Florida Water Resources Journal - March 2015

News and Features18 FSAWWA Drop Savers Contests26 Engaging Data for Water and Wastewater Utility Energy Management—Ely Greenberg34 Body of Sewer Plant Operator Found in Pipe34 FSAWWA Awards36 AWWA International Symposium on Waterborne Pathogens38 Celebrate 2015 Drinking Water Week!48 News Beat49 FSAWWA Roy Likins Scholarship52 Expanding Central Water and Sewer Facilities Within Preplatted Communities: A

Southwest Florida Example—Hubert B. Stroud

Technical Articles4 Energy Efficiency Master Planning: A Florida Utility Case Study—Isabel Botero,

Robert Chambers, and Rafael Frias III12 How do I Begin to Implement an Energy Management Program for my Utility?—

Timothy A. Noyes and Celine A. Hyer41 Energy Recovery Case Studies for Brackish Water Membrane Treatment Systems—

Mark D. Miller, Jason Lee, and Nick Black

Education and Training7 FWPCOA Online Training Institute

11 FWPCOA State Short School19 Florida Water Resources Conference28 CEU Challenge39 FSAWWA Training45 FWPCOA Training Calendar50 ISA Water/Wastewater and Automatic

Controls Symposium51 TREEO Center Training

Columns10 FSAWWA Speaking Out—Mark Lehigh30 Process Page—Randy Boe, Jake Hepokoski, and

Andy Koebel32 C Factor—Thomas King35 Spotlight on Safety—Doug Prentiss Sr.40 Certification Boulevard—Roy Pelletier

Departments50 New Products57 Service Directories60 Classifieds62 Display Advertiser Index

Editor’s Office and Advertiser Information:Florida Water Resources Journal

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Published byBUENA VISTA PUBLISHING for

Florida Water Resources Journal, Inc.

President: Richard Anderson (FSAWWA)Peace River/Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority

Vice President: Greg Chomic (FWEA)Heyward Incorporated

Treasurer: Rim Bishop (FWPCOA)Seacoast Utility Authority

Secretary: Holly Hanson (At Large)ILEX Services Inc., Orlando

Moving?The Post Office will not forward your magazine. Do not counton getting the Journal unless you notify us directly of addresschanges by the 15th of the month preceding the month ofissue. Please do not telephone address changes. Email changesto [email protected], fax to 352-241-6007, or mail to FloridaWater Resources Journal, 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Cler-mont, FL 34711

Membership QuestionsFSAWWA: Casey Cumiskey – 407-957-8447 or

[email protected]: Karen Wallace, Executive Manager – 407-574-3318FWPCOA: Darin Bishop – 561-840-0340

Training QuestionsFSAWWA: Donna Metherall – 407-957-8443 or

[email protected]: Shirley Reaves – 321-383-9690

For Other InformationDEP Operator Certification: Ron McCulley – 850-245-7500FSAWWA: Peggy Guingona – 407-957-8448Florida Water Resources Conference: 888-328-8448FWPCOA Operators Helping Operators:

John Lang – 772-559-0722, e-mail – [email protected]: Karen Wallace, Executive Manager – 407-574-3318

WebsitesFlorida Water Resources Journal: www.fwrj.comFWPCOA: www.fwpcoa.orgFSAWWA: www.fsawwa.orgFWEA: www.fwea.org and www.fweauc.orgFlorida Water Resources Conference: www.fwrc.org

Throughout this issue trademark names are used. Rather than place a trademarksymbol in every occurrence of a trademarked name, we state we are using the namesonly in an editorial fashion, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no in-tention of infringement of the trademark. None of the material in this publicationnecessarily reflects the opinions of the sponsoring organizations. All correspon-dence received is the property of the Florida Water Resources Journal and is subjectto editing. Names are withheld in published letters only for extraordinary reasons.

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Florida Water Resources Journal, USPS 069-770, ISSN 0896-1794, is published monthly by Florida Water Resources Journal, Inc., 1402 Emerald Lakes Drive, Clermont, FL 34711, on behalf of the Florida Water & Pollution Control Operator’s Association, Inc.; Florida Section, American Water Works Association; and theFlorida Water Environment Association. Members of all three associations receive the publication as a service of their association; $6 of membership dues supportthe Journal. Subscriptions are otherwise available within the U.S. for $24 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Clermont, FL and additional offices.

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Volume 67 March 2015 Number 3

ON THE COVER: A lone white heron glidesover the Everglades, and thanks to thesustainable practices of the waterindustry, it remains home to many kinds ofwildlife. (photo: Randy Brown)

Florida Water Resources Journal • March 2015 3

4 March 2015 • Florida Water Resources Journal

With the recent slowdown in revenuegrowth for many water and wastewaterutilities, operational and capital spend-

ing is being heavily scrutinized by utility leadersand stakeholders. Flat and declining revenues,coupled with cost reduction efforts, and in somecases, the political unwillingness to adjust utilityrates, have created an environment where plan-ning efforts, activities, and decision making re-quire the development of a sound business plan.

As a result of these competing factors,many utilities across Florida and the UnitedStates consider energy efficiency master plan-ning (EEMP) to be a necessity. The article pres-ents a brief outline of the EEMP process andsummarizes the results of an EEMP completedfor a Florida utility.

A water industry survey is completed on anannual basis by Black & Veatch, entitled, “Strate-gic Directions: U.S. Water Industry.” This reportsummarizes the results of responses from about400 utilities across the U. S. related to the currentchallenges faced by these utilities in operatingtheir water systems. For the utilities surveyed, en-ergy efficiency is viewed as low-hanging fruitwhen it comes to reducing operational cost.

The following is a brief summary of thesurvey results related to energy efficiency:� Energy use is a major sustainability issue.

� Nearly 80 percent of utilities have replacedsome level of inefficient equipment.

� More than 70 percent of utilities are using su-pervisory control and data acquisition(SCADA) and data analytics.

� More than 60 percent of utilities have con-ducted energy audits.

As understood by all utility operators, thereis an implicit focus on maintaining adequate lev-els of service through the timely maintenanceand replacement of utility system assets. The sur-vey highlights that most respondents are activelyattempting to replace inefficient assets, utilizingdata analytics to build business cases to replaceinefficient assets, and initiating the activities nec-essary to address issues around energy efficiencyin order to reduce operational and capital cost.The EEMP process is a coordinated approachthat builds an energy management business planthrough aligning the technical requirements andthe business imperatives of the utility system.

Overview of the Energy EfficiencyMaster Planning Approach

To understand the technical requirementsof a utility’s energy efficiency program and alignthese requirements with business process im-

peratives requires a dedicated focus on under-standing the vision of the utility and assimilatingthese tenets through all stages of the EEMP. Theplanning approach consists of three phases:Phase 1 - Strategy (alignment of the vision) Phase 2 - Technical (an optimized portfolio of

projects to implement over time)Phase 3 - Business (informed decision making

process that mitigates risk)

The EEMP approach, as summarized inFigure 1, incorporates the existing vision of theutility during all phases. In the process of deter-mining the energy efficiency solutions and de-veloping the business case to justify thesesolutions, distinct focus is placed on a utility’soverarching mission and vision. This is criticalin aligning the strategic core of the utilitythrough all the business functions of the utility.

Descriptions of the three phases of theEEMP process are:

Strategy. The strategy phase requires theproject team to gain a deep understanding of theutility’s mission, vision, and business impera-tives. Upon understanding these imperatives,the strategic purpose of the utility will be to un-derstand which of them will drive the technicaland business process solutions that are deter-mined in order to meet the goals and objectivesof the EEMP. The strategy component of theEEMP provides the purpose and direction fordeveloping it.

Technical. The technical phase of the EEMPevaluates the existing energy usage conditionsand potential of the utility. In essence, this analy-sis entails a bottom-up assessment of the total en-ergy output, a conditions assessment of utilitysystem assets and processes, and the determina-tion of the major energy contributors by utilityfunction. At the completion of this assessment,the total utility system energy cost, the major en-

Energy Efficiency Master Planning:A Florida Utility Case Study

Isabel Botero, Robert Chambers, and Rafael Frias III

Isabel Botero, P.E., is projectmanager–global water business; RobertChambers is manager–global managementconsulting business; and Rafael Frias III, P.E.,is client director–global water business, withBlack & Veatch in Sunrise.

F W R J

Figure 1. Energy Efficiency Master Planning Approach Continued on page 6


ergy contributors by function or major assetgroup, and the technical solutions by functionwill be determined to maximize energy usage.

Business. The business phase establishes aplatform for utility leaders to begin the business

case related to implementing the technical solu-tions determined. All technical solutions willhave varying impacts on the utility’s businessprocess. The competing forces between a utility’sability to maintain utility rates, reduce the con-sumption of utility services, reduce operating

cost, and implement solutions tomitigate issues around aging infra-structure, aging workforce, and con-sent decree-related issues, to name afew, are all considered specific to thetechnical solutions developed. Assuch, an energy decision cash flowmodel, shown in Table 1, is utilized,which performs risk-based eco-nomic evaluations on an individualsolution or a portfolio of solutions,as determined by the utility. Evalua-tion criteria are determined thatprovide a process, along with a tech-

nical and nontechnical value to evaluate the eco-nomic performance of an individual energy so-lution or a group of solutions. At the completionof this evaluation, an optimized and time-basedlist of solutions will be determined and incorpo-rated into the EEMP.

The EEMP approach provides utility lead-ers with an integrated business planning toolthat determines energy efficiency solutions, in-tegrates the inherent business risk of imple-menting these energy efficiency solutions, andeconomically values these solutions to deter-mine the optimal EEMP solution.

Case Study: Florida Utility

BackgroundThe EEMP approach described was applied

to a Florida utility to investigate the potential tomaximize energy usage at its water and waste-water facilities. Initial project workshops wereheld to establish the EEMP goals and objectivesand understand the overall strategic purpose ofthe utility. Thereafter, technical due diligenceand evaluations were conducted, which in-cluded the following activities:� Site visits� Data collection� Conditions assessment � Energy baseline assessment� Identification and evaluation of energy con-

servation measures (ECMs)

At the completion of the technical evalua-tions, the consulting team gained an under-standing of the energy usage potential of theutility systems under review. Table 2 presents thebreakdown of energy consumption for thewater facilities studies.

Table 1. Summary of the Energy Decision Cash Flow Model Inputs and Outputs

Table 2. Energy Use Distribution – Water Systems Table 3. Energy Use Distribution – Wastewater/Reclaimed Water Systems

Continued from page 4

Continued on page 8


As shown, 38 percent and 31 percent of thewater system energy consumption is for thetreatment processes (hypochlorite generation,membrane systems, pumps, etc.) and raw waterwell pumps, respectively.

For the wastewater and reclaimed system, asdetailed in Table 3, the highest energy require-ments were exhibited at the wastewater pumpingsystems and treatment processes at 53 percentand 36 percent of the total energy requirementfor the wastewater and reuse systems, respectively.

After indentifying the largest energy users,strategies were defined and incorporated intoECMs to maximize energy usage for the systemsunder review. The ECMs developed were tai-lored around improving energy usage require-ments for specific water and wastewatertreatment processes, improving pumping sys-tem efficiency to reduce energy cost, and utiliz-ing SCADA techniques to control systems moreefficiently (chemical optimization, time of useelectric rates, etc.).

Case Study RecommendationsThe results of the EEMP outlined a portfo-

lio of energy solutions. Table 4 presents the spe-cific recommendations for the water supply,treatment, and distribution systems with the ac-tual energy reduction that can be achieved. Theenergy reduction totals are presented as a per-cent of the total energy consumption for thewater treatment plant facilities.

Table 5 presents the recommendations forthe wastewater treatment and reclaimed waterdistribution system with the actual energy re-duction that can be achieved. The energy re-duction totals are presented as a percent of thetotal energy consumption for the wastewatertreatment plant and reclaimed facilities.

Table 6 presents a summary of the cost sav-ings achieved by the EEMP on a portfolio basis.

The energy project portfolios comprised atotal of 18 ECMs. Once implemented, theECMs would provide the potential for a 14 per-cent reduction in energy use, based on 2012 en-ergy usage data. This reduction translates toannual energy savings of approximately$500,000 and annual operation and mainte-nance savings of $250,000.

The capital cost for the implementation ofthe energy project portfolios was estimated at $10million. The financial analysis for these im-provements resulted in a favorable net presentvalue (NPV) of $3.5 million. For example, if aportfolio has an NPV less than zero, then theportfolio should not be done. The higher theNPV, the more valuable and higher economicbenefits will be achieved as a result of the imple-mentation of the portfolio of energy projects. ��

Table 4. Examples of Energy Conservation Measures - Water Supply, Treatment, and Distribution Systems

Table 5. Examples of Energy Conservation Measures - Wastewater Treatment and Reclaimed Water Distribution Systems

Table 6. Recom-mended Energy ProjectPortfolios FinancialSummary (Base Year2012; Assessment Period 2014–2022;2013 Dollars)



About five years ago FSAWWA createdthe Operators Council to meet theneeds of the over 6,000 licensed drink-

ing water treatment plant operators and dis-tribution system operators across Florida.

As I was one of these licensed operatorsmyself, the council was near and dear to myheart. I started my career with HillsboroughCounty as a water plant operator trainee allthe way back in 1982. I worked hard to get my“A” level drinking water license and move myway up through the ranks. Membership inAWWA played a big part in that, helping myprofessional development and career advance-ment every step of the way. Now, 33 years later,and still working for Hillsborough County asits water operations manager, I feel a strong tieto plant operators and their development andopportunities for professional growth.

I remember sitting down with then-FSAWWA Chair Matt Alvarez and pouringout my passion as a plant operator and howto get this group of professionals more in-volved in the association. It was his idea tostart a council. It took a few years to make thisa reality, and in 2009-10, I became the found-ing chair of the Operators Council.

Since that time, I have stayed closely in-volved, always keeping an eye on this groupand helping out where I can. Operator mem-bership in the association is now at 310 andclimbing! That number is the direct result ofthe hard work of all the volunteers on thecouncil and through the leadership of itschair, Steve Soltau. Way to go!

Our association believes in helping oper-ators develop the skills necessary to reachtheir career goals and acquire in-depthknowledge in their chosen field. These skillswill open doors to better prospects andgreater opportunities.

I am particularly proud of the operatorscholarship program offered throughFSAWWA. The Operators Council annuallymakes available to drinking water treatment

and distribution system plant operators, thefollowing scholarships:� Four scholarships of $500 per eligible stu-

dent for upgrade of a drinking water ordistribution system operator license.

� Two scholarships of $1,000 per eligible stu-dent pursuing a college degree relating tothe drinking water industry.

These scholarships provide reimburse-ment of tuition, books, and fees through theapplicable college/university financial aid de-partment over a two-year period. Scholar-ships are awarded in both undergraduate andgraduate categories.

Today, more than at any time in recenthistory, good education is an eligibility stan-dard for employment in any sector of our in-dustry. So don’t miss out—apply for one ofthe scholarships before the deadline of June 1at www.fsawwa.org.

Now that the licensed operators have anetwork, voice, and seat at the FSAWWAtable, we think it’s the perfect time to wel-come in the maintenance personnel with thecreation of the Operations and MaintenanceCouncil, and I’m happy to relay that SteveSoltau will remain chair of the new group.

The mission of the council is as follows:

“Increase member services to water treatmentplant operators, distribution system opera-tors, and water treatment plant maintenancestaff through increased opportunities for as-sociation leadership, participation, training,local networking, and expanded awards andrecognition programs. We also will providedirection on long-term operator and mainte-nance needs and priorities to the board ofgovernors.”

The role of maintenance personnel is tokeep the machinery running: pumps, chemi-cal feed systems, electrical equipment, andelectronics for automation. As treatment

plant operators, we know that maintenancestaff is the backbone of any well-run facility.Having maintenance professionals workinghand-in-hand with plant and distribution op-erators is essential to delivering clean, safewater to our customers. Without them, thissimply could not happen.

Expanding council membership to waterplant maintenance staff will provide themwith the same specialized training and ad-vancement opportunities as those shared byall members of AWWA.

The new council will work toward ad-vancing the needs of water plant maintenancestaff, while simultaneously fulfilling our obli-gations to licensed drinking water treatmentand distribution system operators.

Some of the benefits that will now beavailable to water plant maintenance staff in-clude but are not limited to: � Representation on the FSAWWA board� Representation within each region� AWWA specialized mechanical, electronic,

and electrical training� Development of certification standards� Active participation and recognition at

local, regional, and state events and work-shops

� Scholarship opportunities

On January 30 we had our first Opera-tions and Maintenance Council meeting. Rep-resentatives from across the state joined inand discussed ideas, goals, and a frameworkto move this council forward and create valuefor the members and the utilities they workfor. This is a grass-roots effort that is just get-ting off the ground.

We are excited and look forward to the“electrifying” growth and opportunities to beprovided by this expanded council. If you arewilling to help out and give back some of yourknowledge to those up-and-coming in our in-dustry, please contact Steve Soltau at 727-453-6980 and [email protected]. ��

Mark LehighChair, FSAWWA

FSAWWA Creates Operators and Maintenance Council

FSAWWA SPEAKING OUT

FloridaSection


FREE BBQ DINNER

� Monday, March 16, 4:30 p.m. �

COURSES

SCHEDULE

Florida Water & Pollution Control Operators Association

FWPCOA STATE SHORT SCHOOLMarch 16 - 20, 2015

Indian River State College - Main Campus

– FORT PIERCE –

Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester ..........................$375/$405

Backflow Prevention Assembly Repairer ......................$275/$305

Backflow Tester Recertification ......................................$85/$115

Basic Electrical and Instrumentation ............................$225/$255

Facility Management Module I ......................................$275/$305

Reclaimed Water Distribution C, B & A ........................$225/$255(Abbreviated Course) ................................................$125/$155

Stormwater Management C & B ...................................$260/$290

Stormwater Management A .........................................$275/$305

Utility Customer Relations I, II & III................................$260/$290

Utilities Maintenance I & II ............................................$225/$255

Wastewater Collection System Operator C, B & A ......$225/$255

Water Distribution System Operator Level 3, 2 & 1 ......$225/$255

Wastewater Process Control ........................................$225/$255

Wastewater Sampling for Industrial Pretreatment& Operators................................................................$160/$190

Wastewater Troubleshooting ........................................$225/$255

Water Troubleshooting ..................................................$225/$255

CHECK-IN: March 15, 20151:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

CLASSES: Monday – Thursday........8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Friday........8:00 a.m. to noon

For further information on the school, including course registration forms and hotels, download the school announcement at www.fwpcoa.org/fwpcoaFiles/upload/2015SpringSchool.pdf

3209 Virginia AvenueFort Pierce, FL 34981

For more information call the

FWPCOA Training Office 321-383-9690

FWPCOA STATE SHORT SCHOOL


Toho Water Authority (TWA) has begunimplementing an energy managementprogram to proactively look at current

and future energy uses at its treatment andconveyance facilities. It is also identifying waysto conserve or offset costs through educationalprograms, procedural changes, technology im-provements, and the cost-effective replacementof equipment.

As part of the strategic planning process, itwas identified that energy costs make up a sig-nificant portion of the operations and mainte-nance budget and should be minimized asmuch as possible to keep rates stable for cus-tomers and continue to provide quality servicefar into the future. To effectively implement theprogram, TWA is using a combination of in-house staff and consulting support to maxi-mize knowledge transfer and createefficiencies.

The process began with creating an energymanagement program vision statement withgoals and objectives supporting the achieve-ment of that vision so that staff at all levelscould be brought into the process. Looking atwhere the larger energy spending was occur-ring indicated that the first logical step wouldbe to evaluate energy use at the largest treat-ment plant, the South Bermuda Water Recla-mation Facility (SBWRF), and use it as a

learning process to go through the basic stepsof implementing an energy management pro-gram, including: 1. Establish organizational commitment 2. Develop a baseline of energy use 3. Evaluate the system and collect data 4. Identify energy efficiency opportunities 5. Prioritize opportunities for implementation 6. Develop an implementation plan 7. Provide for progress tracking and reporting

This article will discuss the methodologyfor performing these basic steps at SBWRF, aswell as the overall findings in terms of projectsand operational changes recommended thatcan significantly reduce energy use. Any utilitythat is considering implementing an energymanagement program can benefit by learningthe basic steps, understanding the issues andchallenges in collecting and evaluating thedata, and learning what is the typical energyprofile for an advanced wastewater treatmentplant, including key performance measures.

Background

Energy savings come with a cost. For thosenot solely motivated by the social cause to be-come a “greener” utility, it is important that thecosts to achieve the energy savings are ade-

quately offset by measurable and reoccuringsavings. For this reason, an energy manage-ment program is much more than a couple ofenergy audits and a few resulting capital proj-ects; it involves understanding why an organi-zation’s energy needs are what they are. Thisunderstanding reaches far beyond the securityfence of the facilities and involves understand-ing the following:� Level of demand and rate of consumption

for the water-related services provided.� Process systems and equipment involved in

extracting, treating, distributing, collecting,reclaiming and returning life’s most pre-cious resource.

� Standard operating procedures that dictatehow and when actions are taken.

� Actual work practices that illustrate howwater services are performed.

� Energy consumption, cost, and pricingmodels.

� Staff awareness, ability, and desire to affectchanges in the consumption of energy.

Presented are the programmatic stepstaken by TWA to define and implement its en-ergy management program. By its very nature,TWA’s program will continue to evolve as or-ganizational knowledge grows.

Roadmap to Implementation

Establish Organizational Commitment Energy cost (combined petroleum and

electricity) represents TWA’s second largest op-erating expense, exceeded only by labor ex-penses. These costs have shown steadyincreases in the study years (2011 through2014) and are shown in Figure 1.

The anticipated need for additional nutri-ent removal in wastewater treatment and theintroduction of membrane filtration, as alter-

How do I Begin to Implement an EnergyManagement Program for my Utility?

Timothy A. Noyes and Celine A. Hyer

Timothy A. Noyes is asset manager withToho Water Authority in Kissimmee andCeline A. Hyer is vice president withARCADIS US in Tampa.

F W R J

Figure 1.


native water supplies are required, will con-tinue to place upward pressures on this oper-ating expense. These and other anticipatedtechnology- or regulatory-driven energy de-mands represent the primary motivation forthis program.

A visioning workshop was held in October2011. Attendees at the workshop included theexecutive team and representatives from the en-gineering, operations, and field services divi-sions. The objectives of this workshop included:� Gaining an understanding of what could be

accomplished by an energy managementprogram and what others were doing.

� Creating draft vision and mission state-ments to form the program policy.

� Looking at dependencies and overlaps withany existing programs.

� Developing a high-level road map of whereto go.

Exercises to fully engage the workshopparticipants involved identifying:� Internal and external drivers that could as-

sist the development of an energy manage-ment program.

� Stakeholders and their perceived attitude,influence, viewpoints, and communicationmethods.

� Key outcomes of a successful program.

These exercises assisted in forming theshared realization that this was a program thatwould require leveraging the identified internaland external drivers (or competencies) toachieve the desired outcome. What resulted wasalso a clearer vision of who could affect or be af-fected by the program and that proper engage-ment of these stakeholders was necessary forprogram success. The program needed to havefacets that not only involved getting the latestand most efficient equipment or control systems,but also introduced cost control and pre-dictability through sound management prac-tices, generation and process optimizationthrough innovative solutions, and commonalityin vision and mission through cultural change.

As a result of the visioning workshop,TWA’s strategic plan was revised to include en-ergy as a major component under the currentinfrastructure strategy. Integrating energy intothe strategic plan helped to secure the com-mitment of the organization. Goals, objectives,and tactics were drafted to support the follow-ing energy strategy:

“Toho will achieve its mission through aresults-driven energy program that incorpo-rates staff expertise and the application of tech-nology to operate at the lowest achievable levelof energy consumption. Toho’s ultimate goal is

to become a net-zero electricity consumeracross its treatment and pumping facilities.”

Develop a Baseline of Energy Use It was revealing just how much data on

energy use was available, yet how few peoplesaw this information and how difficult it wasto collect and represent this data in a mean-ingful manner. Pieces of energy-related infor-mation could be found in many systems,including accounts payable, financial, electricutility customer portal, and supervisory con-trol and data acquisition (SCADA), but it wasrarely accessed by those making the daily deci-sions that affect energy use.

To measure the effectiveness of actionstaken to reduce energy consumption, it wascritical that a baseline be established. Thisbaseline would not only serve as a means toidentify improvement opportunities, butwould also measure the effectiveness of com-pleted tasks, programs, and initiatives.

At the highest level, energy use is meas-ured across TWA as the total dollars spent onenergy (as illustrated in Figure 1). Stratifyingthis data across divisions, it was evident thatthe first area of concentration should be waste-water treatment, as it represents approximately62 percent of the energy spent (Figure 2).

With wastewater treatment being the firstarea of focus, additional measures wereadopted that were specific to this area. Thesemeasures provide a ratio of energy consump-tion to the flow and process effectiveness ofeach of the facilities:� Unit electric use per water treated

(kWh/MG) by process type

� Total water reclamation facility unit electricuse per water treated (kWh/MG)

� Unit electric use per solids removed(kWh/lbVSSr)

� Unit electric use per biochemical oxygen de-mand (BOD) removed (kWh/lbBODr)

Evaluate the System and Collect Data Adopting the premise that the greatest op-

portunity for savings exists where energy con-sumption is greatest; energy consumptionacross the wastewater treatment facilities andlift stations was evaluated. It was noted that 30percent of the energy spent across these areasoccurred at the SBWRF (Figure 3).

South Bermuda Water Reclamation FacilityDescription

The SBWRF is located in Kissimmee. Ithas a permitted capacity of 13 mil gal per day(mgd). The treatment processes consist of thefollowing:� Preliminary treatment, including mechani-

cal bar screens.� Primary clarification, which is the plant’s

vortex-type grit removal system.� Secondary biological treatment through two

anoxic/oxic/anoxic/oxic (AOAO) systems,followed by secondary clarification.

� Filtration with disk filters.� Disinfection using chlorination.� Effluent pumping for water reuse, irrigation,

and aquifer recharge.� Solids handling, consisting of mixed hold-

ing tanks, belt filter press dewatering, andsludge cake disposal to Florida N-Viro.

Figure 2

Continued on page 14


The solids handling system also treatshauled sludge from the Parkway WRF and theSandhill WRF, and the Harmony WRF, whichis a smaller facility. The Cypress West WRFland-applied sludge until September 2012,after which time it started hauling sludge to theSBWRF. Sludge from the Camelot WRF is de-livered by gravity to the head of the SBWRF forsubsequent treatment and handling.

Treated effluent is pumped to two 3-mil-gal (MG) reclaimed water storage tanks. A por-tion of the effluent is then pumped by the reusepumps to supply the Camelot WRF reuse sys-tem for irrigation of golf courses and subdivi-sions. The remaining portion (weather-related;on average, 50 percent on a yearly basis) of theeffluent is pumped by the effluent pumps foruse as irrigation, cooling water for powerplants, supplement to the Camelot reclaimedsystem, and for the rapid infiltration basins(RIBs).

The site’s major buildings consist of: op-erations, central control, laboratory, solids de-watering, chlorination, generation, andblowers (Building A). Other smaller buildingshouse the equipment motor control centers(Building B, Building C, MCC1/Compressorand MCC2). In addition to these buildings arethe maintenance shop office building and thewarehouse building, which are associated withdifferent electrical meters than the main WRFsystem.

The Audit ProcessThe audit process consists of the follow-

ing steps:

1. Initial data collection2. Initial data review3. Facility process walkthrough4. Field data collection5. Power consumption distribution6. Follow-up field data verification7. Document current situation/opportunities

identification8. Develop energy conservation measures

(ECMs)

Initial Data CollectionsPlanning for an energy audit requires an

understanding of current and historic electriccost, plant flows, influent/effluent properties,and equipment data.

Twenty-four months of power sourcebilling were collected and reviewed. The spe-cific information collected included the fol-lowing attribute data for each billing cycle:start and end dates, days of service, electricbilled usage (kWh), demand billed usage (kW),electric charge, demand charge, fuel adjust-ment, customer charge, total electrical charges,municipal utility tax and count utility tax, gov-ernmental transfers and taxes, and totalcharges.

Since multiple meters exist for this facil-ity it was necessary to associate each of the me-ters with the supplied processes andequipment.

The solids processing performed by thefacility must be identified so that it can becorrelated to the power consumed. It is thiscorrelation that will be used to measure theenergy performance of the facility. The infor-mation collected should include the follow-

ing: date, influent flow (mgd), effluent flow(mgd), reuse flow (mgd), influent BOD(mg/L), influent BOD (lb/d), effluent BOD(mg/L), effluent BOD (lb/d), BOD removed(lb/d), influent total suspended solid, or TSS(mg/L), influent TSS (lb/d), effluent TSS(mg/L), effluent TSS (lb/d),TSS removed(lb/L), influent total Kjehldahl nitrogen,orTKN (mg/L), influent TKN (lb/d) , effluentTKN (mg/L), effluent TKN (lb/d), and TKNremoved (lb/d).

An inventory of all mechanical assets thatare rated at 5 or more horsepower (HP) shouldbe assembled from the Asset Registry. This in-ventory should identify the equipment and theoperating configuration, including:� Process – plant process that the equipment

supports (i.e., pretreatment, activatedsludge, clarifier, biosolids, effluent storageand pumping, reuse augmentation, andsupport)

� Description – asset description from InforEAM

� Size (HP) – from Infor EAM or equipmentname plate

� Variable Frequency Drive – installed?� Usually Run (Yes/No) – in service?� Typical Run Time/Day (hrs/d) – estimate� Typical Run Day /Week – estimate� Notes – any notes that explain how and

when the equipment is sequenced or run

Initial Data ReviewA review of the collected billing data was

performed. This activity included a review ofthe energy provider’s rate schedule options andconfirmation that the correct rate schedule wasbeing used for the facility. The potential appli-cability of alternative rate schedules was as-sessed based on the facilities historic demand(kW) and usage (kWh) data.

The Energy Use Assessment Tool (EUAT)was developed by the U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA) to assist in associatingthe energy consumed by each asset at a facilityand rolling up energy consumption levels witheach of the plant processes. Trending graphsshowing energy usage versus water treated andthe breakout of energy usage by equipment areprovided from this tool.

Data ValidationA “facility process walkthrough” is a table-

top exercise conducted by the members of theaudit team to review the facility treatmentprocesses and to verify that the equipment in-formation provided during data collection iscomplete. A verbal walkthrough of each treat-ment process should be led by the operations

Figure 3 Continued on page 16



supervisor. As a minimum, this discussionshould cover the following areas:� Any known deficiencies or inefficiencies

with the process should be identified. Thesemay include reliability, capacity, control, orobsolescence factors that dictate the effec-tiveness and/or efficiency of the process.

� Factors outside the control of TWA that im-pact how the facility must operate (such asinfluent quality or large variations in flow)should be identified. This conversationcould provide insight into the facility’s base-line energy usage.

� The major equipment that supports theprocess should be discussed. Any imple-

mented prioritization, sequencing, or inter-locking schemes should be identified. Equip-ment runtime should also be confirmed,particularly in process areas that represent asignificant percentage of the total energyconsumed at the facility (> 10 percent).

All remaining information necessary toconduct the energy audit is collected during aphysical walkthrough of the facility:� Building information, including size; hours

of occupancy; lighting; and heating, venti-lation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equip-ment is collected.

� Data on the outdoor lighting (not con-nected to a building) for the facility is col-

lected. Quantity, wattage, and hours of op-eration should be collected.

� The list of major equipment is reconciledwith what is actually in the field during thistask. A multimeter should also be used torecord the current draw for each piece ofequipment, which may require that theequipment is cycled to collect the requireddata. When possible, current draw shouldbe measured on each phase.

� The EUAT should be updated with the col-lected information from the field walk-through. It will indicate the percentage ofsite electrical energy identified by the tool.Follow-up field verification is performed ifthe EUAT fails to account for at least 95 per-cent of the billed electricity. The outputfrom this tool would be a stratification ofthe energy consumed by process (Figure 4).

Identify Energy Efficiency Opportunities At the completion of the physical facility

walkthrough and the update of the EUAT, thereshould be an understanding of the current sit-uation with respect to energy consumption atthe audited facility. It is now possible to lookdeeper into each of the processes to obtain abetter understanding of energy costs and thelevel of efficiency at the process level.

To identify the areas with the greatest op-portunities for improvement, measurementagainst a standard or targeted performance isnecessary. These ratios (kWh/MG) can becompared to the theoretical energy require-ments by process, as published in the WaterEnvironment Federation (WEF) Manual ofPractice No. 32 (MOP 32). The manual pres-ents estimates of electricity used in wastewatertreatment for different types of wastewatertreatment plants (WWTPs), including acti-vated sludge WWTPs, advanced WWTPs with-out nitrification and advanced WWTPs withnitrification, and different treatment sizes inmgd: 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 mgd. Theoreticalelectricity requirements for a 10-mgd ad-vanced WWTP with nitrification were used asthe standard for the SBWRF assessment. Arange of -10 percent to +25 percent should beincluded for comparison purposes to accountfor real conditions that might not be capturedin the theoretical energy calculation includedin MOP 32. The theoretical use of 10-mgd ad-vanced WWTPs with nitrification is in therange of 1,791 to 2,239 kWh/MG (Figure 5).

The monthly variation in wire-to-waterusage (kWh/MG) can be used to monitor theperformance of the facility for a three-year pe-riod for internal benchmarking.

A different unit energy use indicator canbe calculated to compare the energy use for

Figure 4

Figure 5



solids treatment obtaining the same level ofsludge stabilization. This is obtained by addingthe total kWh use of the typical sludge processsystems for the plant and dividing by thepounds of volatile solids removed (lbVSSr).Applying the same method as described, a typ-ical secondary WWTP treating 10 mgd wouldbe expected to use between 0.35 kWh/lbVSSrand 0.5 kWh/lbVSSr.

Electricity use for wastewater treatmentprocesses, in addition to volume of treatedwater, is also dependent on the wastewaterquality to be treated and the removal requiredby the effluent limits. This can be measured bythe pounds of BOD5 removed (lb BODr) asthe difference between the influent and effluentBOD5 loadings. The key performance indica-tor that normalizes the energy use to theprocess removal is the wire-to-process usage,or the daily kWh used per pounds of BOD5 re-moved (kWh/lbBODr). A typical 10-mgd sec-ondary WWTP uses between 1.0 and 1.4kWh/lbBODr.

It is important to note that when compar-ing to a theoretical facility, differences in theoperating parameters assumed in the modeland present at the physical plant need to be un-derstood and quantified. Specific examples forthe SBWRF include: additional biological load-ing received through the wet stream fromTWA’s Camelot WRF, effluent pumping toaquifer recharge and customer irrigation, andbiosolids dewatering from multiple locationshandled at this site. These three areas representan estimated 862 kWh/MG, reducing the facil-ity ratio by 25 percent.

The ECMs are developed for those areaswhere measured performance fails to meet thetargeted level. An ECM decision tree was de-veloped to provide a consistent methodologyto determine whether ECMs should focus onequipment or process (Figure 6).

Prioritize Opportunities for ImplementationThe ECMs are developed for those areas

that represent the greatest opportunity for sav-ings. Where available, the theoretical targetswill be used to identify the importance or crit-icality associated with the ECM as follows:� Tier 1 – equipment supporting processes

performing less efficiently then the upperlimit (theoretical + 25 percent)

� Tier 2 – equipment supporting processesperforming less efficiently then the theoret-ical target but better than the upper limit(theoretical + 25 percent)

� Tier 3 – equipment supporting processesperforming better than the theoretical tar-get and staff feels that additional efficiencyis possible

Tiers 1-3 represent an attempt to identifythe magnitude of the potential savings. Thego/no-go decisions for any ECM will be basedon the merits of the business case developed tosupport it. The standard capital improvementprogram business case prioritization processwill be used to compete for available funding.The prioritization process will rely on rankedscores, including condition, strategy alignment,financial, social, and environment, accompa-nied with an adequate description of the proj-ect, justification, funding requirements,alternatives, and a summary of the financialanalysis.

Develop an Implementation Plan and Provide for Progress Tracking and Reporting

Address People Issues (Knowledge and Motiva-tion)

Key issues here include communications,training, and providing useful data to staff.Progress has been made to develop an informa-tion portal on TWA’s Intranet to communicateprogram detail, current initiatives (along withstatus), performance measures, and standardoperating procedures.

A project to integrate power meter informa-

Figure 6



tion for major equipment and an energy dashboardinto SCADA for SBWRF has been initiated. Thiswill deliver real-time data and alarms to the oper-ators to assist with equipment actuation decisions.

An innovation rewards program has beenimplemented that will allow employees to ac-tively participate in developing efficiency im-provement recommendations and share inrealized savings. This was viewed as an impor-tant component to securing buy-in from staff.

Address Process (Change Work Practices orPlant Procedures) and Equipment (Inefficientor Miss-Sized Equipment) Issues

Use of the ECM decision tree will assist inpointing out where work practices or standardprocedures need to be evaluated for change.The SBWRF energy audit resulted in 26 ECMs;13 of them were recommended for considera-tion by ARCADIS. � The SBWRF is currently undergoing projects to

replace the fine bubble diffusers in the AOAOtank and rehabilitate the secondary clarifierstructures. The ECMs that tie to these processareas have been place on hold for more evalua-tion after these projects have been completed.

� A study was initiated by TWA to perform abiosolids treatment methods evaluation. AllECMs tied to biosolids handling, treatment,and disposal have been placed on hold pend-ing reevaluation after this study is completed.

The remaining ECMs have been submit-ted for consideration as part of the capital im-provement program process.

Plan and ScheduleThe following list identifies the energy ini-

tiatives currently planned for TWA. This listincludes initiatives that represent further de-velopment of the energy management pro-gram, as well as actions taken in response tothe SBWRF energy audit.� Publish energy management program in-

formation portal on TWA’s Intranet – 2Q14� Standard operating procedure (SOP) track-

ing energy use, SOP performing energy au-dits – 1Q14

� SBWRF rehabilitation projects underway –2Q16 completion

� Biosolids treatment methods evaluation un-derway – 4Q14 (completion)

� SBWRF ECMs

� Replace denitrification mixers – 4Q14 � Install variable frequency drives (VFDs)

on reclaim transfer pumps – 4Q14� Major equipment submetering and

SCADA modification – 1Q15� Interlock/sequence large equipment – 4Q15� Perform additional WRF energy audits

(Sandhill, Camelot, Cypress West) – 4Q14(completion)

� Demand Reduction Initiatives� Distribution system leak detection –

3Q15 (pilot)� Gravity sewer inflow and infiltration re-

duction – ongoing program� Manifold force main head pressure analy-

sis – 4Q15� Water treatment plant (WTP) and distri-

bution system pressure optimization –4Q16 ��









Engaging Data for Water and Wastewater Utility Energy Management

Ely Greenberg

Over the last decade, energy efficiency hasbecome one of the biggest buzzwords in the waterand wastewater sector. Not only is this in line witha new global consciousness about energy, but en-ergy costs are also the second largest controllablecost for water and wastewater utilities, accountingfor approximately 30 percent of operating ex-penses at some plants. Minimization of thesecosts is therefore good for the environment andgood for the water and wastewater industry.

Traditionally, utilities concerned with man-aging their energy use more effectively have con-ducted energy audits to find energy savings.This is followed by determining which energy-related projects are the most cost-effective, andthen executing these projects. Sometimes thisapproach is successful, but often, these energyaudits become relegated to irrelevance, and arenot used for anything.

There are two main reasons that energy au-dits are not implemented: the energy audits arenot done in collaboration with the utility oper-ators, engineers, and other staff (the people whoknow the system best), and they are based onhistorical data and do not contain any way to in-teract with new data to see if any recommendedchanges are working in real time.

Plant data changes over time; operatingconditions change, treatment requirementschange, and equipment comes and goes. Allalong, water and wastewater treatment plantsare collecting reams of data. Often this data iscollected, archived, and largely forgotten. How-ever, engaging this data provides many oppor-tunities for energy efficiency gains.

Taking the approach of engaging and usingdata not only improves energy efficiency, it alsoimproves the overall triple bottom line (an ac-counting framework concerned with social, en-vironmental, and economic issues) and leads toimprovements in sustainability. Saving energyreduces operating costs, improves treatment ef-ficiency (which is better for the environment),and customers are generally happy to know thattheir infrastructure has a lower energy footprint.At the same time, treatment plant staff will bemore engaged with the energy management pro-gram and the overall efficiency that results.

Building a Data Plan

The first step to engaging data for energymanagement is to build a data managementplan. This does not require specialized knowl-

edge, and can be done internally. According tothe Wisconsin Focus on Energy, which supportsstatewide programs that promote energy effi-ciency and renewable energy, “Rarely do wateror wastewater utility personnel even see theirenergy bills, let alone use the valuable informa-tion that detailed billing provides.” Woven intothe fabric of any energy management planshould be the importance of communication,and sharing data throughout an organization.

Data is integral to energy management be-cause it contains key performance indicators, al-lows measurement and verification, gives a toolto communicate with, and helps to track goals.

Having a data management plan in place isgreat, assuming that only “clean data” is being col-lected. Clean data is accurate, consistent, complete,timely, and calibrated. Currently, the world has al-most unlimited data and storage is cheap; however,this is often “dirty data,” which may be inaccurate,inconsistent, incomplete, outdated, not calibrated,or duplicated. It is better to collect one clean data setthan many dirty data sets. A data management planthat utilizes clean data has the following five parts:1. Goals2. Metrics3. Data Storage4. Access and retrieval 5. Communication and action

GoalsThe first step to a data management plan is

to set goals. This may seem overwhelming giventhe scope of potential data collected and thebroad range of operations at a water or waste-water treatment plant, but start small. Build aplan around engaging one system or the plantas a whole, and then expand to individual sys-tems or drill down further into the plant. Whencreating goals, ask the following: � What are the energy, operational, and finan-

cial goals?� What metrics must be tracked to achieve

these goals?� How is data collected, analyzed, and shared? � How is the data communicated?� What are the actionable set points?

Examples of energy goals could include: � Reduce electrical demand changes� Get a better energy rate� Increase water storage� Reduce water leakage� Reduce nonrevenue water� Reduce dissolve oxygen for aeration� Increase customer engagement

MetricsWith goals in place, the next consideration

is what data will be needed to track them. Thisis dependent on what benchmarks are neededfor creating actionable set points. Benchmarksare an important means for monitoring per-formance. These benchmarks may be somecombination of kilowatt hours per mil gal (MG)treated, complaints per month, or chemicalcosts per MG treated. The actual benchmarksused will depend on the specific goals.

One question many people have is, “What ifadditional submetering capability is needed?”While submetering may help, it often requires ad-ditional resources, and may only be for short pe-riods of time if equipment is rented. Instead, focuson goals for the metering capabilities in place. Me-ters are not limited to dials on the equipment; theyalso include energy and chemical bills, and otherreceipts on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Data StorageData storage is the next step of an energy

management plan. Items to consider include:� Where will the data be stored and how will it

be accessed? This is dependent on the formof the data and how benchmarks and action-able set points are calculated. Data may in-clude energy bills, supervisory control anddata acquisition (SCADA), water quality, cus-tomer bills, or inventory receipts.

� Will data be stored in a structured query lan-guage (SQL) database, a spreadsheet programlike Excel, or a custom or off-the-shelf app?

� How much data will be stored or how farback in time will a baseline be developed?

� How often will new data be added? � Who will be responsible for adding it?

Access, Retrieval, and Visualization Collecting data is not useful if it is not rou-

tinely accessed, reviewed, and acted upon. Adata management plan should include who hasaccess, how the data is collected and accessed,how often, and by what methods. Other infor-mation to consider includes:� Are data summaries emailed or texted to

team members?� Are they reviewed at weekly meetings?� Are they posted in a high-traffic area?� Do they include only benchmarks, or also

graphs and charts?

Creating a way to interact with data is im-portant. If operators, engineers, staff, and otherteam members do not see and discuss data, it will


be of little use. Access and retrieval of data shouldbe as simple as possible. Assuming a data plan isstarted by tracking just one goal, communicatingthe benchmark could be as simple as sending a textmessage once a week with the new benchmark.

Communication A decision needs to be made about how to

communicate and take action with the data. In-teracting with data should happen on a routinebasis so that team members know the importanceof the data, and they know the latest trends. Com-munication also includes the set points for action,how the data compares the selected set points, andwhat action needs to be taken and by whom.Good communication makes clear expectationsand enables adequate engagement with the data.

Good communication also means beinghonest about the data: � Is it good clean data? � What do the numbers mean? � Does the data match expectations or is the

data being forced to match the goals? � It is acceptable if the data shows something

unexpected?

Use Apps to Engaging Data and CustomersA consistent theme in this approach to de-

veloping a data management plan is communi-

cation. To maximize data engagement, use asmartphone app. This could be as simple as atext message, an off-the-shelf data managementapp, or a custom-built app for the utility.

According to Strategic Growth Concepts, acompany that specializes in company start-ups,97 percent of people read a text message within15 minutes of receiving it, and 84 percent re-spond to it within one hour. To get informationin front of people, use apps and take advantageof smartphones. Not only do apps allow com-munication to improve, they build and improverelationships and engagement, keep the data up-to-date, enable forecasting and prediction, andcan set tasks, goals, and data alerts.

Conclusion

Saving energy isn’t just about lowering en-ergy consumption and costs via new equipment.By engaging energy data, water utilities can man-age assets, teams, and customers, as well as energy.

It’s important to start small and not to beoverwhelmed by all of the data and processesrunning through a facility. A good approach isto start monitoring one system or the plant as awhole, and then expand to individual systems,adding more goals over time.

Ultimately, data proves to be the founda-

tion of sustainability and energy savings. Bybuilding a data management plan a utility can: � Lower operational costs� Set energy and operational targets� Benchmark continuously� Use data from multiple locations and differ-

ent vendors� Improve long-term capital planning� Communicate energy goals� Improve process understanding throughout

the organization

Ely Greenberg, P.E., CEM, is with ErgProcess Energy in New York City. ��

– Author’s Note: Data Request –

Would you like to be on the forefront ofwater data development? If so, please sub-mit a data set for the Urban WaterHackathon taking place on April 12. TheHackathon is an opportunity for softwareand program developers to interact withwater data to build new apps, maps, in-sights, and connect customers to theirwater in new ways. All data will beanonymized. For more information visithttp://blucarbon.github.io/ or send anemail to [email protected].


Earn CEUs by answering questions from previous Journal issues!

Contact FWPCOA at [email protected] or at 561-840-0340. Articles from past issues can be viewed on the Journal website, www.fwrj.com.

Members of the Florida Water &Pollution Control Association (FWPCOA)may earn continuing education unitsthrough the CEU Challenge! Answer thequestions published on this page, basedon the technical articles in this month’sissue. Circle the letter of each correctanswer. There is only one correctanswer to each question! Answer 80percent of the questions on any articlecorrectly to earn 0.1 CEU for yourlicense. Retests are available.

This month’s editorial theme is, EnergyEfficiency and EnvironmentalStewardship. Look above each set ofquestions to see if it is for wateroperators (DW), distribution systemoperators (DS), or wastewateroperators (WW). Mail the completedpage (or a photocopy) to: FloridaEnvironmental Professionals Training,P.O. Box 33119, Palm Beach Gardens,FL 33420-3119. Enclose $15 for eachset of questions you choose to answer(make checks payable to FWPCOA). YouMUST be an FWPCOA member beforeyou can submit your answers!

___________________________________________SUBSCRIBER NAME (please print)

Article 1 ________________________________________LICENSE NUMBER for Which CEUs Should Be Awarded

If paying by credit card, fax to (561) 625-4858

providing the following information:

___________________________________________(Credit Card Number)

___________________________________________(Expiration Date)

1. Which of the following energy recovery devices is identified as impractical to usein brackish reverse osmosis membrane systems?

a. Pelton Wheelb. Energy recovery turbinec. Isobaric pressure exchangerd. Energy recovery turbine with motor assist

2. The Palm Beach County membrane system had difficulty meeting current ratedcapacity because

a. booster pump capacity had declined.b. the membranes were “tighter” than specified.c. Floridan aquifer well flow had declined.d. raw water quality had declined.

3. In sizing the Palm Beach County interstage boost energy recovery device, deepinjection well disposal back pressures were important because they

a. directly affect available energy to power the turbine.b. determine turbine flow volume.c. reflect source water quality concerns.d. are an indication of potential piping materials deficiencies.

4. Reverse osmosis feed water pumps are typically set to maintain _______, whilethe turbine bypass valve modulates to maintain ______.

a. pressure/first stage permeate flow.b. total permeate flow/recoveryc. back pressure/permeate flowd. recovery/pressure

5. The highest efficiency rate reported for any of the energy recovery devicesdiscussed in this article is

a. 20 percent.b. 36 percent.c. 64 percent.d. 100 percent.

Energy Recovery Case Studies for BrackishWater Membrane Treatment Systems

Mark D. Miller, Jason Lee, and Nick Black(Article 1: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS)

Operators: Take the CEU Challenge!

Randy Boe, Jake Hepokoski, and Andy Koebel

The Bonita Springs Utilities (BSU) EastWater Reclamation Facility (WRF) is anadvanced secondary treatment plant uti-

lizing membrane bioreactor (MBR) technologyfor liquid treatment and thermal drying tech-nology for solids treatment. The facility is lo-cated in Bonita Springs in Lee County and is agood steward of the environment, recycling 100percent of its treated effluent and biosolids. Thefacility has a permitted capacity of 4 mil gal perday (mgd), average daily flow, and currentlytreats about 3 mgd. The MBR treatment processthat is used is a unique configuration that in-cludes anoxic and aerobic zones for nitrogen re-moval. The effluent is entirely reused forresidential and golf course irrigation.

The water reclamation facility was a green-field facility, with construction begun at the endof 2004 and completed in 2006. The facility wasconfigured for future modular expansion up to16 mgd of capacity. The solids treatmentprocesses serve both BSU’s East and West WRFs.The solids from the West WRF are pumped tothe East WRF, where they are combined with theEast WRF waste activated sludge, thickened witha rotary drum thickener, dewatered using cen-

trifuges, and dried in a thermal drum dryer. Thesolids treatment serves a combined liquid sidetreatment capacity of 11 mgd.

The facility includes the following majorunit processes:� Headworks with 6-millimetre (mm) screen-

ing and grit removal� Influent equalization � Fine screening with 2-mm perforated plate

screens� Activated sludge treatment in an anoxic/aer-

obic membrane bioreactor configuration� Effluent disinfection using sodium hypochlorite� Odor control� Effluent reuse storage pond� Effluent reject storage pond� Reuse water pump station� Waste activated sludge thickening� Thickened waste activated sludge aerated

storage� Centrifuge dewatering� Thermal dryer with dried pellet storage

The facility is highly automated and hasprovided excellent treatment that is well belowpermit limits, as summarized in Table 1.

Housekeeping is a high priority for opera-tions staff members who take pride in the clean-liness of the facility. They are also diligent about

preventive maintenance, utilizing an electronicequipment catalog to keep maintenance historyon each piece of equipment and generate workorders. Automation includes real-time moni-toring and control systems for all unit processes.Operator interface units are located throughoutthe facility through which the West WRF andother facilities can also be monitored.

The system allows operators to manually orautomatically control the entire plant and eachunit process throughout the facility. The automa-tion system also assists with preventive mainte-nance by calculating run times for the majorequipment. Custom graphing and trend tools as-sist the operations staff with maintaining efficientoperation, resulting in energy savings, for exam-ple, through more efficient blower management.

The utility’s pride in the facility is evidentthrough its efforts at public education, whichhave included an open house for utility cus-tomers, plant tours, and cooperation with theFlorida Gulf Coast University EnvironmentalScience Department for on-site training. The fa-cility also hosted a GE membrane system user’sconference, which was developed for the train-ing of MBR operators and managers.

The East WRF demonstrates BSU’s com-mitment to environmental stewardship by in-vesting in technologies to promote potablewater savings through the use of high-qualityreclaimed water for irrigation, and provide ahigh-quality Class AA dried solids product thatis sold to a fertilizer wholesaler. The East WRF istruly more than a water reclamation facility; it isa resource recovery facility.

Randy Boe is wastewater team leader–eastregion, with CH2M HILL in Gainesville. JakeHepokoski is chief operator and Andy Koebel is di-rector of operations with Bonita Springs ��

PROCESS PAGEGreetings from the FWEA Wastewater Process Committee! We are excited to bring you this edition of the “Process Page,” with information onone of the many outstanding educational events we sponsor.

Sludge Drying Facility Membrane Bioreactor System Bonita Springs Utilities East Water Reclamation Facility

Table 1. Summary of Influent and Effluent Water Quality


Bonita Springs Water Reclamation Facility Stresses Environmental Commitment With Recycling and Reuse


Recently, I was asked what “C Factor”means and why we use it for our columntitle. C is a factor or value used to indi-

cate the smoothness of the interior of a pipe.The higher the C Factor, the smoother the pipe,the greater the carrying capacity, and thesmaller the friction or energy losses from waterflowing in the pipe. To calculate the C Factor,measure the flow, pipe diameter, distance be-tween two pressure gauges, and the friction orenergy loss of the water between the gauges.

I would like to think that we use the termbecause we are so smooth and our meetingsare free of friction, but since that fateful day Isaw the Easter Bunny in my mom’s bathrobe,I have been a realist. I know there must someother reason.

I asked around but I am still looking forthe answer as to why we use it. Maybe Al “TheHulk/Historian” Monteleone or Art “TheGreat and Powerful” Saey can tell us at thenext board meeting in Fort Pierce. As soon asI know, you can look for a “Breaking News”banner at the bottom of your TV while youwatch the latest news or reruns of The BigBang Theory.

In Memoriam

On a sad note, we lost a leader in the in-dustry recently (on December 15) with thepassing of Professor Kenneth Kerri, who wrotethe courses for our industry through the Uni-versity of Sacramento. They were known by usas simply the “California Course.” In 1972,Professor Kerri was a pioneer in establishingthe office of water programs, which is nowrecognized as the leading national trainingprogram for operators and managers of drink-ing water and wastewater plants and facilities.

Over one million operator and managertraining manuals have been sold throughoutthe world and have been translated into manyforeign languages. None were written in theSouth Georgia or Florida dialect I grew up

with, so I struggled with some definitions. Fora while I thought a “Pair of Mesium” (Para-mecium) was a name of some fancy moc-casins. His use of drawings and pictures tohelp illustrate terms were classic. Some of youolder operators might remember the first-edi-tion diagrams that showed the proper way tolift (if you’re not old enough, ask one of yourelders). It was not politically correct, but itwas funny, in a mildly sexiest way.

Those of us from the Dinosaur Era re-member the New York and Texas manuals weused. We spent many nights studying dryfacts with few pictures and no simplified ex-planations. I had a study plan: the equationof two beers per chapter. At some point, Iswitched to tequila and violà— Stalk Ciliatescame alive. Wow, I could write a whole col-umn on why Ciliates should be the name ofour article because each “head” in the colonyis an individual organism, but they are joinedby the stalk. Sorry, my ADD shows up some-times and it’s hard to suppress.

Those of you with children who find ithard to concentrate, take heed—there is roomfor them in the utility business. We are not al-lowed to think about one thing at a time. Any-way, we thank Ken for his contribution to ourindustry. I remember when he would put hisphone number on letters (remember letters?)and you could always call him with questions.I used that number so often I feel personallyresponsible for its removal.

Attracting the Up-and-Comers

At the last board meeting I briefly men-tioned what I would like to do to help the as-sociation this year. We have some of the bestcourses and instructors in the industry, butthe industry is changing, and we’re also grow-ing older. We need the new and talented lead-ers from all of our chaired disciplines broughtinto our FWPCOA family. I know they arebusy and have young families to raise, butwith just a little of their time we can make agreat organization even better. Our existingcommittee chairs are great and dedicated, too,and we should continue to thank them fortheir time and efforts.

Where do we go from here? I would liketo start a grass roots program assisted by allcommittee chairs and region directors. I want

us to get all the contact information we canon who’s who in each region into a centraldatabase. We need any person who can au-thorize training for a city or county and anyperson working hard to advance a craft listedunder one of our disciplines. Our goal is toarrange summits on each of the areas of train-ing we offer and look for those areas of con-cern that we have overlooked.

Our instructors have a track record ofgetting the job done and conveying knowl-edge and enthusiasm to those students takingour courses. One of the biggest selling pointsI make is that a short school can change agood employee into a great one. He or shenetworks with others in the same industry,they bond during the week, and I see themtake on a new role as instructor for the othersas they start to understand the course mate-rial. If you know a person you think wouldbenefit from attending one of our meetings,let me know at [email protected]. Let’s startbuilding partnerships.

Getting it Off my Chest

I have a hard time not using this venue topoke fun at our personal growth issues in FWPCOA and all the glorious work beingdone by our environmental leaders at theFlorida Department of Environmental Protec-tion and the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, and how our roles and failures resultin knee-jerk policy. Have no fear—those arti-cles are coming. I will spew endless drivelabout the adventures of “Super Rim” and theSouth Florida Water Management District,“Tom Terrific,” and Renee, “The MonarchStormwater,” as they listen to students com-plain about cities that struggle with pesky oldrules, but the politicians in those cities needthe industry to provide jobs so they can be re-elected to get their names on a park someday.

Again I drift. Let me close with the wordsof a great Vulcan treatment plant operatorfrom another galaxy: “Live long, and get yourCEUs from FWPCOA.” ��

Thomas KingPresident, FWPCOA

What the Heck Does “C Factor” Mean Anyway?

C FACTOR


The body of a 48-year-old city sewerplant operator was found in a sewage pipeon January 17, nearly 18 hours after hesomehow fell into an open sewage tank.

Herminio Padilla Jr. was reported miss-ing early on the 17th from his post at theEast Central Regional Water ReclamationFacility. Police, plant supervisors, and rescueworkers spent the day searching the tank forhim. Detective Lori Colombino, city policespokeswoman, confirmed Padilla’s deaththat night. She reported that the death ap-peared to be accidental

Workers had gathered that afternoonnear what appeared to be a large vat towardthe back of the facility on Easley Drive,north of Roebuck Road and east of Florida’sTurnpike. Plant operators had to spendhours draining the vat and undergroundpipes before they could find Padilla’s body.

Friends and former co-workers on Satur-day remembered Padilla as a confident, well-

trained plant operator and were confused asto how he could have fallen into the waterfrom a sturdy network of steel grating thatprovides a walkway for operators who rou-tinely check water levels. “It’s an operator’sworst nightmare,” said Scott Galloway, a for-mer supervisor at the plant who workedwith Padilla for more than six years, afterlearning of Padilla’s death.

Galloway said he has walked along thesame metal grating thousands of times, andanother operator who walked along thesame pathway over the past few days said itfelt sturdy. On the day of the accident, how-ever, Galloway heard that a piece of themetal grate was missing along with Padilla.

Before working for the city of West PalmBeach, Padilla spent 20 years as a correctionsofficer at the Palm Beach County Sheriff ’sOffice, according to Florida Department ofLaw Enforcement records. He left the de-partment in 2007. ��

Herminio Padilla Jr.

Body of Sewer Plant Operator Found in Pipe

Doug Prentiss Sr.

While each of usknows that everyday workers in the

water and wastewater industry perform tasksthat have inherent dangers if not done properly,it sometimes takes an accident to get our atten-tion about a specific issue. In January of thisyear a serious accident at a water reclamationfacility (see facing page) reminded me of theimportance of ensuring that the physical walk-ing surfaces that people work on are safe.

The problem is that history tends to repeatitself; this accident has happened in the past andslip-and-fall accidents will happen again in thefuture unless real changes take place in our in-dustry.

As you read this article a wastewater oper-ator or maintenance worker somewhere in ourstate is walking on an elevated surface fromwhich they may fall into a tank full of sewage, arunning piece of equipment, or both. Severalyears ago a worker at a wastewater plant fellonto the running belt of a sludge press and waslucky to escape with only a broken leg.

A common fall exposure for wastewatertreatment plant workers is when they manuallyclean the weirs in clarifiers. They walk aroundon a narrow concrete ledge that is full of algae,scrubbing off the slippery hazard they arestanding on. If they fall inward they land inwastewater; if they fall outward they may landon pavement or concrete many feet below onthe outside of the tank.

I once suggested that workers performingthis procedure wear a life vest and have a ropetied to them with an attendant holding the ropeto assist with a rescue if it were necessary. Theplant manager I made the suggestion to wasvery quick to show me the door and remind mehe had been running that plant and performingprocedures in the same way for more years thanI had been on this planet.

To say it plainly, there are still some old-school managers who really believe that what

was good enough for them is still good enoughfor their staff—but that simply is not true.Workers are too scarce (and precious) to wasteand we have too many important issues facingthe few operators we still have.

Many wastewater plants have made signif-icant improvements on this issue by using au-tomated brush systems or chemical injection tostop the growth of algae, but it is amazing to mehow many wastewater facilities still allow work-ers to perform this maintenance procedureusing unsafe work methods.

In some cases workers actually performthis work and other dangerous activities alone.My son and I listened in amazement about ayear ago to a wastewater plant worker whobragged about doing everything by himself. Hisstories included doing tank entry and trou-bleshooting dangerous equipment alone, andbasically being around equipment where he hadno business being by himself.

As an industry we have performed unsafeacts for so long and they become so commonthat we sometimes don’t even recognize themas being dangerous. When you walk on a gratingand it moves or flexes, do you report it, do youtell someone, and do you even take exception toit?

Progressive wastewater plants have safetywork orders that receive special priority for ac-tion by maintenance workers. Things like loosegrates, uneven grates, loose rails, missinghandrail sections, rotted chains, and slipperywalking surfaces are all important safety flawsthat need prompt attention.

I was involved in one instance where plantoperators had a significant slip hazard that re-occurred on the walkway of an aeration basin.The algae growth was significant and posed areal hazard, but maintenance requests were sim-ply ignored and months went by. It should nottake an accident or near miss to require main-tenance personnel to perform the simple pres-sure washing and chemical treatment of aconcrete walkway, but it did. It shouldn’t takehaving to report a slippery walking surface overan aeration basin to a safety person to get itfixed, yet it did.

There should be a regular inspection of thewalking and working surfaces of all treatmentplants and regular preventative maintenance toensure the safety of workers. This inspectionshould focus heavily on elevated walkways overtanks and process equipment, but must also in-clude ground-level walkways and sidewalks.Think about how many times you have seen ahose left across a walkway. Every one of thosehoses poses a trip-and-fall potential for work-ers. Instead of walking around them, we need topick them up—or better yet—get the workerswho left them to pick them up.

I understand how the hoses got left out. Iunderstand after using a hose many times thatworkers are covered in a mist of water andwastewater and it is reasonable and appropriatethat they clean up and use good personal hy-giene practices, but leaving a hose for someoneelse to pick up or trip on later is not reasonableor appropriate. To say it plainly, the hose willstill be contaminated and you will still havesome personal hygiene to deal with no matterwhen you pick it up. I know how hot workersget, I understand how miserable it is when thehumidity is high (and the temperature is evenhigher) and the sweat and mist off the aeratorsis running in your eyes, but the time to clean upthe job site is when you are done with the work,not later on. Somehow, and in too many in-stances, later on never comes.

It seems like our plants are always underconstruction and that is also a contributor toslip-and-fall hazards. A new conduit run acrossa street for process equipment often results in anunpaved and unprotected walking surface thatresults in a potential slip-and-fall for night-shiftoperators. Add lack of light to an uneven walk-ing surface and you have the formula for a trip-and-fall accident. A treatment plant operator Iknow tripped on a piece of 4x4 board left on theground by construction personnel during theday. As he made his nightly rounds the boardwas hidden by the shadow of equipment in adimly lit section of the plant. In this instance theoperator had a radio and was able to call for helpimmediately, but that is not always the case.



SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY

A Grim Reminder of Slip-and-Fall

Accident Prevention


When you prepare to walk on elevatedwork surfaces do you look for uneven sectionsand are you aware of the potential for gratingand walking surfaces to deteriorate? I received asafety request from an operator at a treatmentplant about a dangerous walkway leading out toa process tank and went out to inspect it. I wassurprised when I got there because it was a largeconcrete walkway leading out to the influentstructure at the headworks of the plant.

At first I thought it was funny since theconcrete surface was in excellent shape until theoperator showed me the cracks in the concrete,and the deterioration under the concrete, thatwas about to cause the failure of the entire unit.It took months to have it replaced and a tempo-rary walkway had to be rented and installeduntil the work could be completed. The rentaland cost of the repairs was many thousands ofdollars, but what would an injury cost? Whatwould the life of a worker cost his or her family?What would have happened to the treatmentprocess if the tank had been taken out of com-mission after the walkway fell into it?

A soft feel in a grating-style walkway notedby an operator and reported to me was the re-

sult of the main metal structural supports thathad been slowly eaten away by years of expo-sure to hydrogen sulfide. Once again, the dif-ference is a worker who cares enough to saysomething and an organization that knowsenough to follow up when a worker is braveenough to speak up. You wouldn’t think an op-erator would have to be brave to bring upsomething like a dangerous walking surface, butit is still true in some of the wastewater treat-ment plants here in Florida.

I once heard a maintenance worker go offon all operators and complain bitterly abouthow they were overpaid and underworked andthat they ought to “change out their own damnlight bulbs.” He was of course talking about thebreakdown-type lights located on and aroundelevated walkways. The fact that the operatorshad put the safety person at the maintenancearea just made him furious. As he told me,“There are still plenty of other lights up there!”

In the story I mentioned about the slipperywalk surface due to algae, it was the operatorswho ended up performing the pressure cleaningof the concrete walk surface, and they then tookthe time to bleach the concrete to maximize theeffectiveness of the work they had done. They

also watched it closely in the future and estab-lished a preventative maintenance schedulebased on algae growth and other environmentalissues that impacted the growth. They did agreat job of resolving the problem once theywere given the proper support by the operationsmanager who controlled the work assignments.

One of the sharpest treatment plant man-agers I know has only operators at his plant. Youmay be assigned to maintenance but you willcontinue to be a treatment plant operator whileworking at that plant. That manager’s theory isvery clear: he maximizes the number of peopleavailable to run the plant and, at the same time,he gets better quality maintenance and repairsbecause the people doing the work understandits importance. I told you the guy was sharp; likemany of you, he has learned to change when itis needed and to stand firm when it’s the rightthing to do.

Do you know intuitively that all of our el-evated work surfaces are dangerous and requirea heightened sense of safety awareness when wewalk on them? Do you convey that same aware-ness to new workers or coworkers? Do you re-strict the activities that workers perform onelevated walkways when there is limited staff on



the plant site? One of the largest treatmentplants in north Florida had an operator fall in apartially filled wastewater tank while on a sin-gle-shift operation many years ago. It taught theplant management a lesson that no one has for-gotten.

While luck was on the side of the operator,it was love that kept him alive. When he did notcall his wife as he normally did during his shift,she began trying to contact him. When the dis-patcher could not reach the operator on hisradio the plant manager was contacted andfound the operator in the tank hanging on to acable covered in sewage and unable to get out ofthe tank. He had been in the tank for hours andwas exhausted and injured, but alive.

This is a tough way to learn a common-sense lesson, which says “restrict the activities ofsingle-shift workers.” Yes, I know the handrailsand the toe boards and the lights should allmake the elevated walkways meet the criteria ofa safe work area, but they do not. When you readthrough all the Occupational Health and SafetyAdministration (OSHA) standards as I have,you will know that there are many regulationsand restrictions that cover worker activitieswhen they are over water. These same regula-

tions apply to both maintenance and operationsworkers.

Unfortunately, there are still some organi-zations, operators, and maintenance staff whodon’t consider these to be important issues andthe result can be a fall that can result in a death.

My first personal experience with this typeof accident was with a painter who fell into a di-gester and injured his shoulder during the fall.His injury and lack of safety equipment made itdifficult to rescue him. As I said earlier, we willcontinue to repeat this history unless we changeour approach. These changes start with limitingthe activities for single-shift operators to excludewalking or working over tanks or process ves-sels. This may require alternative sample proce-dures, and additional remote control systems forthe treatment process itself.

Walking surfaces at plants need to be a partof scheduled preventative maintenance: � Changes in elevations need to be identified. � Lighting for walking areas around plant

process areas should be included in the in-spection of walking surfaces.

� Walkways need to be inspected at night, notjust during the day.

Several of the FWEA safety awards usedcross-plant inspections to ensure an honest lookat all safety issues. Have a plant operator ormaintenance person from a different plant in-spect your walking and working surfaces. Crosstraining is another approach that can provide apositive result in the identification of unsafework areas. Accidents will repeat themselves un-less we set in place a system that ensures regularinspection and prompt reaction to identifiedhazards.

Safety-sensitive work orders can be helpfulin establishing prevention programs for fall pro-tection. The OSHA fall protection program isintended to train workers to identify fall hazardsand fix them, and there are also the walking andworking surface requirements to be aware of.

I have seen and administered hourly check-ins by radio or phone systems, and hourlycheck-ins with guards, with great success. Con-sider combining worker training and awareness,inspections, work limitations, and some form ofcheck-in system as the basis of the preventionof accidents of this type.

Doug Prentiss Sr. is the FWEA Safety Com-mittee vice-chair. ��


For more than 35 years the AmericanWater Works Association has celebrated Drink-ing Water Week with its members.

In 1988, AWWA brought the event to theattention of the United States government andformed a coalition with the League of WomenVoters, Association of State Drinking Water Ad-ministrators, and U.S. Environmental Protec-tion Agency.

Rep. Robert Roe and Sen. DennisDeConcini subsequently sponsored a resolutionto name the first week of May as Drinking WaterWeek, and an information kit was distributed tothe media and to more than 10,000 utilities.Willard Scott, the NBC Today Show weather-man, was featured in public service announce-ments that aired between May 2 and 8. Theweek-long observance was declared in a jointcongressional resolution and signed by then-President Ronald Reagan.

The following year AWWA approachedseveral other organizations to participate.Through those efforts the National DrinkingWater Alliance was formed, consisting of 15nonprofit educational, professional, and public-interest organizations. The Alliance dedicated it-self to public awareness and involvement inpublic and private drinking water issues andcontinued its work to organize a major annualeducational campaign built around DrinkingWater Week.

The power of the multiorganization Al-liance enabled Drinking Water Week to growinto widespread and committed participationthroughout the U.S. and Canada. In 1991, theAlliance launched a national campaign to in-form the public about America's drinking water.The group distributed a kit containing ideas forcelebrating the event, conservation facts and tipsheets, news releases, and posters. The themewas "There's a lot more to drinking water thanmeets the eye." That same year, actor RobertRedford recorded a public service announce-ment on behalf of Drinking Water Week.

Celebrating Drinking Water Week is aneasy way to educate the public, connect with thecommunity, and promote employee morale. Toooften, water utilities receive publicity only whensomething bad happens; Drinking Water Weekcelebrations give utilities an opportunity forpositive communication.

Public Communication

Communicating to the public duringDrinking Water Week is integral to any success-ful celebration. Here are some options andideas:� Advertise in the local newspaper � Send bill stuffers � Work with local librarians to set up displays � Use mall kiosks to reach a broad audience � Coordinate distribution of AWWA news re-

leases � Publicize the release of water utility con-

sumer confidence reports� Send public service announcements to local

radio or television stations

Community Events

It’s important to be a part of the local com-munity. Community events are fun and festiveways to make sure that customers know abouttheir drinking water—where it comes from,how they get it, and what they can do to help en-sure their drinking water quality.� Invite your community to an open house � Inaugurate an adopt-a-hydrant program � Plant a tree � Conduct plant tours � Hold a landmark dedication/anniversary cel-

ebration � Bury a time capsule � Partner with local botanic gardens or other

groups � Plan a community clean-up

Youth Focus

Drinking Water Week is a perfect time toeducate children about their water supply in anatmosphere of fun.� Feature a children's coloring contest or essay

contest � Hold a poster contest � Have utility employees make presentations at

local schools

Internal Communicationsand Events

Don't forget employees! Drinking WaterWeek can help reaffirm to employees the im-portance of what it is they do—provide clean,safe drinking water for the public.� Hold an annual employee picnic during

Drinking Water Week � Create a utility newsletter feature on Drink-

ing Water Week

Plan Ahead

Drinking Water Week is celebrated duringthe first full week of May each year. Future datesare listed here: � 2015 – May 3-9 � 2016 – May 1-7 � 2017 – May 7-13 � 2018 – May 6-12 � 2019 – May 5-11 � 2020 – May 3-9 ��

Celebrate 2015 Drinking Water Week!


1. What may be typical permit values for totalnitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP)in highly treated effluent being dischargedto an open body of water in Florida?

a. TN greater than 5 parts per million(ppm), TP less than 2.0 ppm

b. TN less than 0.1 ppm, TP greater than1.5 ppm

c. TN about 3.0 ppm, TP about 3.0 ppmd. TN less than 3.0 ppm, TP less than 1.0

ppm

2. Which chemical is typically used to adjusteffluent pH (between 6.0 to 8.5) beforebeing discharged to a surface water outfall?

a. Ferric chlorideb. Polymerc. Sodium hydroxided. Alum

3. What typically happens to the oxidationreduction potential (ORP) value ofreclaimed water when the nitrate (NO3)concentration increases from 3 ppm to 7ppm?

a. The ORP value increases.b. The ORP value decreases.c. The ORP value is fairly unaffected by

that level adjustment of nitrates.d. Nitrates at any level will cause a

typical ORP probe to fail.

4. What typically happens to the ORP valueof reclaimed water when the ammoniaconcentration increases from 1 ppm to 5ppm?

a. The ORP value increases.b. The ORP value decreases.c. The ORP value is fairly unaffected by

the ammonia level.d. Ammonia at any level will cause a

typical ORP probe to fail.

5. What typically happens to the chlorinedemand of reclaimed water when thenitrite (NO2) concentration is elevated?

a. The chlorine demand doubles for eachpound of nitrite oxidized.

b. The chlorine demand is cut in half foreach pound of nitrite oxidized.

c. The chlorine demand is fairlyunaffected by nitrite concentrations

d. The chlorine demand is multiplied bymore than 5 for each pound of nitriteoxidized.

6. Of these choices, which is the most acidicpH?

a. 6.5 b. 4.2c. 10.0 d. 7.0

7. Which chemical is more commonly usedto dechlorinate chlorinated effluent?

a. Sodium hypochloriteb. Bleachc. Sulfur dioxided. Ferric chloride

8. Given the following data, what is theequivalent percent total solids?· 10 milliliters (mL) of sample· Tare weight of filter is 1.8873 grams· Final weight of filter after drying is

2.2255 grams

a. 2.2 percent b. 1.3 percentc. 3.4 percent d. 4.3 percent

9. Which formula is used to calculate thecircumference of a circular tank?

a. �r2 b. �d2

c. 0.785 d2 d. �d

10. What is the volume of reclaimed water ina storage tank with a diameter of 75 ftand a depth of 20 ft?

a. 833,029 gal b. 33,029 galc. 320,588 gal d. 660,580 gal

Answers on page 62

Readers are welcome to submitquestions or exercises on water or wastewater treatment plantoperations for publication inCertification Boulevard. Sendyour question (with the answer) or your exercise (with the solution) by email to:[email protected], or by mail to:

Roy PelletierWastewater Project Consultant

City of Orlando Public Works DepartmentEnvironmental Services

Wastewater Division5100 L.B. McLeod Road

Orlando, FL 32811407-716-2971

Certification Boulevard

Roy Pelletier

SEND US YOURQUEST IONS

Test Your Knowledge of WastewaterDisposal and Other Miscellaneous Topics

Check the ArchivesAre you new to the water and wastewater field? Want to boost your knowledge

about topics youʼll face each day as a water/wastewater professional?All past editions of Certification Boulevard through 2000 are available on the

Florida Water Environment Associationʼs website at www.fwea.org. Click the “Site Map”button on the home page, then scroll down to the Certification Boulevard Archives, lo-cated below the Operations Research Committee.

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The use of an interstage boost on brack-ish reverse osmosis (RO) membranetreatment systems is not only a green

approach to reducing operating costs and sav-ing money; it can restore and even increasetreatment capacity utilizing existing equip-ment. Implementation of energy saving de-vices to provide practical solutions toincreasing recovery and capacity, while de-creasing operating costs of existing RO sys-tems, is presented. With ever-increasingdemands on alternative water supplies usingbrackish groundwater, degrading raw waterquality is becoming apparently common andaffecting treatment capacities, as well as oper-ating costs. Several case studies are presentedthat also provide the cost–benefit of imple-menting an interstage boost utilizing energyrecovery devices.

Interstage Boost on Reverse Osmosis Treatment Systems

It is first important to have a basic under-standing of the RO membrane treatmentprocess to fully appreciate the use of interstageboost. Raw water is typically pumped from itssource and sent through pretreatment to feed-water pumps that feed the RO trains. The ROtrain is an array of pressure vessels loaded withmembrane elements that reject, or remove, saltsand other ions that are too large to pass throughthe membranes. Water that passes through thesemembranes is classified as permeate (free ofsalts and other ions); water that does not passthrough the membranes is classified as concen-trate (concentrated saltwater). To increase therecovery, typically first-stage concentrate flow isdirected to pass through a second stage of ele-ments (second-stage stage feed) producing sec-ond-stage permeate and second-stageconcentrate. First- and second-stage permeatethen flows to post-treatment processes, whileconcentrate is usually disposed of down deep in-jection wells.

It is critical to the overall design that theraw water quality is determined and permeateand finished water goals are established. Inretrofit applications, it may be found that caseswhere water quality is high in total dissolvedsolids (TDS), feedwater pressures may need to

be greater to obtain the desired permeate waterquality. If the feedwater pump is not capable ofmeeting these demands, the use of differentmembranes should be evaluated.

The performance of the membranes con-tributes to the energy required to produce per-meate water. Membrane selection and conditionare components that need to be consideredwhen reviewing feed pressure and energy costs.Many times, due to newer membrane technol-ogy, performance can be increased (improvedpermeate water quality and/or reduced feedwa-ter pressures) with proper membrane selection.Membrane selection is key to capturing theseadvantages.

The energy recovery turbine (ERT) deviceprovides boost to the second-stage feed by cap-turing the energy (residual pressure) from thefinal (second-stage) concentrate. The ERT in-cludes a turbine (captures the second-stage con-centrate flow) coupled to a pump, which takesthe first-stage concentrate and boosts inlet pres-sure to the second stage. Normally, all of theflow from the final concentrate (same as second-stage concentrate) flows through the ERT and isused to boost pressure to the second stage (Fig-ure 1). A bypass valve (ERT trim valve) allowssome of the flow to bypass the ERT, allowing areduction in boost for optimizing the operationand performance.

The RO trains are typically operated basedon set points of total permeate flow and percentrecovery. The feedwater pump modulates speedto maintain total permeate flow, whereas theturbine bypass valve (ERT trim valve) modu-lates to maintain a recovery, or concentrate flow,which is calculated based on the input value oftotal permeate and recovery. The first-stage per-

meate flow can be maintained and limited basedon the first-stage control valve. It can modulatein order to maintain a desired first-stage per-meate, or can be set manually to provide a fixedfirst-stage backpressure, which reduces first-stage permeate flow. This valve should never beclosed and should always allow flow. This valveshould also remain open when the RO train isoff-line.

Energy Recovery Devices

There are four styles of energy recovery de-vices that can be evaluated as possible interstageboost devices.

Pelton WheelThe Pelton Wheel (Figure 2) is one of the

earliest forms of energy recovery. This deviceutilizes the force of high-pressure waterstreams directed at buckets on a wheel that iscoupled to a pump. The force of the highlypressurized water pushes the buckets to makethe wheel spin on its axis. Since the wheel iscoupled to the pump with a shaft, rotationalmovement of the wheel provides energy for thepump to operate.

Implementation of energy recoverythrough the use of the Pelton Wheel in brack-

Energy Recovery Case Studies for BrackishWater Membrane Treatment Systems

Mark D. Miller, Jason Lee, and Nick Black

Mark D. Miller is senior associate and vicepresident; Jason Lee, P.E., is an associate;and Nick Black, E.I., is an engineer withKimley-Horn and Associates Inc. in WestPalm Beach.

F W R J

Figure 1. Energy Recovery Turbine Flow Diagram



ish RO membrane treatment systems is notpractical and cannot be justified. In this appli-cation, second-stage concentrate would be uti-lized as the source of kinetic energy directed atthe Pelton Wheel to boost first-stage concen-trate through the second stage of membranes.In this application the water jet that providesthe force the Pelton Wheel needs to rotatewould be exposed to the atmosphere. Thehighly concentrated water, utilized as thesource of energy for the Pelton Wheel, wouldhave to be captured and another pump wouldbe required to push the final concentrate downthe injection well. The capital and operatingcosts of this additional pump would counteractthe original intent of implementing energy re-covery.

Isobaric Pressure Exchanger The RO plants treating seawater commonly

use an energy recovery device known as the Iso-baric Pressure Exchanger, or PX (Figure 3).These devices operate at approximately 100 per-cent recovery; however, they have not beenadapted at this time for brackish water RO sincethey are only more effective at higher operatingpressures.

Energy Recovery Turbine The ERT has been used for interstage boost

since the early 1990s (Figure 4). This device con-sists of a turbine and a pump on a commonshaft. Second-stage concentrate is used to drivethe turbine, which drives the pump that elevatespressure in the first-stage concentrate before itbecomes feedwater to the second stage. Thesedevices operate at a maximum efficiency of ap-proximately 64 percent, which means approxi-mately 36 percent of the available energy is notrecovered.

With ever-increasing demands on alterna-tive water supplies using brackish groundwater,degrading raw water quality is becoming appar-ently common and affecting treatment capaci-ties, as well as operating costs. An ERT becomesa practical solution in brackish RO treatmentsystems for utilities that wish to lower feedwaterpressures to the RO trains and improve overallpermeate water quality. It is also important toanalyze the cost savings in operating the feed-water pumps at lower pressures and comparethem to the capital cost of purchasing and in-stalling the ERT.

Energy Recovery with MotorA hybrid of the ERT has been developed

that attaches an electric motor to the same shaftas the turbine and pump (Figure 5). This deviceallows the applied interstage boost to be higherthan that which can be achieved only throughthe energy recovery turbine. For the two facili-ties discussed in this case study, with the amountof energy available from the final concentratepressures from the RO plant case studies, nomotor-assisted device was necessary. Therefore,no outside energy is required to provide second-stage boost.

The use of interstage boost on brackish ROmembrane treatment systems can increase treat-ment capacity, improve permeate water quality,and save money. Two current case studies arepresented that also provide the cost–benefit ofimplementing interstage boost utilizing energyrecovery turbines.

Case Study 1: Palm Beach County Plant #11, Lake Region

Water Treatment Plant

BackgroundThe Palm Beach County Water Plant #11,

Lake Region Water Treatment Plant (LRWTP)is a 10-mil-gal-per-day (mgd) low-pressurebrackish RO treatment plant that utilizes waterfrom the Floridan aquifer through multiplewells. The plant consists of four trains with feed-water pumps that produce permeate from 38first-stage membranes and 19 second-stagemembranes. The plant was placed in service in2009 and began to experience severe degrada-tion of raw water quality over time, which led toit operating at a reduced capacity with muchhigher feedwater. With declining raw waterquality from one of the Floridan supply wells(RO-3), the membrane system had difficultymeeting the current rated capacity.

In order to address this deficiency and im-prove operating efficiencies of the RO skids, theexisting membranes were cleaned, the RO trainarray was increased to 40 first-stage pressurevessels and 20 second-stage pressure vessels,and energy recovery using interstage boost wasimplemented. Implementation of energy re-covery utilizing interstage boost was necessaryto restore treatment capacity and recovery andhelp compensate for the increased total dis-solved solids this facility has experienced overthe past several years (decreasing raw waterquality). The following design criteria wereused to establish guidelines for the design ofthese improvements:

Capacity: 2.375-mgd permeate(each RO train)

Recovery: 80 percent (total perme-ate/raw water)

Operating Pressures: 350 pounds per sq in.(psi) max, first-stage feed;400 psi max, second-stage feed

Figure 2. Pelton Wheel Figure 3. Isobaric Pressure Exchanger



Raw Water Press to Feed Pumps: ........45-60 psi

Deep Injection Backpressure: ..............20-35 psi

Permeate Backpressure: ......................15 psi

CapacityThe RO trains operated at a reduced capac-

ity and recovery. The design-rated capacity ofeach of the RO trains is 2.375 mgd, or 1,650 galper minute (gpm), which stayed true as the de-sired design capacity. If water quality continuesto decline and vary significantly, operating con-ditions other than 2.375 mgd may be necessaryand be more optimal from an operational stand-point. The Interstage ERT sizing had accountedfor these potential variations in RO train capac-ities ranging from 2.0 mgd up to 2.5 mgd.

Reverse Osmosis System RecoveryGiven the fact that raw water quantity is

limited and predicted raw water qualitydegradation may continue, it may be advan-tageous to operate the RO trains at recoveryrates other than the design of 80 percent re-covery. Recovery rates between 75 and 80 per-cent, and up to 83 percent, are possible andconsidered feasible.

The existing membrane elements are low-pressure brackish elements manufactured byDOW Filmtec (model LE-400), are 8 in. in di-ameter, and include 400 sq ft of membrane sur-face area per element. Additional pressurevessels were installed under these improve-ments, which utilized the same type of mem-branes within the additional pressure vessellocations. Alternative membrane elements(DOW Filmtec LE 440i, HRLE 440i), whichhave a larger surface area and alternate rejectionrates, should be considered for future replace-ment if performance of the existing ones de-clines along with declining raw water quality.

Membrane flux, or permeate flow acrossthe membrane surface area in gal per sq ft perday (gfd), will be limited to the published fluxlimit of 28 gfd for the existing membrane ele-ments in order to maximize membrane capacityand longevity. The original design limited thelead element flux to 24 gfd, which is now notpractical with higher TDS in raw water.

Operating Pressures: First and Second Stage

Each of the RO trains has operating pres-sure limitations, based on pressure ratings ofpipe, valves, fittings, feedwater pumps, or pres-sure vessels. The operating pressure limits foreach of the RO trains will be based on a first-stage pressure limit of 350 psi, and second-stagepressure limit of 400 psi. The first-stage pressurelimit is based on 8-in. piping, valves, and fittings,whereas the second-stage is limited based on thepressure limits of the pressure vessels, rated for450 psi, and the valves, each rated for a 450- to500-lb body test. Therefore, the following alarmpressure set points should be:

Alarm Set Point Design Rating

Feed Pressure (first-stage) ......................320 psi ..........350 psi

Second-Stage Pressure (after ERT) ........................350 psi ..........400 psi

Deep injection well backpressures were im-portant for sizing of the interstage boost ERT,since these pressures directly affect the availableenergy to power the turbine and resultant sec-ond stage feed pressure. Normal increase in in-jection well pressures must be taken intoaccount when sizing ERTs. Current concentrate

backpressures were observed to be 18-20 psi anda long-term concentrate backpressure was as-sumed to be 35 psi.

Water QualityThe RO system must accommodate varia-

tions in raw water TDS, which vary significantlyat each of the wells. The following range ofwater quality TDS levels were evaluated for theoperating conditions list above.

Raw Water TDS Source

4,358 mg/l Original design, operations andmaintenance manual

5,050 mg/l Current average of operatingwells

6,250 mg/l Design (for this project)

8,620 mg/l Well #5, elevated level

10,050 mg/l Worst case, upper limit

Total and First-Stage Permeate FlowTotal permeate flow can range from 1,390

gpm to 1,740 gpm (2.0 to 2.5 mgd) and can beadjusted accordingly. Flows lower than this cancontribute to low concentrate flow conditionson the tail-end elements, which can lead toconcentration polarization and scaling. Iflower permeate flows are necessary, overall re-covery of the RO trains should be lowered con-currently (<80 percent).

The first-stage permeate flow should belimited to 1,300 gpm in order to limit themaximum flux, which is the permeate flow atgal per day (gpd)/sq ft-gfd on the lead elementof the first stage, which is based on a maxi-mum lead element flux of 28 gfd. Limiting thisflow will reduce the potential for long-termfouling on the lead elements and scaling po-

Figure 5. Energy Recovery Turbine with Motor AssistFigure 4. Energy Recovery Turbine



tential on the tail element of the first stage.This is a general guideline and does not re-quire an immediate shutdown of the ROtrains. Unless this flow is greater than 1,300gpm, this first-stage permeate control valveshould remain fully open in order to minimizewasted energy. Providing first-stage permeatecontrol directly affects the feed pressure andincreases the energy required to produce per-meate.

Recovery

The recovery is controlled by the ERT trimvalve, which can modulate to control howmuch concentrate flows to the ERT. As thevalve opens, it allows more flow to bypass theERT, which reduces the overall system recov-ery. Adversely, as the bypass (trim) valve to theERT closes, overall recovery of the system in-creases. Currently, recovery varies between 75to 80 percent.

Operational Testing

Operational testing was performed for eachindividual RO train once they were convertedwith energy recovery. In general, the conversionincluded the following:� Increase array from 38x19 to 40x20 and in-

stall new membranes to fill new vessels� Replace all stainless steel piping to improve

pressure rating� Install ERT� Install ERT trim valve and bypass valve with

actuators

� Install additional instrumentation (permeateconductivity and second-stage feed pressure)

� Modify programmable logic controller (PLC)and human machine interface (HMI) pro-gramming to accommodate energy recovery

� Update normalization data logger and im-plement automatic updating of NormPro (acomputer program for use with RO equip-ment)

Testing included several actions to ensurethe RO trains were operating within the designranges, which consisted of the following:� Witness sequencing of train startup (pre-

flush), presteady state, and postflush (adjusttimers for each if needed)

� Calibration of instruments/transmitters(conductivity, pressure, flow; ranges correct)

� Conduct general profile (raw, first- and sec-ond-stage permeate, interstage, concentrateconductivity) and verify flow meters withmass balance

� Conduct vessel profile once operating condi-tions in steady state for minimum of 24hours

� Record pressures across ERT� Operate ERT with control valve forced closed

(record second-stage flux)� Collect raw water quality (15 parameters) for

raw and permeate water used for membraneprojections for steady state design conditions

Due to the significant variation in rawwater quality, the following RO skid operatingtargets were also conducted to test performanceat alternative design conditions:

Recovery ........Permeate ............Concentrate ..................Flow ......................Flow

75–80% ..........2.0 mgd ..............0.66 mgd ..............(1390 gpm) ............(460 gpm)

75–80% ..........2.0 mgd ..............0.60 mgd ..............(1390 gpm)..............347 gpm)

75–80% ........2.375 mgd ..............0.60 mgd ..............(1650 gpm) ......(412 gpm) DESIGN

75–80% ..........2.5 mgd ..............0.625 mgd ..............(1738 gpm) ............(434 gpm)

83%* ..........2.375 mgd ............0.486 mgd..............(1650 gpm) ............(338 gpm)

80%* ............2.5 mgd ..............0.637 mgd ..............(1738 gpm) ............(442 gpm)

* Could not be achieved at the time of testing

As depicted in Figure 6, energy savingsranged from 800 to 1000 kilowatts per hour(kWh) per mil gal (MG) of permeate producedby the RO trains. Assuming electrical costs arearound $0.12/kWh, the utility could essentiallysave around $120 per MG of water produced. Energy recovery implementation at water treat-ment plant #11 has proven to be a successfulproject, providing cost savings in permeate pro-duction and overall improvement of permeatewater quality at the plant.

Case Study 2: North Martin County Reverse Osmosis

Water Treatment Plant

Project BackgroundMartin County’s North Jensen Beach RO

water treatment plant was constructed in theearly 1990s with limited attention to energy re-covery at that time. The plant, rated at 5.5 mgd,has low-pressure brackish RO membranes thatare more than 10 years old and reaching theiruseful life. Membrane performance has de-clined, and in conjunction with declining waterquality (increased TDS), the membrane systemhas had difficulty meeting the current rated ca-pacity. In order to address these problems andimprove operating efficiencies of the RO skids,membrane replacement, along with implemen-tation of energy recovery using interstage boost,was recommended. There are three trains at thetreatment plant and two of the existing threetrains (A and B) operate without energy recov-ery, while Train C has an ERT.

The membrane replacement and the im-plementation of the ERTs allowed an increasedrecovery and capacity at a reduced operatingpressure, resulting in lower operating costs at


Figure 6. Lake Region Water Treatment Plant Energy Reduction GraphContinued on page 46

FWPCOA TRAINING CALENDAR

SCHEDULE YOUR CLASS TODAY!

* Backflow recertification is also available the last day of BackflowTester or Backflow Repair Classes with the exception of Deltona

** Evening classes

*** any retest given also

MARCH2-5 ....Backflow Tester ........................................St. Petersburg ....$375/405

9-13 ....Reclaimed Water Field Site Inspector ....Deltona ............$350/38016-20 ....Spring State Short SchoolSpring State Short School ....................Ft. Pierce

April13-15 ....Backflow Repair ........................................St. Petersburg ....$275/30513-16 ....Backflow Tester ........................................Pensacola ..........$375/40513-17 ....Reclaimed Water Field Site Inspector ....Orlando ............$350/38013-17 ....Water Distribution Level 3, 2 ..................Deltona ............$275/30513-17 ....Reclaimed Water Distribution C ..............Deltona ............$275/305

24 ....Backflow Tester Recert*** ........................Deltona ............$85/115

May4-7 ....Backflow Tester ........................................Deltona ............$375/405

18-21 ....Backflow Tester ........................................St. Petersburg ....$375/40518-22 ....Stormwater Level C, B ..............................Deltona ............$260/280


June8-12 ....Wastewater Collection C, B ....................Deltona ............$325/355

15-18 ....Backflow Tester ........................................St. Petersburg ....$375/40522-26 ....Wastewater Collection A..........................Deltona ............$275/30522-26 ....Water Distribution 1 ................................Deltona ............$275/30522-26 ....Stormwater A ............................................Deltona ............$275/305


You are required to have your

own calculator at state short schools

and most other courses.

Course registration forms are available at http://www.fwpcoa.org/forms.asp. For additional information on these courses or other training programs offered by the FWPCOA, please

contact the FW&PCOA Training Office at (321) 383-9690 or [email protected].



greater plant capacity. These two improvementswill allow the plant to increase capacity up to 6mgd without any improvements to the feedwa-ter pumps or other components, which wouldbe very expensive. The return on investment forjust the ERT improvement alone is six to 10years and will save nearly $100,000 per year inoperating costs.

CapacityThe RO trains currently operate at reduced

capacity and recovery. The existing rated capac-ity for each of the three RO trains is 1.83 mgd. Ifwater quality continues to decline and vary sig-nificantly, operating conditions other than 1.83mgd may be necessary and be more optimalfrom an operational standpoint. Interstage ERTsizing had accounted for these potential varia-tions in RO train capacities ranging from 1.83mgd up to 2 mgd.

Reverse Osmosis System Recovery

Similar to that of Water Treatment Plant#11, raw water quality from well 3 (RO-3) hasshown to diminish over the years. Since it is pre-dicted that water quality degradation may con-tinue, it may be advantageous to operate the ROtrains at recovery rates other than the design of 80percent recovery. Recovery rates between 75 and80 percent are possible and considered feasible.

The existing membrane elements are low-pressure brackish elements, manufactured byHydranautics, and are energy-saving polyamide(ESPA) membranes. As part of this project, theexisting membranes on all trains will be re-placed with a newer specified model, and addi-tional pressure vessels will be added to Train Ato increase recovery to match that of Train B.

Operating Pressures: First and Second Stage

Each of the RO trains has operating pres-sure limitations, based on pressure ratings ofpipe, valves, fittings, feedwater pumps, or pres-sure vessels. The existing feedwater pumps arelimited to 200 psi due to the pump impellersand motor size.

The existing conditions of the feedwaterpumps made it difficult to select several differ-ent membranes that would meet permeatewater quality specifications. With the limitationson feedwater pressures, it was difficult to findseveral membranes with a high enough rejec-tion rate to provide the desired permeate waterquality.

Deep injection well backpressures were im-portant for sizing of the interstage boost ERT,

since these pressures directly affect the availableenergy to power the turbine and resultant sec-ond stage feedpressure. Normal increase in in-jection well pressures must be taken intoaccount when sizing ERTs. Current concentratebackpressures were observed to be 15-35 psi anda long-term concentrate backpressure was as-sumed to be 35 psi.

Water QualityThe RO system must accommodate for

variations in raw water TDS, which vary signif-icantly at each of the wells. The following rangeof water quality TDS levels were evaluated forthe operating conditions listed:

Raw Water TDS Source

2,990 mg/l Standard design from rawwater quality

3,980 mg/l Worst case raw water quality

Given the variation in raw water quality,the pH of the raw water entering the RO systemis assumed to be lowered using sulfuric acid,which is consistent with current plant opera-tions. A pH of 7.35 was used in each of the pro-jections in order to minimize scaling potentialof the concentrate in the membranes. Sincethere is post-treatment addition of sulfuric acid(as opposed to pretreatment), the pH of thefeedwater is greater than that of Case Study 1.

Total and First-Stage Permeate FlowTotal permeate flow can range from 1,250

gpm to 1,390 gpm (1.8 to 2.0 mgd) and can beadjusted accordingly. Flows lower than this cancontribute to low concentrate flow conditionson the tail-end elements, which can lead to con-centration polarization and scaling. If lower per-meate flows are necessary, overall recovery of theRO trains should be lowered concurrently (<80percent).

RecoveryAs previously noted, the recovery is con-

trolled by the ERT trim valve, which can mod-ulate to control how much concentrate flows tothe ERT. As the valve opens, it allows more flowto bypass the ERT, which reduces the overall sys-tem recovery. Inversely, as the bypass (trim)valve to the ERT closes, overall recovery of thesystem increases. Currently, recovery varies from75 to 80 percent.

Energy Conservation Measures

The existing RO trains (A and B) currentlyoperate with ESPA membranes that operate athigher fluxes (permeate flow) and lower oper-

ating pressure. The drawback to this is that thefirst-stage permeate must operate with inducedbackpressure to prevent overfluxing of the first-stage membrane elements. This results inhigher-than-normal feed pressures. In order tomaximize membrane efficiency and balance thefirst- and second-stage fluxes, an interstageboost is typically implemented to increase theoperating pressure to the second stage. The useof an ERT, which captures the energy from theconcentrate pressure and provides boost to thesecond-stage feed, is a common approach andhas been recommended.

The key to this project is to provide thelowest energy (kWh) per gal of water producedat the desired permeate water quality throughselection of the appropriate membranes andthe most efficient ERT. Similar to Case Study1, minimizing operating costs of the RO plantand providing better permeate water qualityare the primary goals of energy recovery im-plementation. Currently, operating-cost sav-ings are not available without the ERT andmembrane replacement. Construction of therecommended improvements will commencein the early part of 2015. Once these items areimplemented, immediate operating-cost sav-ings can be experienced.

Modifications of Existing Reverse OsmosisSkids

Skids A and BIn order to improve recovery, efficiency,

and lower energy consumption, improvementsto RO skids A and B should consist of the fol-lowing:� Modification of the existing interstage and

concentrate piping � Replacement of the concentrate control

valves� Removal of first-stage permeate control

valves if necessary� Membrane replacement� Modification or addition of pressure vessels

to provide the most efficient second-stagearray

� Installation of energy recovery turbines � Additional instrumentation (flow, conduc-

tivity, pressure)� Relocation of sample panels

Skid CImprovements to RO skid C would include

the following:� Membrane replacement

Items That Affect Energy Recovery TurbineEfficiency

Raw water quality has the largest impact on



the need for energy recovery and interstageboost. Well water quality has declined slightlyover the years, and is most noticeable whenmembrane performance has declined. With adecline in raw water quality goes an increase infeedwater pressures needed to overcome the os-motic pressures. A target raw water qualityshould be defined for energy calculations. Rawwater conductivity currently ranges from 4,500umhos to 7,500 umhos.

Water chemistry, such as sparingly solu-ble salt concentrations in the raw water (i.e.,strontium, barium, silica, and calcium) andthe feedwater pH can also affect the recoverythat can be achieved with the RO system. Cur-rent parameter levels should be defined to en-sure that the higher membrane recoveries canbe achieved. In addition, the recent reductionof acid at the facilities to reduce feedwater pHmay need to be readdressed if these sparinglysoluble salt levels are higher than original val-ues.

Conclusion

Decreasing water quality of brackishgroundwater is becoming more common andis affecting treatment capacities, as well as op-erating costs. An ERT becomes a practical so-lution in brackish RO treatment systems tolower operating costs and improve permeatewater quality. The function of the ERT ispurely hydraulic, and the existing water qual-ity and feedwater pressures in both case stud-ies allow energy recovery to be highlybeneficial without the use of additional power.The case studies show that the implementa-tion of energy recovery is highly beneficial toutilities in improving permeate water quality,and equally important, lowering operatingcosts.

References

• Fluid Equipment Development Company,2014. http://fedco-usa.com/.

• Energy Recovery Inc., 2014 http://www.ener-gyrecovery.com/.

• Palm Beach County Water Utilities District,2012-2013. “Lake Region Water TreatmentPlant Energy Reduction Graph.” ��


MWH Global has been awarded a con-tract by the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer De-partment to provide engineering designservices for the comprehensive rehabilitationof three large wastewater treatment plants(WWTPs) in Miami-Dade County as part ofthe Department’s $1.6 billion consent decreeprogram. The three plants include the CentralDistrict WWTP, the oldest and largest assetwith a treatment capacity of 143 mgd, and theNorth District WWTP and South DistrictWastewater Treatment Water ReclamationPlant, both with capacities of 112.5 mgd.Combined, these three facilities play a majorrole in providing clean water to the residentsof Miami-Dade County.

The Department provides water andwastewater services to the 2.3 million peopleof Miami-Dade County, treating 300 MG ofwater per day and disposing of 315 MG ofwastewater per day. In 2013, the County nego-tiated a consent decree with the U. S. Environ-mental Protection Agency, the United StatesDepartment of Justice, and the Florida De-partment of Environmental Protection to re-duce sanitary sewer overflows, eliminatetreated effluent limitation violations, and en-sure proper capacity, management, operation,and maintenance (CMOM) practices. Theconsent decree consists of three major com-ponents: pump station improvements,CMOM, and improvements to the three re-gional wastewater treatment plants, totaling$1.6 billion over the next 15 years.

The project scope will include prepara-tion of preliminary designs, final designs, andconstruction documents, as well as permittingand bid services and design services duringconstruction at all three WWTPs, ensuringthat the project meets stringent deadlines andis in full compliance with consent decree pro-grams.

The rehabilitation of the three plants iscomplex, due to many equipment systems andstructures that are more than 30 years old. Ex-tensive use of laser reality capture is envi-sioned to efficiently produce accurate as-builtrepresentations of existing systems. For design,major facilities will employ 3D building infor-mation modeling (BIM), with model develop-ment to Level 350 as defined by the BIMforum level of development specifications.

The complete rehabilitation of the waste-water treatment plants is expected to be com-pleted by December 2019.

�The WateReuse Research Foundation

has announced the release of a how-to guidefor building support for potable reuse on the

statewide and community levels. “ModelCommunication Plans for Increasing Aware-ness and Fostering Acceptance of DirectPotable Reuse” (WRRF-13-02) provides aroadmap for advancing public acceptance ofpotable reuse projects by building support andawareness of existing and planned potablereuse programs and by fostering an under-standing of the great need to continue to ex-pand water supply sources.

This resource provides those involvedwith planning a potable reuse project with acatalog of promising and proven methods foradvancing potable reuse. A combination of lit-erature review, face-to-face meetings, andpublic opinion research indicated that publicacceptance of potable reuse can be achieved byimplementing a coordinated, consistent, andtransparent communication plan.

“We know that potable reuse projects usesafe and proven technology, but how a projectsponsor engages the community is critical tothe success of a project. These model commu-nication plans are extremely important,” saidMelissa Meeker, WateReuse Foundation exec-utive director.

This project is the first of a two-phase ap-proach toward fostering acceptance of potablereuse. To develop the communication plansfor the first phase, a team led by Mark Millanof Data Instincts, Patricia A. Tennyson of Katz& Associates, and Shane Snyder of the Univer-sity of Arizona first conducted an extensive lit-erature review of previous research related topotable reuse acceptance and to attempted ap-proaches at communication. Next, a series ofone-on-one meetings was held with individu-als involved with potable reuse projects intheir communities, legislators, and special in-terest groups.

The findings from the literature reviewand interviews were used to develop a set ofmessages that were then tested in focus groupsand in telephone surveys in two communities.A key finding from the focus groups and tele-phone surveys showed that after receiving ad-ditional information about potable reuse andthe multistage treatment process used to makethe water safe to drink, most participants be-came more comfortable with the idea ofpotable reuse.

“This has been an incredibly robust re-search effort involving scores of people withvarious disciplines. The good news is thatcommunication plans developed will be use-ful for any potable reuse project, whether in-direct or direct, large or small,” said Millan.

Completion of the model communica-tion plans provides the strategic groundworkfor Phase two of the Foundation’s approach to

fostering public acceptance of potable reuse.Phase two will take the information gleanedfrom Phase one and use it to begin creatingand refining outreach materials and methods.Phase one drew the outline of the plans, andPhase two will create the tools that can be usedimmediately at the statewide level and in localcommunities that are considering directpotable reuse.

This project was funded by the Founda-tion in cooperation with the MetropolitanWater District of Southern California. The re-port and model communication plans areavailable at http://www.watereuse.org/prod-uct/13-02-1.

�In an ongoing effort to increase water

storage to protect south Florida’s coastal estu-aries and natural systems, the South FloridaWater Management District (SFWMD) gov-erning board has approved agreements thatmore than double the overall water retentioncapacity in its dispersed water managementprogram.

The approved contracts will add a totalpotential of 95,812 acre-ft of storage to theprogram, or about 36 bil gal annually, whichis the equivalent of 1.5 in. of water in LakeOkeechobee, a 730-sq-mi lake at the heart ofsouth Florida’s water management system. Theprogram currently has a retention capacity of93,342 acre-ft across 43 sites.

“Storing water on ranchlands has provento be an effective tool in the District’s ongoingeffort to protect the St. Lucie and Caloosa-hatchee estuaries,” said Daniel O’Keefe,SFWMD governing board chair. “This actionshows the agency’s commitment to the dis-persed water management program and wesupport its continued expansion to protectsouth Florida’s natural systems.”

In the largest storage contract, the Dis-trict reached an agreement with Alico Inc., on35,192 acres of ranchland that will retain anannual average of 91,944 acre-ft of water fromthe Caloosahatchee River Watershed, which isan amount equal to approximately 34.5 bil galof water. This property also has the potentialof sending water back into the CaloosahatcheeRiver during the dry season.

Along with the Alico property in HendryCounty, the District also signed separateagreements for water storage and nutrient re-moval:• Rafter T, in Highlands County, for 1,298acre-ft per year• Babcock Property Holdings, at the border of

Charlotte and Lee counties, for 1,214 acre-fta year

News Beat


• MacArthur Agro Research Center Compo-nent 1 in Glades County, for 620 acre-ft peryear

• MacArthur Agro Research Center Compo-nent 2 in Glades County, for 1,567 poundsof phosphorus removal per year

• Adams and Russakis Ranch at the border ofSt. Lucie and Okeechobee counties, for re-tention of 508 acre-ft per year

• Bull Hammock Ranch at the border of Mar-tin and St. Lucie counties, for 288 acre-ft peryear

The District's dispersed water manage-ment program encourages private-propertyowners to retain water on their land ratherthan drain it, accept and detain regionalrunoff for storage, or do both. Landownerstypically join the program through cost-sharecooperative projects, easements, or paymentfor environmental services.

Since 2005, the District has been workingwith a coalition of agencies, environmental or-ganizations, ranchers, and researchers to en-hance opportunities for storing excess surfacewater on private and public lands. These part-

nerships have made thousands of acre-ft ofwater retention and storage available through-out the greater Everglades system.

When water levels in south Florida arehigher than normal during the annual rainyseason, the District can utilize this storagewhile taking further actions to capture andstore water throughout the regional watermanagement system. Holding water on theselands is one tool to help reduce the amount ofwater flowing into Lake Okeechobee and/ordischarged to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucieestuaries during high water conditions.

Managing water on these lands is one toolto reduce the amount of water delivered intoLake Okeechobee during the wet season anddischarged to coastal estuaries for flood pro-tection. Dispersed water management offersmany other environmental and economic ben-efits to the region, including:• Providing valuable groundwater recharge

for water supply• Improving water quality and rehydration of

drained systems• Enhancing plant and wildlife habitatpleted by December 2019.

Water use across the United States hasreached its lowest recorded level in almost 45years. According to a report from the U.S. Geo-logical Survey, about 355 bil gal per day (bgd)were withdrawn for use in the U.S. in 2010,which represents a 13 percent reduction ofwater use since 2005. More than 50 percent ofthe total water withdrawals in the U.S. were by12 states, listed in order of withdrawal amounts:California, Texas, Idaho, Florida, Illinois, NorthCarolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, NewYork, Alabama, and Ohio. California accountedfor 11 percent of the total withdrawals for allcategories and 10 percent of total freshwaterwithdrawals. Texas accounted for 7 percent oftotal withdrawals for all categories, mostly forthermoelectric power, irrigation, and publicsupply. Florida has the largest saline with-drawals, accounting for 18 percent, which weremostly saline surface-water withdrawals forthermoelectric power. For the full report, go towww.water.usgs.gov/watuse. ��


UEMSI tractor cleats are designed for posi-tive gripping power in all pipeline applications.Using soft, durable rubber equipped with con-toured grooves, the cleats adhere to pipe sidewalls.They are compatible with tractors that use #35chains with double 1/8-in. rivet holes. Entire trackassemblies are available in any length for the trac-tors. Nickel-plated steel chain comes standard.The cleats are attached with 1/8-in. zinc-platedsteel rivets for longevity and strength in difficultunderground conditions. (www.uemsi.com)

�Dewatering containers from Wastequip re-

duce the cost of waste disposal by separating liq-uids from solids. They are designed forwastewater treatment and manufacturing facil-ities, construction sites, refineries, and similarapplications. Gasketed doors and hydrotestinghelp ensure that the containers will not leak.They have shells that can be easily removed forcleanup, allowing them to be used as sludge con-tainers. Lid options include side-to-side rolltarps or single-piece, side-to-side plastic or alu-minum lids. The containers are available inround bottom or rectangular designs in 20-and25-cu-yd sizes. (www.wastequip.com)

�Refraction Technologies Corp. has izory

magnesia stabilized zirconia sleeves and linersthat extend service life and improve operatingefficiencies, reduce costs, and minimize down-time. Their low coefficient of friction can extendthe life of mating materials. Its featured stabi-lized zirconia offers a combination of abrasionand corrosion resistance. It is inert to a varietyof corrosive slurries including acids, bases, andsolvents. Piston pump liners can be manufac-tured in outside diameters up to 10 in. andlengths up to 20 in. (www.refractron.com)

�The Elite SD WiFi pipeline inspection cam-

era from Ratech Electronics can record pipe in-spections wirelessly to an i0S or Android deviceand take live video and digital still images to im-mediately upload to YouTube. It doesn’t requireSD cards, DVD discs, or USB thumb-drives andthe app can be downloaded to an iPhone or iPadand stream the video wirelessly. The WiFi inter-face is available on this and any current Ratechproduct or existing Ratech systems in the fieldand is available with a sun-readable 10-in. LCDmonitor and either a self-leveling camera, smallultramicro camera, or a pan-and-tilt push cam-era. Systems come in cable lengths from 100 to400 ft. (www.ratech-electronics.com)

�The 753 Series vacuum pump from Wal-

lenstein Vacuum Pipes incorporates extra-wide vanes that allow up to an inch of wear,resulting in longer service life and lower main-tenance costs. It provides 422 cfm airflow per-formance at 1,200 rpm operation and precisionmachining for vacuum levels up to 28 in. Hg.Model options include air, liquid, or dual-cool-ing systems where air injection is combined withliquid cooling. A pump flushing port is includedon the top valve for convenient regular mainte-nance. The quick-access housing allows for easyinternal inspection with no bearings to pull. Oillubrication is done with a mechanical pistonpump driven by shaft rotation, or available witha sight-feed valve oil regulator system that usesvacuum pressure to draw oil with no movingparts. (www.wallenstein.com)

�Vacall—Gradall Industries offers the

AllExcavate hydroexcavators, with a step-incompartment that provides operators with pro-tection from inclement weather. The standard

compartment is roomy, with space for an oper-ator to change wet and muddy clothing. Thecompartment also has floor drainage, racks tohanging clothing, and cabinets for the hose reeland water pumps. The unit uses high-pressurejetting to loosen soil, rocks, and clay and astrong vacuum forces up to 27 in. Hg and 5,800cfm to remove the material and water slurry intoa debris tank. (www.vacall.com)

�The VactorTRAK data collection system

from Vactor Manufacturing monitors and re-views sewer cleaning operations on Vactor 2100Plus combination sewer cleaners. The systemcollects and transmits comprehensible, opera-tional intelligence to a secure, hosted websitewhere the public utility or professional contrac-tor is able to access information from any Inter-net-connected device, such as a smartphone,tablet, or laptop. The operator can enter the jobwork order number to correspond to the dailywork list, allowing the operations manager orsupervisor to view the activity performed forany specific job. (www.vactor.com)

�The AXIS laser-guided system from Vermeer

provides pinpoint accuracy in the trenchless in-stallation of 10- to 14-in. pipe for on-grade waterand sewer projects. The pit-launched system hasthe ability to install up to 350 ft of both rigid-con-structed and fusible and restrained-joint pipe.This versatility offers more product pipe optionsbased on costs, traditional preference, and match-ing with existing infrastructure. Spoil is removedfrom the cutter head by a vacuum excavation sys-tem, eliminating the need to manually handle itwithin the pit. A flexible, modular design allowsthe system to be configured in a number of waysfor jobsite footprint and transport considerations.( www.vermeer.com)

�The PipeLogix GIS module added to Ar-

cMap lets supervisors view all surveys per-formed on an asset. The toolbar filters surveydata in the master database to highlight pipeswith problems and lets the user select the con-dition from an exported layer to jump the asso-ciated movie to the condition for viewing.Seeing the problem where it exists on the pipemakes it easier to schedule repair and cleaningcrews. The condition export can be done to afeature class in a geodatabase or to a shape file.A project of surveys in a database can be createdin ArcMap using the toolbox; it prestarts the in-spections and the CCTV inspector completesthem. The module is compatible with ArcGIS9.3.1 through 10.2. (www.pipelogix.com) ��

New Products



Hubert B. Stroud

Cape Coral is one of thousands of pre-platted communities, or subdivisions, createdin the United States during the 1950s and1960s as land developers capitalized on the de-sire of millions of Americans to own a parcelof land on which to live. Developers of thesesubdivisions sold raw land as rapidly as possi-ble and largely ignored many important as-pects of land development. Cape Coral andLehigh Acres in Florida, Lake Havasu City inArizona, and Rio Rancho in New Mexico allserve as examples of large subdivisions thatsucceeded and have become communities witha substantial population (Stroud, 1995).

Preplatted communities involve a com-plex set of problems that depend on the loca-tion and size of the development, the nature ofthe land that has been platted, the character ofthe lots, and the availability of basic services.Some platted lands are a problem because thelots in the subdivision are too small to meetminimum lot-size requirements for on-site

wastewater treatment facilities (septic tanks,for example). Others are a problem because ofpoor drainage or because the land on whichthey are located is underwater for all or muchof the year. Regardless of the reason, the plat-ted lands problem involves millions of vacantlots and looms as one of the most significantstumbling blocks to sound land-use planningand orderly growth and development (Stroud,1984; Stroud and Spikowski, 1999).

Cape Coral began on 1,724 acres of landthat Leonard and Jack Rosen purchased duringthe late 1950s (Dodrill, 1993). The land is lo-cated on a large peninsula across the Caloosa-hatchee River from Fort Myers. Subsequentpurchases brought their total land holdings tomore than 60,000 acres extending across almostthe entire peninsula between the Caloosa-hatchee River and Matlacha Pass (Figure 1).

The Rosen Brothers created Gulf Ameri-can Corporation (GAC), a land developmentcompany that succeeded in selling the dreamof living in Florida to hundreds of thousandsof people in North America and abroad. Animportant feature of their sales program wasproviding potential lot owners the option ofpurchasing the land on the installment plan.While other companies had pioneered themethod, the Rosen Brothers marketed the con-cept more successfully (Dodrill, 1993).

The success of the lots-sales program andthe rapid population growth of the develop-

ment created a tremendous demand for basicservices. Although basic services, such as apaved road and central water and sewer, wereprovided for a small developed core, most ofthe lots that were sold had no services at all ex-cept for a road, usually unpaved, that providedaccess to the lot. Individual lot owners outsidethe core had no option other than to dig a wellfor water supply and install a septic tank forwaste disposal.

As the city grew and the density increased,it became apparent to city officials that the cen-tral water and sewer system had to be ex-panded. This article explores and examinessome of the most significant costs and benefitsassociated with the extension of basic servicesto a much larger portion of this sprawling sub-division.

Infrastructure Issues

Why is the provision of even the mostbasic infrastructure such a significant andtroublesome issue for Cape Coral? The answerto this fairly simple question is directly relatedto the problems associated with the originallayout and design of the subdivisions. It’s clearthat the original developers never intended toprovide services beyond the small “showcase”core area that was designed to impress poten-tial property owners and prompt lot sales.

Probably no one anticipated the popular-

Expanding Central Water and Sewer Facilities Within Preplatted Communities:

A Southwest Florida Example

Figure 1. Aerial view depicting Cape Coralextending across a large peninsula.

(Department of Community Development, City of Cape Coral, 1990)

Figure 2. Map depicting the current utility expansion areas at Cape Coral. (Utilities Department, City of Cape Coral, 2014)


ity of Cape Coral or the rate at which it wouldgrow. Fortunately, Cape Coral became incor-porated in 1970 and the expansion of basicservices was a top priority among newly ap-pointed city officials. Soon after incorporation,Cape Coral implemented a utilities expansionprogram. Utilities (water and gravity sewer)were first provided in the southeastern sectionof Cape Coral where the first homes were built.The provision of basic water and sewer serv-ices has extended outward from the originalcore area in stages, usually one or two expan-sion areas at a time. As depicted in Figure 2, thecurrent expansion is divided into 12 areas thatare being covered under seven different con-tracts. This means that several different con-struction crews are working simultaneously tocomplete the expansion in a timely manner(Clinghan, 2014; www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/534891/Utility-expansion-plan-moves-forward.html).

Positive Aspects of the Utilities Expansion Plan

There are both costs and benefits associ-ated with the expansion of utilities at CapeCoral. First, customers will receive a depend-able supply of high-quality, good-tastingdrinking water. The City’s potable water sys-tem pulls its groundwater supply from deepwells that extend into the Lower HawthornAquifer. It is a proven productive source withrelatively consistent water quality that is cost-efficient to treat and the water resource can bedeveloped within the city limits of Cape Coral.This means that agreements with other mu-nicipal entities are not required and few prob-lems exist with conveying the water to where itis needed via right-of-way access.

A major disadvantage of the LowerHawthorn is its relatively high salt content. Asa means to alleviate the high level of chloride,the city decided to invest in an innovative re-verse osmosis (RO) water treatment plant.Construction of the RO facility was completedin 1976 (Figure 3). Initially, its total capacity

was only 3 mil gal per day (mgd), but expan-sions increased the capacity to 15 mgd duringthe 1980s, and then to 18 mgd in 2007. The ROfacility is now the only source of potable watersupply for city residents, except for individualsusing private wells (Stroud and Graff, 2009;www. Capecoral.net/department/utilities_de-partment/utilities_extension_projects).

Another important benefit of the expan-sion is enhanced public safety. Fire hydrantsare installed in the expansion areas, which arepart of a fire flow system that has a reliablewater supply and pressure. This will help pro-tect residents in the event of a fire and maylower homeowner insurance premiums.

A third positive feature of the expansionis water conservation. Cape Coral is unique inthat it has over 300 mi of freshwater canals thatrun throughout the city. While canal water isnot a viable source of potable supply, it pro-vides a valuable source for irrigation purposes(Stroud, 1991). The so-called fresh waterwithin the canals requires some treatment,even for irrigation purposes, and when com-bined with treated wastewater, the city has animpressive amount of water available to sus-tain its dual water system. Having a separateline that provides irrigation water for lawns,car washing, and other nonpotable uses is avital source of supply and helps the city con-serve drinking water. The dual system alsoeliminates the need to discharge treated waste-water into the Caloosahatchee River or theGulf of Mexico (Daltry, 2014).

Another benefit associated with the ex-pansion is increased property values. The gen-eral feeling among city officials is thatproperties connected to the centralized waterand sewer system will have an increased valueover those with individual wells and septic sys-tems.

Negative Aspects of the Expansion

Each time new areas are identified for ex-pansion, several important concerns emerge(Milroy, 2014). Residents living in and near the

areas designated for expansion must contendwith a number of issues, including the estab-lishment of staging sites for equipment andsupplies, construction crews and large ma-chinery, noise, asphalt removal and unpavedstreets, dust and mud, detours and disruptionof access to homes, and the substantial cost ofthe expansion that is mandatory for each lotowner within the expansion area.

Large trucks will transport pipes, supplies,and construction equipment to several stagingsites and storage areas (Figure 4). Staging loca-tions are sometimes situated on vacant lots be-tween two houses. After the equipment andsupplies are in place, the actual work begins(www.sw6and 7uep.com).

One of the first steps is the removal of theasphalt from roads within the expansion areato make way for the utilities installation. Crewswill be at the site installing pipes, but first, ex-cavators and crews will be digging trenches forthe gravity sewer pipes, potable water pipes,and the irrigation water pipes. The new sewerlines are placed in the center of the street, whilewater and irrigation lines are placed within theright-of-way on either side of the road.Stormwater pipes will also be installed withinthe right-of-way on both sides of the road toimprove drainage.

Prior to the start of construction, therewill be survey crews in the neighborhood toidentify the right-of-way and to locate under-ground utilities such as water, sewer, phone,and cable. Flags are placed along the roadwayto mark the right-of-way. Working from dataobtained by surveyors, the contractor and util-ity operators will mark any underground linesand/or pipes that are in or near the path ofconstruction. This process locates the lines thatneed to be replaced or temporarily relocatedduring construction. It also helps to ensurethat the remaining underground lines are notdamaged during construction. Property own-ers that have encroached on the right-of-waywith landscaping materials, trees, shrubs, dec-orative fencing, and the like that are in conflict


Figure 3. Reverse osmosis plant. (photo: Hubert B. Stroud)

Figure 4. One of several staging areas.(photos in Figures 4-12: Melissa Milroy)

Figure 5. The dewatering process.


with construction will be notified by the con-tractor and given 60 days to remove them. Ifthey are not removed, the contractor is au-thorized by a city ordinance to remove and dis-pose of all items that are in the way ofconstruction (www.sw6and7uep.com) .

Several important steps must be taken toprepare the designated utilities expansion areafor construction. Crews will remove existinggrass and asphalt from the pipeline route; bothgrass and the asphalt will, of course, be re-placed after the completion of the pipe instal-lation. It is important for residents toremember that roads will remain without as-phalt until all pipes are installed and the testingof the pipes has been completed. Propertyowners should expect that the roads will bewithout asphalt for three to six months; how-ever, while under construction, the roadwayswill be fully functional and maintained. Part ofthe maintenance includes periodic spraying ofthe roadways to reduce dust. While access tohomes and businesses is a top priority, it is im-portant to note that temporary road closuresand detours around the work zone may be nec-essary.

A very important and potentially very an-noying early step that must be taken is the de-watering of the work site. Groundwater mustbe removed to create a dry work area for crewsand for underground pipe installation. Thenaturally occurring high water table must belowered so that trenches can be safely dug andpipes can be installed. Dewatering systems in-clude a generator-fueled pump and polyvinylchloride (PVC) pipe system that runs parallelto the roadway (Figure 5). The water ispumped into the PVC pipes and transportedaway from the work zone into swales andcatchment basins where it will infiltrate thesurface. After the dewatering has begun, thepumps will run 24 hours a day for several daysto keep the site dry. The length of time requiredfor the dewatering will vary depending on theamount of water that needs to be removed.Unfortunately, the pumps are noisy and mayserve as a major disturbance for those living in

the expansion area (Milroy, 2014). One of the largest construction efforts is

the installation of the sewer system. The newsewer pipes are placed under the center of theroadway at a depth of from 6 to 24 ft (Figure6). To install these relatively deep pipes,trenches are dug in the center of the roadwayafter the asphalt is removed. This necessitatesthe use of heavy machinery and restricts trafficflow through the work zone since the entireroadway may be blocked by equipment. De-tours are often necessary to direct motoristsaround the work zone and ensure the safety ofthe construction crews and motorists (Figure7). This work may result in a disruption oftrash collection and mail service for a day orso; therefore, the construction staff will con-tact the U. S. Postal Service and local waste dis-posal companies to make arrangements tominimize disruption in service. If driveway ac-cess is temporarily unavailable, a constructionrepresentative will notify the impacted home-owner(s) the day before the anticipated closure(www.sw6and7uep.com).

The wastewater line (or sanitary sewer)takes the used potable water from a home-owner’s property. The gravity sewer systemconsists of sewer lines that collect and conveywastewater to local lift stations. The wastewateris then pumped under pressure by way of forcemains to wastewater reclamation facilities fortreatment. The treated wastewater is pumpedback to customers through irrigation waterlines. The reuse water is sometimes supple-mented with canal water, particularly duringperiods of peak demand. Cape Coral is a leaderin water reuse technology and is one of the fewcities in the U.S. that uses a dual water system.The dual system has been instrumental in thecity’s efforts to conserve potable water supplies(Stroud and Graff, 2009;www.capecoral.net/department/utilities_de-partment/utilities_extension_projects/index.phkp#.VBxBTZRdVu4).

To prepare for the irrigation and potablewater pipe installation, grass and the portionof the driveway that are within the right-of-way will be removed. The reclaimed or recycled

water irrigation system will transport highlytreated wastewater to homes to be used for wa-tering lawns and other landscaping (plants andtrees, for example). The irrigation pipe will beinstalled in the right-of-way parallel to theroadway (Figure 8). The potable water line willalso be installed in the right-of-way, but on theother side of the road from the irrigation line(www.sw6and7uep.com).

The entire pipeline system will be testedbefore the roadways are rebuilt. This is tomake sure that everything is safe and opera-tional before the asphalt is placed over the newpipelines. Road replacement takes several stepsthat begin with crews that prepare the surfaceby leveling it with grading equipment. Next, anaggregate base made of limestone is placedevenly on the road surface. This base is cov-ered by asphalt primer layers on top of thelimestone (Figure 9). A black tack surface isthen placed on top of the asphalt primer. Apermanent skid-resistant asphalt is added be-fore the markings are painted on the road(www.sw6and7uep.com).

Drainage improvements are made nearthe end of the utilities expansion process. Afterthe pipes have been installed (Figure 10),ditches along the roadway are graded andswales or catchment basins are constructed orrestored (Figures 11 and 12). This system willprovide the necessary drainage for the road-way. Unfortunately, the water from runoff as-sociated with a heavy rain may stand at thesurface within the swales and road ditches forup to 72 hours. This is another nuisance thatresidents of Cape Coral must endure since thearea is relatively flat and direct surface runoffand infiltration rates are extremely slow. Levelterrain and poor drainage create an ever-pre-sent danger of flooding during periods ofheavy rain, even with the improved drainagethat is provided during the utilities expansion.

One of the final parts of the restoration isthe rebuilding of driveways and the laying ofnew sod. Mailboxes and residential irrigationsystems will also be restored at no cost tohomeowners.



Figure 6. Sewer installation. Figure 7. Heavy equipment and road detour. Figure 8. Irrigation pipe installation.


After all the work is finished and the sys-tem is functioning, homeowners will receive a“notice of availability” from the city. Propertyowners must connect to the new system within180 days. Water meters are required to connectto the service and the required permits areavailable at City Hall. The meter installation feeis $310, the utility account deposit is $100, andthe septic tank abandonment fee is $75, and allthese fees must be paid prior to connecting tothe new utilities. After these payments aremade, the city will install the meters.

The deposit fee will be waived for home-owners who provide a letter of good standing,which may come from any utility company andmust show a 24-month history with no latepayments during the preceding 12 months. Tocomplete the connection to the new service,homeowners must contact a local, licensedplumber. The plumber will coordinate with thehomeowner and explain the final procedures(www.sw6and7uep.com).

Finally, one of the most significant issuesfor property owners is the cost of the expansionand all property owners must pay their share.These costs vary depending on the location ofthe expansion areas and on when the utilitieswere installed. For the most recent expansion(Southwest 6 and 7) the cost has now been de-termined. For a standard 80-ft x 125-ft lot, theinitial hookup costs for a plumber and the per-mit and water meter fee is approximately $1500.

In addition to the hookup fee, lot ownerspay for the actual expansion. The amount duedepends on whether or not the owner choosesthe prepayment discount option or the 20-yearamortization option. For those who select theprepayment option, the assessment is $15,411.The property owners who select the 20-yearamortization option will pay for the assess-ment in annual installments, which are addedto their tax bill over the next 20 years. The an-nual payment will be $2,179 per year and thetotal amount paid will not exceed $24,000(www.allaroundthecape.com/cape-coral-utitlities-expansion-updated).

Summary and Conclusion

The experiences at Cape Coral are notunique among preplatted communities. Timeand time again, property owners within thesevast subdivisions must cope with inadequate ortotally absent basic services. While the benefitsof the utilities expansion are numerous, the in-stallation of services is a major inconvenienceduring the construction phase and can be cost-prohibitive and a real burden for many home-owners. These problems and others associatedwith platted lands illustrate what can happenwhen property is prematurely subdivided andsold to unsuspecting property owners.

Developers such as the Rosen Brothersand their company serve as a good example ofthe land use legacies that are created by subdi-

visions that do not provide basic services at thetime the lots are sold. Cape Coral continues tograpple with the need to provide services tovast areas within a sprawling subdivision 40 to50 years after the lots were sold. The comple-tion of the current extension areas will meanthat basic services are available for all lots southof Pine Island Road.

The next or future utilities extensions willinclude those areas north of Pine Island Roadthat do not currently have central water andsewer services available. This long-term com-mitment will take years and millions of dollarsto complete. Unlike some preplatted commu-nities, Cape Coral is incorporated and has cityofficials that are committed to making sure thatall of its residents have access to basic services.

Hubert B. Stroud is a professor of geographyat Arkansas State University.

References

• Clinghan, Paul. Utilities Extension Manager,City of Cape Coral, Fla., personal communi-cation, November 2013 and September 2014.

• Daltry, Wyatt. Planner IV, Department ofCommunity Development, City of CapeCoral, Fla., personal communication, Sep-tember 2014.

• Dodrill, David S. Selling the Dream, Universityof Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1993.

• Milroy, Melissa. Construction Liaison, TetraTech Inc., Estero, Fla., personal communica-tion, October and December 2014.

• Stroud, Hubert B. and Thomas O. Graff.“Cape Coral’s Approach to Water ResourceManagement,” Florida Water Resources Jour-nal, September 2009, pp. 41–44.

• Stroud, Hubert B. and William M. Spikowski.“Planning in the Wake of Florida Land

Scams,” Journal of Planning Education and Re-search, Vol. 19, 1999, pp. 27–39.

• Stroud, Hubert B. The Promise of Paradise:Recreational and Retirement Communities inthe United States Since 1950, Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, Baltimore, Md., 1995.

• Stroud, Hubert B. “Water Resources at CapeCoral, Florida: Problems Created by PoorPlanning and Development,” Land Use Policy,Vol. 6, 1991, pp. 143–157.

• Stroud, Hubert B. “Florida’s Challenge: Bal-ance Between Subdivision and the Environ-ment,” Florida Environment and UrbanIssues, Vol. 11, No. 3, 1984, pp. 14–22.

• www.allaroundthecape.com/cape-coral-utili-ties-expansion-update/

• www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/cont-ent.detail/id/536215/Utility-expansion-gets-final-nod.html

• www.capecoral.net/department/utilities_dep-artment/utilities_extension_projects

• www.sw6and7ucp.com ��



Figure 9. Asphalt being added to roadway. Figure 10. Drainage pipe installation.

Figure 12. Swale that has been restored. Figure 11. Catchment basin preparation.

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FWRC Review

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February 2014

From page 40

1. D) TN less than 3.0 ppm, TP less than 1.0 ppmTypical advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) standards in Florida, especially foreffluents discharged to open water bodies, are sometimes no greater than 3.0 ppmfor total nitrogen (TN), and no greater than 1.0 ppm for total phosphorus (TP).

2. C) Sodium hydroxideOf these chemicals, sodium hydroxide is the only one that will consistently increaseeffluent pH when added.

3. C) The ORP value is fairly unaffected by that level adjustment ofnitrates.Nitrates typically do not have any significant effect on the ORP value—or maybenone at all.

4. B) The ORP value decreases.The ORP and ammonia are inversely proportional to each other; when theammonia level increases, the ORP value decreases, and conversely, when theammonia level drops, the ORP value increases.

5. D) The chlorine demand is multiplied by more than 5 for eachpound of nitrite oxidized.Nitrites (NO2) will consume about five times their weight in chlorine before aresidual is detected. However, nitrate (NO3) values have little to no effect ondemand for chlorine in the disinfection process.

6. B) 4.2The pH scale is 0 to 14, 0 to 6.9 is acidic, 7.0 is neutral, and 7.1 to 14 is basic(alkaline), so from the list of possibly answers, 4.2 is the most acidic pH.

7. C) Sulfur dioxideSulfur dioxide is the only chemical on this list that will effectively dechlorinatechlorinated effluent. Others chemicals used for dechlorination are sodiumthiosulfate and sodium bisulfite.

8. C) 3.4 percentTotal suspended solids (TSS), ppm = weight of suspended solids in grams x(1,000,000 ÷ ml of sample)

Weight of TSS = Final wt. - paper tare wt.= 2.2255 gm - 1.8873 gm = 0.3382 gm

TSS, ppm = 0.3382 gm x 1,000,000 ÷ 10 ml sample = 33,820 mg/L (ppm)

TSS, percent = TSS, mg/L ÷ 10,000 mg/L per 1 percent= 33,820 mg/L ÷ 10,000 mg/L = 3.38 percent

9. D) �dCircumference is calculated as pi times the diameter, or πd. Basically, you can

take the diameter of any circle and wrap it around the circumference (the outer wallof the circle) 3.14 times. If you have a calculator with a pi button, it typicallydisplays 3.14159265359.

Another method of calculating the circumference of a circle is 2πr, whichwould be 2 times 3.14 times radius.

For example: this is the circumference of a 100-ft diameter clarifier calculatedboth ways:πd … 3.14 x 100 ft = 314 ft2πr … 2 x 3.14 x 50 ft = 314 ft

10. D) 660,580 gal Volume per ft = π r2 x 1 ft x 7.48 gal/ft3

3.14 x 37.5 ft x 37.5 ft x 1 ft x 7.48 gal/ft3

= 33,029 gal per ft33,029 gal per ft x 20 ft = 660,580 gal … 20 ft in a 75-ft diameter tank

Certification Boulevard Answer Key

Documents

Florida Water Resources Journal - March 2015