, we were fighting a losing battle, and ultimately suggested the AeriGator chopper pump (Landia) with an external knife cut- (Landia) chops debris and breaks we could not get to the pumps through such a thick blanket of scum.” ting system and a venturi nozzle that injects air into scum blankets. The downs solids.

tpomag.com August 2018 39 PLANTSCAPES

Art Celebrates Water PHOTOGRAPHY BY YASSINE EL MANSOURI SCULPTURE, DECORATIVE FENCING AND WATERMARKS HIGHLIGHT A NEWLY EXPANDED TREATMENT PLANT AND A POPULAR STREAMSIDE TRAIL By Jeff Smith

he water pollution control plant in Arlington, Virginia, is less than ABOVE: A view of the 33-foot-long sculpture-like bench along the Four Mile half a mile from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Run trail. The security fence and Arlington Pollution Control Plant are in the T across the street from a residential neighborhood. background. The entire back side of the 40 mgd advanced treatment facility is bor- dered by a stream called Four Mile Run. Between the stream and the plant tions that present an illusion of water flowing. It replaced a standard chain- fence is a trail that interconnects with other trails along the stream to form link fence and was part of a $568 million plant upgrade completed in 2012. a 9-mile route enjoyed by pedestrians and bikers. Created by Dutch artists Tejo Remy and Rene Veenhuizen, Ripple was “The trail is really popular and heavily used,” says Tom Broderick, installed in 2015, along with a 33-foot-long and 6-foot-wide sculpture-like water pollution control bureau chief. A ribbon-cutting in September 2017 bench that sits along the bike trail. Made with a shaped, powder-coated celebrated completion of a major restoration project on more than 2 miles of steel frame and acetylated, sustainable wood, the wave-shaped form of the the stream and unveiled elements of public art that were the water plant’s bench also suggests water flow. “Each piece of art was designed to enhance contribution to the restoration. the fence and serve as a community landmark and gathering place,” Brod- The Arlington County plant staff includes, standing, from left, Frank Corsoro, erick says. A biking and walking trail passes between the Four Mile Run stream and the operations manager; Kofi Antwi, operations specialist; Zahid Yousaf, opera- HIGH-QUALITY FENCING decorative security fence. tions shift supervisor; Lisa Cunningham, laboratory manager; Tes Tesfamar- ian, operator; Mary Strawn, chief engineer; and Jonathan Jennings and Chris Named Ripple to reflect the plant’s function, the Hawthorne, operators. Front, kneeling, George DeAtely, operator. work includes more than 800 feet of a black powder- It is meant to represent the process in a sequential order asphalt trail. The interval of each watermark corresponds to the location of coated security fence, enhanced with hundreds of from pretreatment to advanced wastewater treatment as outfall pipes under the trail that lead to Four Mile Run stream from each brightly colored objects made of galvanized powder- nearby residential neighborhood. restore tidal wetlands, and rebuild Share Your Ideas coated metal. Held to the fence with stainless steel one walks or rides along the path.” Imprinted on the border of each watermark are the common and scien- the multiuse trail. Public art was ‘‘ TPO welcomes news about clamps, the objects in various shapes and forms sug- TOM BRODERICK tific names of fish that inhabit the stream. A banner across the middle of part of the plan. gest microorganisms that are part of the treatment pro- interesting features of your facility’s each watermark reads, “Every fish wants a healthy stream.” “I think it was an appropriate grounds, signage or buildings for cess. Some are wrench-like. A sign on the fence calls The Four Mile Run restoration project was a joint venture of residents level of investment on our part,” future articles in the PlantScapes the art “an interpretation of tools and methods.” TRAIL FEATURES and staff from Arlington, the City of Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Broderick says. “It adds something column. Send your ideas to editor “It is meant to represent the process in a sequential order from pretreat- A third element of public art was designed by Virginia-based landscape Regional Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Army to the community and allows pass- @tpomag.com or call 877-953-3301. ment to advanced wastewater treatment as one walks or rides along the path,” architect Julie Bargmann. Fourteen watermarks made of 4-foot-wide, skid- Corps of Engineers and congressional representatives. They laid out a plan ersby to give a little thought to what Broderick says. The irregular 7-foot-tall fence had bent and angular sec- resistant thermoplastic vinyl are imbedded across the 11-foot width of to fund and restore the stream banks, replace riprap with living shorelines, goes on behind the fence. I think that’s a good thing.”

40 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR PLANTSCAPES

Art Celebrates Water PHOTOGRAPHY BY YASSINE EL MANSOURI

SCULPTURE, DECORATIVE FENCING AND WATERMARKS HIGHLIGHT A FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX NEWLY EXPANDED TREATMENT PLANT AND A POPULAR STREAMSIDE TRAIL By Jeff Smith

tpomag.com August 2018 41 TECHNOLOGY McIvor: In our pilots, we discovered that particles created by grinders DEEP DIVE and choppers passed through headworks screens and caused problems in treatment plant processes. We also found that those devices required maintenance and consumed energy. Our clients were looking for something they could plug into the control panel instead of making infrastructure upgrades to their lift stations. They wanted a retrofit device that would work on all pumps and keep them rag-free.

: How do pumps become clogged with wipes? 1 McIvor: About nine out of 10 wipes will pass through a pump easily. The problem is that when that one in 10 wipe catches on the impeller, it increases the frictional surface. Then more wipes stick to the original 1. The DERAGGER+ module wipe. The motion of the impeller causes the wipes to clump together, and uses sophisticated that’s what creates mophead balls in the pump volute. It gets bigger and big- sensing to monitor a ger until the pump actually trips out. If you detect that initial wipe and stop pump’s power signature and detect when a wipe it from catching on the impeller, you can prevent the subsequent buildup or other object has and blockage and keep passing the wipes forward to the screens, where they caught on the impeller. are removed.

2. The compact module : How exactly does the reversal action keep clogs from forming? installs easily in motor 2 McIvor: Our power analyzer measures the pump’s raw current and volt- control cabinets. age signatures. If a pump is running with a clean impeller, that signature will be constant. If a wipe catches on the impeller, that signature is going to change. That’s what our software notices. It can then put the pump into a reversal cycle. It slows the impeller down to a standstill, and then the reversal flicks the wipe off the impeller. The pump then goes back into forward momentum and the wipe passes through.

: What is involved in installing the control module? McIvor: If the pump has a variable-frequency drive, you just plug the De-ragging Differently unit in and it takes four or five minutes to wire it in. If you have a pump with a larger NEMA size 3, 4 or 5 motor, you need a reversing contactor. If there A DEVICE INSERTED IN A PUMP CONTROL PANEL REGULATES is space within the control panel, it’s a straightforward process to add that. If not, then we can add a small box to house the unit. PUMP BEHAVIOR TO ENABLE TROUBLESOME WIPES TO PASS THROUGH : What new or improved features does the DERAGGER+ unit By Ted J. Rulseh offer? McIvor: It has an improved detection algorithm. We’re continuously mong the problems created by the proliferation of wipes is the form an automatic reversal. In 2011 we installed a prototype at a site suffer- developing our detection capability because we continuously research dif- unpleasant, time-consuming and costly job of periodically pulling ing from blockages in the Scottish Water system. We hoped to reduce ferent pump types and blockage types. We’ve also added data logging capa- A rags from pumps. ragging incidents by 30 to 40 percent. In reality, that site has been running bilities. The unit logs 20 years of performance information at five-second Many clean-water plants have tackled the problem by installing chop- completely rag-free since installation. intervals, and that enables quite sophisticated condition monitoring. We can pers or grinders that macerate the wipes into particles that pumps can eas- monitor pump’s health and detect when a pump is starting to wear or devi- ily pass. Now United Kingdom-based Clearwater Controls (doing business : How did the technology advance from that initial prototype? ate from normal operation. as DERAGGER in the U.S.) offers a technology that instead uses intelligent McIvor: We installed similar units in about two dozen more Scottish pump control to allow wipes to pass without cutting. Water sites, but realizing that product was quite basic, we went to a next stage : Are there any other benefits to this anti-ragging technology? The DERAGGER+ anti-ragging device monitors the McIvor: Energy savings can be significant. As wipes stick to the impel- pump’s power signature and detects when a wipe is ler, the pump loses significant capacity. The flow rate drops and power con- interfering with the pump’s operation. At that point, it If you detect that initial wipe and stop it from catching on sumption goes up. But if you keep the pump completely rag-free, it can operate runs the pump through a reverse cycle that releases the at optimum efficiency all the time. wipe, which then passes through when normal operation the impeller, you can prevent the subsequent buildup and is restored. ‘‘blockage and keep passing the wipes forward to the screens, : How widely is this technology in use so far? The technology consists of a small unit that the man- McIvor: In the U.S., we have several hundred installations, and not just ufacturer says is easy to install in new or existing cen- where they are removed.” for lift stations. We have installations on return and waste activated sludge trifugal pump control panels. It is designed to keep GRAHAM McIVOR pumps, on mixers, and on surface aeration. We also work with manufactur- pumps continuously running rag-free and extend pump ers of surface aerators and pumps. life. Graham McIvor, technical director, talked about the technology in an of prototype. In 2013 we developed the DERAGGER II, a complete redesign interview with Treatment Plant Operator. with a much more sophisticated power analyzer. Through research, we found : How have customers responded to the technology? that detection was the critical element because if a blockage gets too large, McIvor: Initially we see a lot of skepticism. People say, ‘How can this : What led to the development of this technology? there is a risk of damaging the pump. We introduced the DERAGGER+ at tiny little device possibly eliminate rags?’ So we do a lot of initial free trials. McIvor: In 2010, Scottish Water tasked us with looking into ways to WEFTEC in 2017. It is very rare that a customer ever takes one out once we’ve done a free trial. combat pump blockages automatically. We knew that reversing the pump to They see the results and become believers. get rid of blockages could work. If we could accurately analyze the power : How would you compare this technology with the use of grinder going to the pump, we could detect blockages at the right time and then per- or chopper pumps?

42 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR TECHNOLOGY McIvor: In our pilots, we discovered that particles created by grinders DEEP DIVE and choppers passed through headworks screens and caused problems in treatment plant processes. We also found that those devices required main- 2018 tenance and consumed energy. Our clients were looking for something they Booth 2901 could plug into the control panel instead of making infrastructure upgrades to their lift stations. They wanted a retrofit device that would work on all pumps and keep them rag-free.

: What is involved in installing the control module? AeriGator McIvor: If the pump has a variable-frequency drive, you just plug the De-ragging Differently unit in and it takes four or five minutes to wire it in. If you have a pump with The new low-cost way a larger NEMA size 3, 4 or 5 motor, you need a reversing contactor. If there A DEVICE INSERTED IN A PUMP CONTROL PANEL REGULATES is space within the control panel, it’s a straightforward process to add that. to bust through all that If not, then we can add a small box to house the unit. PUMP BEHAVIOR TO ENABLE TROUBLESOME WIPES TO PASS THROUGH : What new or improved features does the DERAGGER+ unit Lift Station scum! By Ted J. Rulseh offer? McIvor: It has an improved detection algorithm. We’re continuously mong the problems created by the proliferation of wipes is the form an automatic reversal. In 2011 we installed a prototype at a site suffer- developing our detection capability because we continuously research dif- » No crust - Guaranteed unpleasant, time-consuming and costly job of periodically pulling ing from blockages in the Scottish Water system. We hoped to reduce ferent pump types and blockage types. We’ve also added data logging capa- A rags from pumps. ragging incidents by 30 to 40 percent. In reality, that site has been running bilities. The unit logs 20 years of performance information at five-second » Macerates rags and debris while Many clean-water plants have tackled the problem by installing chop- completely rag-free since installation. intervals, and that enables quite sophisticated condition monitoring. We can pers or grinders that macerate the wipes into particles that pumps can eas- monitor pump’s health and detect when a pump is starting to wear or devi- injecting air to freshen everything up ily pass. Now United Kingdom-based Clearwater Controls (doing business : How did the technology advance from that initial prototype? ate from normal operation. as DERAGGER in the U.S.) offers a technology that instead uses intelligent McIvor: We installed similar units in about two dozen more Scottish » No additional chemicals needed pump control to allow wipes to pass without cutting. Water sites, but realizing that product was quite basic, we went to a next stage : Are there any other benefits to this anti-ragging technology? The DERAGGER+ anti-ragging device monitors the McIvor: Energy savings can be significant. As wipes stick to the impel- » No more vac trucks to remove scum pump’s power signature and detects when a wipe is ler, the pump loses significant capacity. The flow rate drops and power con- interfering with the pump’s operation. At that point, it If you detect that initial wipe and stop it from catching on sumption goes up. But if you keep the pump completely rag-free, it can operate » Less Maintenance and far less mess! runs the pump through a reverse cycle that releases the at optimum efficiency all the time. wipe, which then passes through when normal operation the impeller, you can prevent the subsequent buildup and is restored. ‘‘blockage and keep passing the wipes forward to the screens, : How widely is this technology in use so far? The technology consists of a small unit that the man- McIvor: In the U.S., we have several hundred installations, and not just Please contact Landia now ufacturer says is easy to install in new or existing cen- where they are removed.” for lift stations. We have installations on return and waste activated sludge to arrange a drop-in from this trifugal pump control panels. It is designed to keep GRAHAM McIVOR pumps, on mixers, and on surface aeration. We also work with manufactur- pumps continuously running rag-free and extend pump ers of surface aerators and pumps. versatile and highly effective pump. life. Graham McIvor, technical director, talked about the technology in an of prototype. In 2013 we developed the DERAGGER II, a complete redesign Landia, Inc. interview with Treatment Plant Operator. with a much more sophisticated power analyzer. Through research, we found : How have customers responded to the technology? 111 Triangle Trade Drive that detection was the critical element because if a blockage gets too large, McIvor: Initially we see a lot of skepticism. People say, ‘How can this Cary, North Carolina 27513 : What led to the development of this technology? there is a risk of damaging the pump. We introduced the DERAGGER+ at tiny little device possibly eliminate rags?’ So we do a lot of initial free trials. Tel. +1 (919) 466-0603 McIvor: In 2010, Scottish Water tasked us with looking into ways to WEFTEC in 2017. It is very rare that a customer ever takes one out once we’ve done a free trial. [email protected] combat pump blockages automatically. We knew that reversing the pump to They see the results and become believers. www.landiainc.com get rid of blockages could work. If we could accurately analyze the power : How would you compare this technology with the use of grinder going to the pump, we could detect blockages at the right time and then per- or chopper pumps? FREE INFO – SEE ADVERTISER INDEX

tpomag.com August 2018 43 Headworks/Biosolids Management DIRECTORY 2018 Bins/Hoppers/Silos BiosolidsTreatment/Application Centrifuges/Separators Chemical/PolymerFeed Equipment Coagulants/Flocculants/Polymers CompostingEquipment Conveyors Digesters Grinders/Shredders Grit Handling/Removal/Hauling Headworks PumpsArchimedes/ - Screw Screens/Strainers/Screening Systems Screw Conveyors SeptageReceiving Stations SludgeDewatering/ - Presses Sludge - Dryers SludgeHauling/Disposal - Sludge - Heaters SludgeLand - Application SludgeMixers/Thickeners - Other AdEdge Water Technologies LLC 2055 Boggs Rd., Duluth, GA 30096 866-823-3343 678-835-0052 Fax: 678-835-0057 ✔ See ad page 21 [email protected] www.adedgetech.com

Aeration Industries International 4100 Peavey Rd., Chaska, MN 55318 800-328-8287 952-448-6789 Fax: 952-448-7293 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ See ad page 37 [email protected] www.aireo2.com

Alfa Laval 5400 International Trade Dr., Richmond, VA 23231 866-253-2528 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.alfalaval.us

Anue Water Technologies, Inc. 5123 S Royal Atlanta Dr., Tucker, GA 30084 See ad page 23 760-727-2683 ✔ [email protected] www.anuewater.com

Aqualitec Corp. 3415 S Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90034 855-650-2214 ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.aqualitec.com

BDP Industries, Inc. P.O. Box 118, Greenwich, NY 12834 See ad page 37 518-695-6851 Fax: 518-695-5417 ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.bdpindustries.com

Blue-White Industries 5300 Business Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92649 714-893-8529 Fax: 714-894-9492 ✔ See ad page 2 [email protected] www.blue-white.com

Boerger, LLC 2860 Water Tower Pl., Chanhassen, MN 55317 Pumps - Rotary Lobe See ad page 67 612-435-7300 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ www.boerger.com

Bright Technologies Specialty div. of Sebright Products, Inc. 127 N Water St., Hopkins, MI 49328 800-253-0532 269-793-7183 Fax: 269-793-4022 ✔ ✔ ✔ See ad page 65 [email protected] www.brightbeltpress.com

Centrisys/CNP 9586 58th Pl., Kenosha, WI 53144 See ad page 41 262-654-6006 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.centrisys.com

CleanTek Water Solutions 7984 University Ave., Fridley, MN 55432 Heat Exchangers 866-929-7773 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.cleantekwater.com

Duperon Corporation 1200 Leon Scott Ct., Saginaw, MI 48601 Washer Compactors See ad page 15 800-383-8479 989-754-8800 Fax: 989-754-2175 ✔ ✔ ✔ [email protected] www.duperon.com

Eagle Microsystems, Inc. 366 Circle of Progress Dr., Pottstown, PA 19464 See ad page 71 800-780-8636 610-323-2250 Fax: 610-323-0114 ✔ [email protected] www.eaglemicrosystems.com (continued) 44 TREATMENT PLANT OPERATOR Headworks/Biosolids Management DIRECTORY 2018 Bins/Hoppers/Silos BiosolidsTreatment/Application Centrifuges/Separators Chemical/PolymerFeed Equipment Coagulants/Flocculants/Polymers CompostingEquipment Conveyors Digesters Grinders/Shredders Grit Handling/Removal/Hauling Headworks PumpsArchimedes/ - Screw Screens/Strainers/Screening Systems Screw Conveyors SeptageReceiving Stations SludgeDewatering/ - Presses Sludge - Dryers SludgeHauling/Disposal - Sludge - Heaters SludgeLand - Application SludgeMixers/Thickeners - Other AdEdge Water Technologies LLC 2055 Boggs Rd., Duluth, GA 30096 866-823-3343 678-835-0052 Fax: 678-835-0057 ✔ See ad page 21 [email protected] www.adedgetech.com