September 2013

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE:

Smart Power in Cedar Rapids, IowaPage 14

wsoWATER SYSTEM OPERATOR

September 2013 www.wsomag.com

Managing Our Most Valuable Resource

TM

TECHNOLOGY DEEP DIVE:

AquaDAF high-rate clarifierPage 28

WINNING THEM OVER:

Teaching conservation in Fort Collins, Colo.Page 30

David Farrar Production SuperintendentChampaign, Ill.

Green Through and Through CHAMPAIGN COUNTY’S LEED-CERTIFIED TREATMENT PLANT LEAVES A SMALL ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT Page 8

Welcome to a new era in wastewater pumping. Where engineering excellence and a pioneering spirit combine with an unmatched understanding of your needs. The result is Flygt Experior, a uniquely holistic experience that combines state-of-the-art hydraulics, motors, and controls.

Today, Flygt Experior combines N-technology hydraulics and its adaptive functionality, premium efficiency motors and SmartRun – the all-new intelligent control. Flygt Experior comes from years of listening to you and applying our knowledge and expertise, to develop the most reliable and energy-efficient wastewater pumping. It is therefore the ultimate in our commitment to you.

Flygt Experior™Inspired by you. Engineered by us.

For more information visit booth 1443 and 3940 at WEFTEC ‘13in Chicago - Oct. 7-9.

flygt.com/flygtexperior

YOURWATER IS YOUR PRODUCT.

M319KK

We recognize the importance of what you do every day—delivering the best and safest drinking

water to our communities.

We want to support you in producing water you’re proud to put your name on, so we’ve created

a new community dedicated to water professionals—Mywater.

Connect with your peers and explore Mywater today at: hach.com/mywater

9x10.875 WSO MY WATER:8.375x10.875 Opflow DISINFECT 4/29/13 12:07 PM Page 1

Welcome to a new era in wastewater pumping. Where engineering excellence and a pioneering spirit combine with an unmatched understanding of your needs. The result is Flygt Experior, a uniquely holistic experience that combines state-of-the-art hydraulics, motors, and controls.

Today, Flygt Experior combines N-technology hydraulics and its adaptive functionality, premium efficiency motors and SmartRun – the all-new intelligent control. Flygt Experior comes from years of listening to you and applying our knowledge and expertise, to develop the most reliable and energy-efficient wastewater pumping. It is therefore the ultimate in our commitment to you.

Flygt Experior™Inspired by you. Engineered by us.

For more information visit booth 1443 and 3940 at WEFTEC ‘13in Chicago - Oct. 7-9.

flygt.com/flygtexperior

YOURWATER IS YOUR PRODUCT.

M319KK

We recognize the importance of what you do every day—delivering the best and safest drinking

water to our communities.

We want to support you in producing water you’re proud to put your name on, so we’ve created

a new community dedicated to water professionals—Mywater.

Connect with your peers and explore Mywater today at: hach.com/mywater

9x10.875 WSO MY WATER:8.375x10.875 Opflow DISINFECT 4/29/13 12:07 PM Page 1

4 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR

Booth 3012


Published monthly by COLE Publishing, Inc.1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd., PO Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562

Call toll free 800-257-7222 / Outside of U.S. or Canada call 715-546-3346Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CST

Website: www.wsomag.com / Email: [email protected] / Fax: 715-546-3786

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: A one-year (12 issues) subscription to WSOTM in the United States and Canada is FREE to qualified subscribers. A qualified subscriber is any individual or company in the United States or Canada that partakes in the consulting, design, installation, manufacture, management or operation of water treatment systems. To subscribe, return the subscription card attached to each issue, visit wsomag.com or call 800-257-7222.

Non-qualified subscriptions are available at a cost of $60 per year in the United States and Canada/Mexico and $150 per year to all other foreign countries. To subscribe, visit wsomag.com or send company name, mailing address, phone number and check or money order (U.S. funds payable to COLE Publishing Inc.) to the address above. MasterCard, VISA and Discover are also accepted. Include credit card information with your order.

ADDRESS CHANGES: Submit to WSO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI, 54562; call 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346); fax to 715-546-3786; or email [email protected]. Include both old and new addresses.

Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected companies whose products or services may be of interest to you. Your privacy is important to us. If you prefer not to be a part of these lists, please contact Nicole at [email protected].

ADVERTISING RATES: Call 800-994-7990 and ask for Kim or Phil. Publisher reserves the right to reject advertising which in its opinion is misleading, unfair or incompatible with the character of the publication.

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Address to Editor, WSO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI, 54562 or email [email protected].

REPRINTS AND BACK ISSUES: Visit www.wsomag.com for options and pricing. To order reprints, call Jeff Lane at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email [email protected]. To order back issues, call Nicole at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email nicolel@cole publishing.com.

CIRCULATION: Average circulation is 36,471 copies per month.

© 2013 COLE PUBLISHING INC. No part may be reproduced without permission of publisher.

Agru America, Inc. ................. 17

Blue-White Industries ................ 4

Data Flow Systems ................. 34

Eurus Blower, Inc. .................... 31

Flygt – a Xylem Brand .............. 2

Godwin, a Xylem brand .......... 11

Hach Company ...................... 3

Henry Pratt Company ............. 25

Infilco Degremont Inc. ........... 17

Keller America Inc. .................. 43

KOHLER Power Systems ........... 13

Lapeyre Stair ........................... 21

MERRICK Industries, Inc. .......... 29

Nidec Motor Corporation ........ 27

PICA Corp. A Jacobi Carbons, Inc. company ...... 35

Pollardwater.com ................... 44

Singer Valve Inc. ...................... 15

United Blower Inc. ................... 15

XiO, Inc. .................................. 7

Advertiser Index September 2013

www.facebook.com/WSOmag

www.twitter.com/WSOmagazine

www.plus.google.com

www.youtube.com/WSOmagazine

GetSocialwith

��

“We’re met with a new challenge each day.Whether it’s the sewer or water department ...we take our jobs very seriously, andthe key thing is knowing that we’re incompliance and not polluting our waters.”

Jeff ChartierAn Original Environmentalist

SUPERINTENDENTTown of Bristol (N.H.) Sewer

and Water Department

Every day is Earth Day.™

Read about original environmentalists like Jeffeach month in Treatment Plant Operator.

FREE subscription at www.tpomag.com

QUALITY LEADERSOperator: Out and About Page 18Leslie Gryder’s role as a lab chemist in Lynchburg includes reaching out into the community to help troubleshoot customers’ issues and respond to emergencies.BY TED J. RULSEH

Agency: Out With Waste Page 22A Massachusetts water district earns accolades for energy and water conservation, while plant operators learn new technologies and skills.BY TRUDE WITHAM

Plant: Green Through and Through Page 8A LEED-certified treatment plant in Champaign County has features that improve operations and safety while saving energy and limiting the environmental footprint.BY JIM FORCE

ON TAP Page 6

Power StrugglesWhile not blessed with a constant power source like wastewater treatment plants, water plants have numerous ways to cut energy consumption and cost.BY TED J. RULSEH, EDITOR

EDITOR’S CHOICE Page 7

Find other useful and timely information at www.wsomag.com

SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE Page 14

Smart PowerCedar Rapids controls electricity costs through careful monitoring, power-saving upgrades and enrollment in the electric utility’s interruptible rate program.BY LISA BALCERAK

TECH TALK Page 16

A Better DisinfectantOzone is more effective than chlorine and derivatives and can deactivate chlorine- resistant pathogens — but it is not suitable for residual disinfection.BY JOHN ROWE, PH.D.

TECHNOLOGY DEEP DIVE Page 28

Going for the GreenThe AquaDAF high-rate clarifier has proven itself in effective removal of algae and other low-density solids from surface water sources.BY TED J. RULSEH

WINNING THEM OVER Page 30

On PatrolFort Collins teaches conservation to kids and uses property audits to help owners irrigate their landscapes more responsibly.BY PETE LITTERSKI

PRODUCT FOCUS Page 32

Energy Management and Power GenerationBY CRAIG MANDLI

CASE STUDIES Page 34


PRODUCT NEWS Page 36Product Spotlight: Static injection mixer slides into placeBY ED WODALSKI

INDUSTRY NEWS Page 38

WORTH NOTING Page 40People/Awards; Education; Events

Coming Next Issue: October 2013

FOCUS: Pumps, Drives and Valves

�� Quality Leaders – Plant: Tackling turbidity in Clifton Forge, Va.

�� Quality Leaders – Agency: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

�� Quality Leaders – Operator: Dusty Martin, Orange Water and Sewer Authority, N.C.

�� Bright Ideas: Conserving water in Broward County, Fla.

�� Tech Talk: Basics of coagulation and flocculation

�� Winning Them Over: Teaching principles in Wilmington, Del.

�� Technology Deep Dive: WaterWiSe analytics from xylem

�� Sustainable Practice: Data-driven efficiency in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Contents September 2013

ON THE COVER:Operator input to the design process helped the Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant in Champaign County, Ill., earn green building certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. David Farrar, production superintendent, is shown in the filter gallery. (Photography by Bradley Leeb)


Published monthly by COLE Publishing, Inc.1720 Maple Lake Dam Rd., PO Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562

Call toll free 800-257-7222 / Outside of U.S. or Canada call 715-546-3346Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. CST

Website: www.wsomag.com / Email: [email protected] / Fax: 715-546-3786

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: A one-year (12 issues) subscription to WSOTM in the United States and Canada is FREE to qualified subscribers. A qualified subscriber is any individual or company in the United States or Canada that partakes in the consulting, design, installation, manufacture, management or operation of water treatment systems. To subscribe, return the subscription card attached to each issue, visit wsomag.com or call 800-257-7222.

Non-qualified subscriptions are available at a cost of $60 per year in the United States and Canada/Mexico and $150 per year to all other foreign countries. To subscribe, visit wsomag.com or send company name, mailing address, phone number and check or money order (U.S. funds payable to COLE Publishing Inc.) to the address above. MasterCard, VISA and Discover are also accepted. Include credit card information with your order.

ADDRESS CHANGES: Submit to WSO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI, 54562; call 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346); fax to 715-546-3786; or email [email protected]. Include both old and new addresses.

Our subscriber list is occasionally made available to carefully selected companies whose products or services may be of interest to you. Your privacy is important to us. If you prefer not to be a part of these lists, please contact Nicole at [email protected].

ADVERTISING RATES: Call 800-994-7990 and ask for Kim or Phil. Publisher reserves the right to reject advertising which in its opinion is misleading, unfair or incompatible with the character of the publication.

EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE: Address to Editor, WSO, P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI, 54562 or email [email protected].

REPRINTS AND BACK ISSUES: Visit www.wsomag.com for options and pricing. To order reprints, call Jeff Lane at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email [email protected]. To order back issues, call Nicole at 800-257-7222 (715-546-3346) or email nicolel@cole publishing.com.

CIRCULATION: Average circulation is 36,471 copies per month.

© 2013 COLE PUBLISHING INC. No part may be reproduced without permission of publisher.

Agru America, Inc. ................. 17

Blue-White Industries ................ 4

Data Flow Systems ................. 34

Eurus Blower, Inc. .................... 31

Flygt – a Xylem Brand .............. 2

Godwin, a Xylem brand .......... 11

Hach Company ...................... 3

Henry Pratt Company ............. 25

Infilco Degremont Inc. ........... 17

Keller America Inc. .................. 43

KOHLER Power Systems ........... 13

Lapeyre Stair ........................... 21

MERRICK Industries, Inc. .......... 29

Nidec Motor Corporation ........ 27

PICA Corp. A Jacobi Carbons, Inc. company ...... 35

Pollardwater.com ................... 44

Singer Valve Inc. ...................... 15

United Blower Inc. ................... 15

XiO, Inc. .................................. 7

Advertiser Index September 2013

www.facebook.com/WSOmag

www.twitter.com/WSOmagazine

www.plus.google.com

www.youtube.com/WSOmagazine

GetSocialwith

��

QUALITY LEADERSOperator: Out and About Page 18Leslie Gryder’s role as a lab chemist in Lynchburg includes reaching out into the community to help troubleshoot customers’ issues and respond to emergencies.BY TED J. RULSEH

Agency: Out With Waste Page 22A Massachusetts water district earns accolades for energy and water conservation, while plant operators learn new technologies and skills.BY TRUDE WITHAM

Plant: Green Through and Through Page 8A LEED-certified treatment plant in Champaign County has features that improve operations and safety while saving energy and limiting the environmental footprint.BY JIM FORCE

ON TAP Page 6

Power StrugglesWhile not blessed with a constant power source like wastewater treatment plants, water plants have numerous ways to cut energy consumption and cost.BY TED J. RULSEH, EDITOR

EDITOR’S CHOICE Page 7


SUSTAINABLE PRACTICE Page 14

Smart PowerCedar Rapids controls electricity costs through careful monitoring, power-saving upgrades and enrollment in the electric utility’s interruptible rate program.BY LISA BALCERAK

TECH TALK Page 16

A Better DisinfectantOzone is more effective than chlorine and derivatives and can deactivate chlorine- resistant pathogens — but it is not suitable for residual disinfection.BY JOHN ROWE, PH.D.

TECHNOLOGY DEEP DIVE Page 28

Going for the GreenThe AquaDAF high-rate clarifier has proven itself in effective removal of algae and other low-density solids from surface water sources.BY TED J. RULSEH

WINNING THEM OVER Page 30

On PatrolFort Collins teaches conservation to kids and uses property audits to help owners irrigate their landscapes more responsibly.BY PETE LITTERSKI

PRODUCT FOCUS Page 32


CASE STUDIES Page 34


PRODUCT NEWS Page 36Product Spotlight: Static injection mixer slides into placeBY ED WODALSKI

INDUSTRY NEWS Page 38

WORTH NOTING Page 40People/Awards; Education; Events

Coming Next Issue: October 2013

FOCUS: Pumps, Drives and Valves

�� Quality Leaders – Plant: Tackling turbidity in Clifton Forge, Va.

�� Quality Leaders – Agency: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority

�� Quality Leaders – Operator: Dusty Martin, Orange Water and Sewer Authority, N.C.

�� Bright Ideas: Conserving water in Broward County, Fla.

�� Tech Talk: Basics of coagulation and flocculation

�� Winning Them Over: Teaching principles in Wilmington, Del.

�� Technology Deep Dive: WaterWiSe analytics from xylem

�� Sustainable Practice: Data-driven efficiency in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Contents September 2013

ON THE COVER:Operator input to the design process helped the Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant in Champaign County, Ill., earn green building certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. David Farrar, production superintendent, is shown in the filter gallery. (Photography by Bradley Leeb)


On the wastewater side they talk a lot about making treatment plants energy self-sufficient (or in the more popular language, reaching net zero energy).

They can talk that way largely because the water flowing into the plants brings an abundant and never-ending energy source, in the form of organic matter that can be converted to methane (biogas), a fuel for electric generators and boilers. They can even add materials like fats, oils, grease (FOG) and food waste to existing digesters and create even more fuel.

Water plants lack that luxury. They’re energy intensive but don’t have any obvious energy sources besides their utilities’ electric and gas lines. And yet, there’s room to reduce net consumption significantly, as shown by the Sustainable Practice features in WSO (this month we highlight Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Any of these actions taken alone will make a differ-ence, and if done together they can have a substantial impact.

Consuming less

Many water plants are energy inefficient simply because their equip-ment is old.

Pumping is the greatest energy expense, and aging motors and pumps can be energy hogs. You can save substantial energy by switching to more efficient pumps and premium efficiency motors and adding variable-fre-quency drives. If it isn’t feasible to invest in new equipment, you can gain ground just by rebuilding old equipment to its original specifications.

Membrane treatment systems are more energy-intensive than conventional treatment, and an older membrane system may leave substantial room for sav-ings. Manufacturers steadily improve their systems with membranes that operate at lower pressure and so use less energy.

In the same manner, older UV disinfection systems can be updated to more efficient units with superior lamp cleaning systems, and with lamps that achieve the same pathogen kill while using less electricity.

Then there’s good old-fashioned leak detection and repair. Water treated, pumped and lost through leaky distribution pipes boils down to energy wasted. Collectively, the nation’s water utilities lose billions of gal-lons to leakage daily. An investment in pipe condition assessment and leak detection, backed by an aggressive repair program, can pay quick dividends.

Using it intelligently

It’s also possible to do the same amount of work and use the same amount of energy — yet pay less for it — by taking advantage of your utility’s time-of-use pricing. For example, if you have ample storage, you can do the bulk of pumping to fill the tanks during the night hours when rates per

kilowatt-hour are lower. This has the double ben-efit of reducing your total kilowatt demand — and utility demand charges — during peak times.

You can also follow the example of Cedar Rapids and sign up for your utility’s interruptible rate program, if available. In summer when air con-ditioning loads on the power grid are high, many utilities give major power users rate incentives to shed load when directed — usually for a several hours during the heat of the day. In exchange, the utility grants a substantial demand charge reduction all year long.

Your emergency generators can also help you earn special rate treat-ment. Your utility may offer incentives if you operate your generators when directed to reduce peak demands on the grid. The incentives typi-cally are much larger than the cost of keeping the generators ready to run and paying for the fuel to operate them. In essence, you take load off the utility grid, without having to curtail your plant’s operations.

Making more

While raw water doesn’t contain energy-producing material, the water itself can be an energy source. For example, if you draw water from high elevations, a hydroturbine in the pipeline can generate electricity on the way down, under the same basic concept as a hydroelectric dam. Large utili-ties may find it feasible to deploy turbines with capacities up to 500 kW.

It’s even possible to get back some of the energy used to fill a water tower or reservoir — by adding smaller hydroturbines (50 to 100 kW) downstream. Small hydroturbines also can replace pressure-reducing stations, especially in remote locations where the electricity can help directly power a local building.

Finally, many water plants have ample properties and large rooftops that can lend themselves to renewable energy projects like wind and solar photovoltaic. These projects can be built under power purchase agree-ments and other innovative financing plans that require no up-front investment on the utility’s part.

Getting going

The utilities we feature prove that these things can be done, and done economically. We hope you find their examples useful. In the meantime, feel free to share your successes in energy savings and production. Send a note to [email protected]. I promise to respond, and we’ll present some of the most compelling stories in future editions. wso

Power StrugglesWhile not blessed with a constant power source like wastewater treatment plants, water plants have numerous ways to cut energy consumption and cost

ONTAP

BY TED J. RULSEH, EDITOR

Water treated, pumped and lost through leaky distribution pipes boils down to energy wasted. Collectively, the nation’s water

utilities lose billions of gallons to leakage daily.

EDITOR’SCHOICE


W ater System Operator aims to bring stories that help you and your plant perform better. Now we do more of the same at www.wsomag.com. There you’ll find stories that appear only online — and that are current, because they’re not subject

to the lead times involved in the print magazine. Here are a few online exclusives recommended by the WSO editorial team:

Small Staff, Big Rewards: Water and Wastewater Program Keeps AWWA Members In the Know

With 5,400 members, the California-Nevada sec-tion of the AWWA is the largest of the organization’s 43 sections. The section’s staff of 10 works hard to keep members updated on best practices with conferences, a Water College program, and H2O Know online courses. Tim Worley, Ph.D., executive director, brought 20 years’

experience with two California water utilities to his role.

Outsourcing: What Makes a Private Water Contract Work?What goes into a successful private water operation contract? We asked

three proponents of privatized water services. “The most important feature of contracting out water services is an open process,” said David Stokes, a policy analyst with Missouri’s Show-Me Institute. “The public needs to know what’s happening at every stage of the process ... Utility employees also need to understand the process and how the agreement will affect their jobs.”

Proper Security at Treatment Facilities Keeps Drinking Water Safe

A recent break-in at a small water treatment plant in northern Geor-gia forced the utility to issue a boil water advisory that lasted for days. An intruder broke in and changed the chemical settings in the filtration sys-tem, essentially poisoning the water. The facility had no security guards or cameras, and its lock and barbed wire fence didn’t cut it. The bright side of this incident is that it gives all plants good reason to pause, evalu-ate their security systems, and consider improvements.

Saving Energy and Reducing Costs at Water Treatment PlantsAs energy costs rise, many water treatment plants are taking steps to

reduce usage. One example is the North Conway (N.H.) Water Precinct. The plant has taken a number of energy-saving measures on the plant and water distribution sides and has invested in renewable energy. “The single highest cost of treatment plant operation is electricity,” says David Bernier, superintendent. “Eight years ago it was 35 percent of our operat-ing budget. Today, it is less than 18 percent.”

Cities Coping With Drought as Summer Heat IntensifiesSan Antonio, Texas, and Loveland, Colo., may be very different — a

Southwest powerhouse with 1.4 million people and a community of 66,000 north of Denver — but they do share a concern: drought. In the face of dry weather, the communities are taking steps to ensure a steady water sup-ply. Instead of going into panic, they’re working with residents to curtail water use in ways that won’t hurt quality of life or hinder businesses. wso

Check out all these stories at www.wsomag.com/ec/2013/September

��

Tim Worley

wsomag.com September 2013 7

On the wastewater side they talk a lot about making treatment plants energy self-sufficient (or in the more popular language, reaching net zero energy).

They can talk that way largely because the water flowing into the plants brings an abundant and never-ending energy source, in the form of organic matter that can be converted to methane (biogas), a fuel for electric generators and boilers. They can even add materials like fats, oils, grease (FOG) and food waste to existing digesters and create even more fuel.

Water plants lack that luxury. They’re energy intensive but don’t have any obvious energy sources besides their utilities’ electric and gas lines. And yet, there’s room to reduce net consumption significantly, as shown by the Sustainable Practice features in WSO (this month we highlight Cedar Rapids, Iowa). Any of these actions taken alone will make a differ-ence, and if done together they can have a substantial impact.

Consuming less

Many water plants are energy inefficient simply because their equip-ment is old.

Pumping is the greatest energy expense, and aging motors and pumps can be energy hogs. You can save substantial energy by switching to more efficient pumps and premium efficiency motors and adding variable-fre-quency drives. If it isn’t feasible to invest in new equipment, you can gain ground just by rebuilding old equipment to its original specifications.

Membrane treatment systems are more energy-intensive than conventional treatment, and an older membrane system may leave substantial room for sav-ings. Manufacturers steadily improve their systems with membranes that operate at lower pressure and so use less energy.

In the same manner, older UV disinfection systems can be updated to more efficient units with superior lamp cleaning systems, and with lamps that achieve the same pathogen kill while using less electricity.

Then there’s good old-fashioned leak detection and repair. Water treated, pumped and lost through leaky distribution pipes boils down to energy wasted. Collectively, the nation’s water utilities lose billions of gal-lons to leakage daily. An investment in pipe condition assessment and leak detection, backed by an aggressive repair program, can pay quick dividends.

Using it intelligently

It’s also possible to do the same amount of work and use the same amount of energy — yet pay less for it — by taking advantage of your utility’s time-of-use pricing. For example, if you have ample storage, you can do the bulk of pumping to fill the tanks during the night hours when rates per

kilowatt-hour are lower. This has the double ben-efit of reducing your total kilowatt demand — and utility demand charges — during peak times.

You can also follow the example of Cedar Rapids and sign up for your utility’s interruptible rate program, if available. In summer when air con-ditioning loads on the power grid are high, many utilities give major power users rate incentives to shed load when directed — usually for a several hours during the heat of the day. In exchange, the utility grants a substantial demand charge reduction all year long.

Your emergency generators can also help you earn special rate treat-ment. Your utility may offer incentives if you operate your generators when directed to reduce peak demands on the grid. The incentives typi-cally are much larger than the cost of keeping the generators ready to run and paying for the fuel to operate them. In essence, you take load off the utility grid, without having to curtail your plant’s operations.

Making more

While raw water doesn’t contain energy-producing material, the water itself can be an energy source. For example, if you draw water from high elevations, a hydroturbine in the pipeline can generate electricity on the way down, under the same basic concept as a hydroelectric dam. Large utili-ties may find it feasible to deploy turbines with capacities up to 500 kW.

It’s even possible to get back some of the energy used to fill a water tower or reservoir — by adding smaller hydroturbines (50 to 100 kW) downstream. Small hydroturbines also can replace pressure-reducing stations, especially in remote locations where the electricity can help directly power a local building.

Finally, many water plants have ample properties and large rooftops that can lend themselves to renewable energy projects like wind and solar photovoltaic. These projects can be built under power purchase agree-ments and other innovative financing plans that require no up-front investment on the utility’s part.

Getting going

The utilities we feature prove that these things can be done, and done economically. We hope you find their examples useful. In the meantime, feel free to share your successes in energy savings and production. Send a note to [email protected]. I promise to respond, and we’ll present some of the most compelling stories in future editions. wso

Power StrugglesWhile not blessed with a constant power source like wastewater treatment plants, water plants have numerous ways to cut energy consumption and cost

ONTAP

BY TED J. RULSEH, EDITOR

Water treated, pumped and lost through leaky distribution pipes boils down to energy wasted. Collectively, the nation’s water

utilities lose billions of gallons to leakage daily.

EDITOR’SCHOICE


W ater System Operator aims to bring stories that help you and your plant perform better. Now we do more of the same at www.wsomag.com. There you’ll find stories that appear only online — and that are current, because they’re not subject

to the lead times involved in the print magazine. Here are a few online exclusives recommended by the WSO editorial team:

Small Staff, Big Rewards: Water and Wastewater Program Keeps AWWA Members In the Know

With 5,400 members, the California-Nevada sec-tion of the AWWA is the largest of the organization’s 43 sections. The section’s staff of 10 works hard to keep members updated on best practices with conferences, a Water College program, and H2O Know online courses. Tim Worley, Ph.D., executive director, brought 20 years’

experience with two California water utilities to his role.

Outsourcing: What Makes a Private Water Contract Work?What goes into a successful private water operation contract? We asked

three proponents of privatized water services. “The most important feature of contracting out water services is an open process,” said David Stokes, a policy analyst with Missouri’s Show-Me Institute. “The public needs to know what’s happening at every stage of the process ... Utility employees also need to understand the process and how the agreement will affect their jobs.”

Proper Security at Treatment Facilities Keeps Drinking Water Safe

A recent break-in at a small water treatment plant in northern Geor-gia forced the utility to issue a boil water advisory that lasted for days. An intruder broke in and changed the chemical settings in the filtration sys-tem, essentially poisoning the water. The facility had no security guards or cameras, and its lock and barbed wire fence didn’t cut it. The bright side of this incident is that it gives all plants good reason to pause, evalu-ate their security systems, and consider improvements.

Saving Energy and Reducing Costs at Water Treatment PlantsAs energy costs rise, many water treatment plants are taking steps to

reduce usage. One example is the North Conway (N.H.) Water Precinct. The plant has taken a number of energy-saving measures on the plant and water distribution sides and has invested in renewable energy. “The single highest cost of treatment plant operation is electricity,” says David Bernier, superintendent. “Eight years ago it was 35 percent of our operat-ing budget. Today, it is less than 18 percent.”

Cities Coping With Drought as Summer Heat IntensifiesSan Antonio, Texas, and Loveland, Colo., may be very different — a

Southwest powerhouse with 1.4 million people and a community of 66,000 north of Denver — but they do share a concern: drought. In the face of dry weather, the communities are taking steps to ensure a steady water sup-ply. Instead of going into panic, they’re working with residents to curtail water use in ways that won’t hurt quality of life or hinder businesses. wso

Check out all these stories at www.wsomag.com/ec/2013/September

��

Tim Worley


GREENTHROUGH AND THROUGHSTORY: JIM FORCEPHOTOGRAPHY: BRADLEY LEEB

Operators had plenty of input to the design of the new Brad-ley Avenue Water Treatment Plant in Champaign County, Ill. Their input helped the plant earn green building certi-fication under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Now, those design elements help the plant operate efficiently and safely.Illinois American Water operates the 15 mgd plant, built on a green-

field site and commissioned in December 2008. The plant received LEED certification for its overall design, which includes a variety of energy-sav-ing, recycling and sustainability features. “To build this plant, we devel-oped a project team at the very start that included operations people,” says Brent O’Neill, engineering manager. “Many design items were spe-cific suggestions from the operations staff.”

Walter Voegel, operation supervisor with Illinois American Water, was a member of the project team and was supervisor at the plant from startup through 2012. His experience counted heavily in the design, espe-cially in automation and safety. “Since the operators of the new plant had experience with the other plants in the Champaign area, it was important for the new design to use similar processes,” he says.

Operator suggestions involved chemical handling, equipment layout, the SCADA system and the location of the operator control room and lab-oratory in the overall site plan.

Dual treatment trains

The Bradley Avenue plant, in a rural area about seven miles west of downtown Champaign, treats groundwater with a lime softening process. With two other plants in the city, it feeds finished water to a system that serves 150,000 people in the Champaign-Urbana metro area.

A LEED-certified treatment plant in Champaign County has features that improve operations and safety while saving energy and limiting the environmental footprint

Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant, Champaign, Ill.BUILT: | 2008CAPACITY: | 15 mgdSERVICE AREA: | Champaign County, Ill.POPULATION SERVED: | 150,000SOURCE WATER: | Mahomet AquiferTREATMENT PROCESS: | Lime softening, filtration, disinfectionINFRASTRUCTURE: | 7 wells, 620 miles of mainSYSTEM STORAGE: | 14 million gallonsWEBSITE: | www.illinoisamwater.com

Six new wells (Layne) averaging 340 feet deep and with capacities of 2.5 mgd each draw raw water from Mahomet Aquifer. The flow is pumped to a dual-train lime system, each train with 10 mgd capacity, in step with a design that allows the plant to be expanded to 20 mgd in the future.

The lime process settles out iron and manganese and softens the water. Each train consists of a primary and secondary clarifier (Walker Process). In the primary clarifiers, the flocculated water stratifies into three levels: supernatant on top, the sludge blanket in the middle and the slurry pool on the bottom. Radial launders convey the clarified water to the outlets, and it passes to the secondary clarifiers for further settling. Calcium and magnesium precipitate out of the sludge blanket to the slurry pool.

Lime slurry is prepared in an automated, temperature-controlled TEKKEM batch slaking system (RDP Technologies). The fully enclosed system is gravity-fed; pumps are required only to move the slurry to the clarifiers. Water then passes to a re-carbonation tank, which bubbles car-

bon dioxide through to lower pH. The flow then passes through dual-media sand and anthracite gravity-flow filters with underdrains (The Roberts Filter Group).

Intelligent sizing

A system from Siemens Water Technologies generates sodium hypo-chlorite on site. Added in the clearwell, it works with naturally occurring ammonia in the water to form chloramines. Three 7.5 mgd high-service pumps (Afton Pumps) deliver treated water to the Champaign system.

Finished water storage facilities are sized to provide adequate deten-tion time for disinfection, to provide water for filter wash and other plant uses, and to provide equalization between plant production and distribu-tive pumping rates. Vertical turbine pumps in the clearwell transport fin-ished water to the distribution system.

When lime solids accumulate beyond the optimum solids concentration in the clarifiers, they are automatically blown down to holding lagoons and

QUALITYLEADERS

PLANT

Production superintendent David Farrar with the LEED Certification plaque at the Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant.

“The technologies employed as part of the LEED items were selected to reduce impact on the operators. In most cases, the items were being used at other locations, reducing the need for special training.”

BRENT O’NEILL


GREENTHROUGH AND THROUGHSTORY: JIM FORCEPHOTOGRAPHY: BRADLEY LEEB

Operators had plenty of input to the design of the new Brad-ley Avenue Water Treatment Plant in Champaign County, Ill. Their input helped the plant earn green building certi-fication under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

Now, those design elements help the plant operate efficiently and safely.Illinois American Water operates the 15 mgd plant, built on a green-

field site and commissioned in December 2008. The plant received LEED certification for its overall design, which includes a variety of energy-sav-ing, recycling and sustainability features. “To build this plant, we devel-oped a project team at the very start that included operations people,” says Brent O’Neill, engineering manager. “Many design items were spe-cific suggestions from the operations staff.”

Walter Voegel, operation supervisor with Illinois American Water, was a member of the project team and was supervisor at the plant from startup through 2012. His experience counted heavily in the design, espe-cially in automation and safety. “Since the operators of the new plant had experience with the other plants in the Champaign area, it was important for the new design to use similar processes,” he says.

Operator suggestions involved chemical handling, equipment layout, the SCADA system and the location of the operator control room and lab-oratory in the overall site plan.

Dual treatment trains

The Bradley Avenue plant, in a rural area about seven miles west of downtown Champaign, treats groundwater with a lime softening process. With two other plants in the city, it feeds finished water to a system that serves 150,000 people in the Champaign-Urbana metro area.

A LEED-certified treatment plant in Champaign County has features that improve operations and safety while saving energy and limiting the environmental footprint

Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant, Champaign, Ill.BUILT: | 2008CAPACITY: | 15 mgdSERVICE AREA: | Champaign County, Ill.POPULATION SERVED: | 150,000SOURCE WATER: | Mahomet AquiferTREATMENT PROCESS: | Lime softening, filtration, disinfectionINFRASTRUCTURE: | 7 wells, 620 miles of mainSYSTEM STORAGE: | 14 million gallonsWEBSITE: | www.illinoisamwater.com

Six new wells (Layne) averaging 340 feet deep and with capacities of 2.5 mgd each draw raw water from Mahomet Aquifer. The flow is pumped to a dual-train lime system, each train with 10 mgd capacity, in step with a design that allows the plant to be expanded to 20 mgd in the future.

The lime process settles out iron and manganese and softens the water. Each train consists of a primary and secondary clarifier (Walker Process). In the primary clarifiers, the flocculated water stratifies into three levels: supernatant on top, the sludge blanket in the middle and the slurry pool on the bottom. Radial launders convey the clarified water to the outlets, and it passes to the secondary clarifiers for further settling. Calcium and magnesium precipitate out of the sludge blanket to the slurry pool.

Lime slurry is prepared in an automated, temperature-controlled TEKKEM batch slaking system (RDP Technologies). The fully enclosed system is gravity-fed; pumps are required only to move the slurry to the clarifiers. Water then passes to a re-carbonation tank, which bubbles car-

bon dioxide through to lower pH. The flow then passes through dual-media sand and anthracite gravity-flow filters with underdrains (The Roberts Filter Group).

Intelligent sizing

A system from Siemens Water Technologies generates sodium hypo-chlorite on site. Added in the clearwell, it works with naturally occurring ammonia in the water to form chloramines. Three 7.5 mgd high-service pumps (Afton Pumps) deliver treated water to the Champaign system.

Finished water storage facilities are sized to provide adequate deten-tion time for disinfection, to provide water for filter wash and other plant uses, and to provide equalization between plant production and distribu-tive pumping rates. Vertical turbine pumps in the clearwell transport fin-ished water to the distribution system.

When lime solids accumulate beyond the optimum solids concentration in the clarifiers, they are automatically blown down to holding lagoons and

QUALITYLEADERS

PLANT

Production superintendent David Farrar with the LEED Certification plaque at the Bradley Avenue Water Treatment Plant.

“The technologies employed as part of the LEED items were selected to reduce impact on the operators. In most cases, the items were being used at other locations, reducing the need for special training.”

BRENT O’NEILL


than the rest of the driveway. That way, any spills can be contained. Stor-age tanks also can be isolated. “Ordinarily, any rainwater collecting in this area flows by gravity to our stormwater pond, but during chemical delivery, the valve is turned off so that in the event of a leak, the chemi-cals can be contained on site,” Voegel says. “Each chemical is stored in its own separate room, so there is no possibility of cross-contamination. Should there be a rupture, it would be contained.”

Voegel credits the automation system for enhancing safety: “We have sensor monitoring of all the individual rooms, tied back to the SCADA system in the main control room. That gives an operator a warning in case dangerous conditions should exist in a specific area. That’s important in a one-man operation. The safety showers are tied to the alarm system, as well, so that the supervisor can be instantly made aware of any situation.”

Realistic monitoring

Based on their experience at other facilities, operators helped develop the SCADA controls to ensure that the items monitored actually applied to facility operation and efficiency. “It’s a pretty autonomous system, with information and flow pacing based on demands and pressures leaving the facility,” says Wegman. Operators also recom-mended the central location of the operator con-trol room and the laboratory.

Wegman notes that “dirty” chemicals like lime and ferric chloride are separated from the main build-ing, making it easier to keep the administration and laboratory areas clean, saving on cleaning costs and extending the life of electronic components.

Voegel also notes that lime slaking is cleaner than older methods of making lime slurry. The system adds precise amounts of lime and water, and the chemical reaction takes place under optimum conditions in about 20 minutes. The batch temperature is closely monitored until the maxi-mum temperature has been achieved, and only then is the batch dis-charged. The clarifiers use what is needed, then return any excess to a slurry holding tank. The design of the lime receiving system also allows for easier replacement of pipe sweeps.

“Since the operators of the new plant had experience with the other plants in the Champaign area, it was important for

the new design to use similar processes.” WALTER VOEGEL

ABOVE: The plant’s primary softener tanks. BELOW: Lime slurry is prepared in an automated, tempera-ture-controlled TEKKEM batch slaking system (RDP Technologies).

(continued)

stored for up to three years. A local agricultural company harvests the solids for application to farm fields. “It’s a process we brought over from the other plants,” says Steve Wegman, senior engineer with Illinois Amer-ican Water. “It’s a cost-effective way to manage solids, and it benefits the local farmers.”

The plant is staffed around the clock with an operator on each of three shifts. A SCADA system monitors and controls all treatment processes and offers the potential for remote operations. Illinois American Water maintains a five-person maintenance crew that services all three Cham-paign plants. Supervisor David Farrar oversees the entire Champaign operation. Operators rotate among the three plants.

Designed for operators The Bradley Avenue plant balance sheet benefits from a number of

LEED features, but so do the operators, because process equipment runs reliably, lasts long and needs limited maintenance.

“LEED features can improve operations, or they can make things more difficult,” says O’Neill. “LEED simply means the feature is approved as environmentally friendly. The technologies employed as part of the LEED items were selected to reduce impact on the operators. In most cases, the items were being used at other locations, reducing the need for special training.”

All pump motors are equipped with variable-frequency drives (Danfoss), making the system easier to oper-ate and saving on electricity and pump wear. The air scour compo-nent of the filter backwash system (United Blower) saves water and extends filter media life while effectively backwashing the filter. Wegman notes that the design of the recarbonation tank improves the distribution of carbon diox-ide and generates less carbon-ation, also adding to media life.

Other LEED features assure safety at the plant. With operator input, the chemical loading bay was designed so that delivery trucks pull into an area slightly lower

The geothermal system that

heats and cools the 3,500-square-

feet administration building at the

Bradley Avenue Water Treatment

Plant is a LEED feature that perhaps

has more to do with energy

efficiency than operations. “We’re

using the groundwater as a source

of geothermal heat and cooling for

the administration area as a way

to reduce our overall energy cost,”

says Illinois American Water senior

engineer Steve da.

As the raw groundwater is brought

into the plant, it passes through a

geothermal loop. In winter it helps

heat the building, reducing heating

costs significantly. In summer, the

system cools the building.

The plant employs a wide range

of other energy efficiency features

that add up to energy savings of 25

percent or more over comparable

facilities. The plant relies on gravity

flow wherever possible, and

variable-frequency drives minimize

pumping energy.

Reflective roofing reduces the

heat island effect, and water-effi-

cient fixtures are installed through-

out the plant. The facility also uses

motion-activated lighting. Prairie

landscaping minimizes irrigation

and mowing.

GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING

Plant operator Darrel Vanover tests for free chlorine and total chlorine.


than the rest of the driveway. That way, any spills can be contained. Stor-age tanks also can be isolated. “Ordinarily, any rainwater collecting in this area flows by gravity to our stormwater pond, but during chemical delivery, the valve is turned off so that in the event of a leak, the chemi-cals can be contained on site,” Voegel says. “Each chemical is stored in its own separate room, so there is no possibility of cross-contamination. Should there be a rupture, it would be contained.”

Voegel credits the automation system for enhancing safety: “We have sensor monitoring of all the individual rooms, tied back to the SCADA system in the main control room. That gives an operator a warning in case dangerous conditions should exist in a specific area. That’s important in a one-man operation. The safety showers are tied to the alarm system, as well, so that the supervisor can be instantly made aware of any situation.”

Realistic monitoring

Based on their experience at other facilities, operators helped develop the SCADA controls to ensure that the items monitored actually applied to facility operation and efficiency. “It’s a pretty autonomous system, with information and flow pacing based on demands and pressures leaving the facility,” says Wegman. Operators also recom-mended the central location of the operator con-trol room and the laboratory.

Wegman notes that “dirty” chemicals like lime and ferric chloride are separated from the main build-ing, making it easier to keep the administration and laboratory areas clean, saving on cleaning costs and extending the life of electronic components.

Voegel also notes that lime slaking is cleaner than older methods of making lime slurry. The system adds precise amounts of lime and water, and the chemical reaction takes place under optimum conditions in about 20 minutes. The batch temperature is closely monitored until the maxi-mum temperature has been achieved, and only then is the batch dis-charged. The clarifiers use what is needed, then return any excess to a slurry holding tank. The design of the lime receiving system also allows for easier replacement of pipe sweeps.

“Since the operators of the new plant had experience with the other plants in the Champaign area, it was important for

the new design to use similar processes.” WALTER VOEGEL

ABOVE: The plant’s primary softener tanks. BELOW: Lime slurry is prepared in an automated, tempera-ture-controlled TEKKEM batch slaking system (RDP Technologies).

(continued)

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stored for up to three years. A local agricultural company harvests the solids for application to farm fields. “It’s a process we brought over from the other plants,” says Steve Wegman, senior engineer with Illinois Amer-ican Water. “It’s a cost-effective way to manage solids, and it benefits the local farmers.”

The plant is staffed around the clock with an operator on each of three shifts. A SCADA system monitors and controls all treatment processes and offers the potential for remote operations. Illinois American Water maintains a five-person maintenance crew that services all three Cham-paign plants. Supervisor David Farrar oversees the entire Champaign operation. Operators rotate among the three plants.

Designed for operators The Bradley Avenue plant balance sheet benefits from a number of

LEED features, but so do the operators, because process equipment runs reliably, lasts long and needs limited maintenance.

“LEED features can improve operations, or they can make things more difficult,” says O’Neill. “LEED simply means the feature is approved as environmentally friendly. The technologies employed as part of the LEED items were selected to reduce impact on the operators. In most cases, the items were being used at other locations, reducing the need for special training.”

All pump motors are equipped with variable-frequency drives (Danfoss), making the system easier to oper-ate and saving on electricity and pump wear. The air scour compo-nent of the filter backwash system (United Blower) saves water and extends filter media life while effectively backwashing the filter. Wegman notes that the design of the recarbonation tank improves the distribution of carbon diox-ide and generates less carbon-ation, also adding to media life.

Other LEED features assure safety at the plant. With operator input, the chemical loading bay was designed so that delivery trucks pull into an area slightly lower

The geothermal system that

heats and cools the 3,500-square-

feet administration building at the

Bradley Avenue Water Treatment

Plant is a LEED feature that perhaps

has more to do with energy

efficiency than operations. “We’re

using the groundwater as a source

of geothermal heat and cooling for

the administration area as a way

to reduce our overall energy cost,”

says Illinois American Water senior

engineer Steve da.

As the raw groundwater is brought

into the plant, it passes through a

geothermal loop. In winter it helps

heat the building, reducing heating

costs significantly. In summer, the

system cools the building.

The plant employs a wide range

of other energy efficiency features

that add up to energy savings of 25

percent or more over comparable

facilities. The plant relies on gravity

flow wherever possible, and

variable-frequency drives minimize

pumping energy.

Reflective roofing reduces the

heat island effect, and water-effi-

cient fixtures are installed through-

out the plant. The facility also uses

motion-activated lighting. Prairie

landscaping minimizes irrigation

and mowing.

GEOTHERMAL HEATING AND COOLING

Plant operator Darrel Vanover tests for free chlorine and total chlorine.


TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATIONgenerators | transfer switches | switchgear | controls

spec your job at KOhLERPOwER.cOM/INduSTRIAL

Kohler® power systems are built to work. period. before our systems

see the light of day, they endure some of the industry’s toughest testing

standards. including power, transients, sound, cooling and complete

system performance.

so when Mother nature comes knocking, your client’s business won’t miss

a beat.

Green attributesOther LEED features that improve the operational and cost efficiency

of the Bradley Avenue plant include:• Daylighting in the filter gallery and filter pipe gallery, reducing

artificial lighting.• Dark-sky outdoor lighting fixtures that limit light pollution in the

neighborhood.• Recycling of all process water, saving water and reducing the need for

infrastructure to take and treat storm flows offsite.• Geothermal heating and cooling of the administrative portion of

the plant.• Permeable paving in the driveway that allows stormwater to percolate

to groundwater, reducing the size of the stormwater collection system.• Use of more than 46 percent local materials, lowering transportation

energy costs.• Extensive recycling so that 75 percent of construction waste was kept

out of landfills.

Good stewardsThe LEED features have had an even wider impact: While the Brad-

ley Avenue plant lies in a rural area, there are neighbors within a quarter-mile of the site. “We had pretty extensive public meetings with the city and with the local property owners,” says O’Neill. “Originally, there was an organized effort to prevent the plant from being built, but we addressed the concerns and talked about the processes, the designs, the wells.”

The neighbors were concerned about noise and pollution, and that was a factor in adopting dark-sky lighting rather than traditional flood-lights. “We also located the plant back off the road and lowered the pro-file of the lime silos and the building itself,” says O’Neill.

The facility designers also committed to minimizing waste. All water used in treatment, including the filter backwash, is decanted and sent back to the head of the plant. Stormwater is pumped to a lagoon and allowed to percolate into the ground.

In the end, says O’Neill, “Our people take pride in knowing they are delivering high-quality water in an environmentally friendly way.” wso

MORE INFO:Afton Pumps, Inc.713/923-9731www.aftonpumps.com

Danfoss VLT Drives800/432-6367www.danfossdrives.com

Layne Christensen877/358-8813www.layne.com

RDP Technologies, Inc.610/650-9900www.rdptech.com

Siemens Water Technologies Corp.866/926-8420www.water.siemens.com

The Roberts Filter Group610/583-3131www.robertsfiltergroup.com

United Blower Inc. 770/479-3000www.unitedblower.com(See ad page 15)

Walker Process Equipment800/992-5537www.walker-process.com

The Bradley Avenue plant team includes, from left, David Farrar, production superintendent; James Longest and Shane Garren, plant mechanics; Tim Wegrich, senior plant mechanic; Mark Webster, plant mechanic; and Darrel Vanover, plant operator.

TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATIONgenerators | transfer switches | switchgear | controls

spec your job at KOhLERPOwER.cOM/INduSTRIAL

Kohler® power systems are built to work. period. before our systems

see the light of day, they endure some of the industry’s toughest testing

standards. including power, transients, sound, cooling and complete

system performance.

so when Mother nature comes knocking, your client’s business won’t miss

a beat.

Green attributesOther LEED features that improve the operational and cost efficiency

of the Bradley Avenue plant include:• Daylighting in the filter gallery and filter pipe gallery, reducing

artificial lighting.• Dark-sky outdoor lighting fixtures that limit light pollution in the

neighborhood.• Recycling of all process water, saving water and reducing the need for

infrastructure to take and treat storm flows offsite.• Geothermal heating and cooling of the administrative portion of

the plant.• Permeable paving in the driveway that allows stormwater to percolate

to groundwater, reducing the size of the stormwater collection system.• Use of more than 46 percent local materials, lowering transportation

energy costs.• Extensive recycling so that 75 percent of construction waste was kept

out of landfills.

Good stewardsThe LEED features have had an even wider impact: While the Brad-

ley Avenue plant lies in a rural area, there are neighbors within a quarter-mile of the site. “We had pretty extensive public meetings with the city and with the local property owners,” says O’Neill. “Originally, there was an organized effort to prevent the plant from being built, but we addressed the concerns and talked about the processes, the designs, the wells.”

The neighbors were concerned about noise and pollution, and that was a factor in adopting dark-sky lighting rather than traditional flood-lights. “We also located the plant back off the road and lowered the pro-file of the lime silos and the building itself,” says O’Neill.

The facility designers also committed to minimizing waste. All water used in treatment, including the filter backwash, is decanted and sent back to the head of the plant. Stormwater is pumped to a lagoon and allowed to percolate into the ground.

In the end, says O’Neill, “Our people take pride in knowing they are delivering high-quality water in an environmentally friendly way.” wso

MORE INFO:Afton Pumps, Inc.713/923-9731www.aftonpumps.com

Danfoss VLT Drives800/432-6367www.danfossdrives.com

Layne Christensen877/358-8813www.layne.com

RDP Technologies, Inc.610/650-9900www.rdptech.com

Siemens Water Technologies Corp.866/926-8420www.water.siemens.com

The Roberts Filter Group610/583-3131www.robertsfiltergroup.com

United Blower Inc. 770/479-3000www.unitedblower.com(See ad page 15)

Walker Process Equipment800/992-5537www.walker-process.com

The Bradley Avenue plant team includes, from left, David Farrar, production superintendent; James Longest and Shane Garren, plant mechanics; Tim Wegrich, senior plant mechanic; Mark Webster, plant mechanic; and Darrel Vanover, plant operator.


By replacing inefficient pumps and installing variable-frequency drives (VFDs), the Iowa city of Cedar Rapids has reduced power usage over the past few years. In addition, the city’s Water Divi-sion has cut electrical costs by optimizing operations at off-peak hours and earning special rates in an interruptible power pro-

gram. The combined savings have allowed the city to add UV disinfection to the water treatment process without increasing the total electricity bill.

The 56 Water Division staff members serve a population of more than 127,000 in a 70-square-mile area. Total capacity at the city’s two treat-ment plants is 60 mgd (average demand 36 mgd). Water is sourced from an alluvial aquifer and collected in 45 vertical wells and four collector wells along the Cedar River.

Both treatment plants use aeration, softening, recarbonation, chlori-nation, filtration (sand and gravel beds), UV disinfection, fluoridation and phosphate addition before pumping to 11 stor-age tanks. The staff maintains nine pumping sta-tions and 660 miles of mains.

More efficient

The city added UV disinfection to comply with U.S. EPA requirements for virus removal from sur-face water. In the evaluation process, Water Divi-sion staff saw a need for other plant updates, especially at the J Avenue facility, built in 1929. To offset the power required for UV, the city looked for efficiencies, most notably from the high-service pumps.

“The UV process uses 9 kW per million gallons, so by updating our pumping structure and adding VFDs, we maintain flat energy consump-tion,” says Tariq Baloch, water plant manager. The $41 million project was funded mainly by a state revolving fund loan and an $80,000 grant

from the local utility, Alliant Energy. The J Avenue plant received upgraded high-service pumps, new VFDs and power factor correction capacitors to optimize power quality.

Steady improvementMeanwhile, the city saw a need

to monitor its electrical usage, a major contributor to operating costs. Over time, an energy management program has evolved. “We’ve been looking at electrical usage, peak demand and power factor for every million gallons of water pumped per kW used,” says Roy Hesemann, plant manager. “We want to see how much electricity it takes to push water through the plant and find ways to minimize it. We serve an industrial area, and raising rates may discour-age industries from keeping operations here. We look at everything we can to keep tabs on our cost.”

In 2011, a dozen high-efficiency pumps (Fairbanks Nijhuis) and motors (Nidec Motor Corporation) replaced the older units. Six Allen-Bradley VFDs (Rockwell Auto-mation) were added to well pumps and finished water high-service pumps at J Avenue to reduce energy use and control of flow, which operators previously adjusted manually.

“Operators have full control of both ends of the facility so they can regulate how much comes in and

goes out,” Baloch says. “It makes their jobs so much easier. Previously, an operator had to run downstairs and adjust a 450 hp pump to get the needed pressure for the system. It was labor-intensive and took a lot of art instead of science. Now the controller automatically detects the change in pressure and adjusts the pumps accordingly. There’s less chance for error and less chance of rupturing lines from pressure fluctuations.”

Operators closely monitor real-time power usage through the SCADA system — especially helpful when the division is required to stay below a required power limit.

Power interrupted

In summer the Water Division is enrolled in Alliant’s interruptible rate program. It authorizes the utility on any given day to direct the Water Divi-sion to shed up to 1,420 kW in demand with two hours’ notice. The reduc-tion may last several hours and can happen several times each summer. In exchange, the division gets a $7.06 credit per kW during June, July and August and a $4.50 credit per kW during the rest of the year.

To shed power quickly, loads like general plant cooling and lighting are curtailed off first, and a 900 kW diesel-powered backup generator at each treatment plant is activated. The operating team must always plan ahead and be prepared for interruptions. “We try to anticipate when those

SUSTAINABLEPRACTICE

“We are the leader in the city for demonstrating

how we can measure and use electricity wisely.”STEVE HERSHNER

Smart PowerCedar Rapids controls electricity costs through careful monitoring, power-saving upgrades and enrollment in the electric utility’s interruptible rate program

BY LISA BALCERAK

PH

OT

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OF

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DA

R R

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R D

IVIS

ION

Operator Ben Weyers uses the SCADA system to evaluate the level in each water storage tank. Weyers and Jarrek Lucke, fellow operator, have been instrumental in automating the data collection and reporting systems within the plant to optimize energy savings.

Fairbanks Nijhuis 75 hp conveyance pumps move water from the clearwells beneath the sand and gravel filters to the chlorine contact chamber.

WSO welcomes stories about your green and environ-mentally progressive initiatives for future “Sustainable Practice” articles. Send your suggestions to [email protected] or call 877/953-3301.

calls may come in,” says Dustin Elin, operations supervisor. “Going into a very hot day, we will fill the tanks to the maximum the previous night so we are ready for an extended interruption, which could be nine hours long. We want to reduce usage of as many pumps as we can.”

The city also reduces its electricity rates by using energy off-peak when possible. By filling tanks, running centrifuges and backwashing filters during the evening when rates are lower, the division saves some $12,000.

Through its energy-management programs, the water department has set an example for other city departments and citizens alike. “We are the leader in the city for demonstrating how we can measure and use electricity wisely,” says Steve Hershner, utilities director. “The drinking water and wastewa-ter departments are responsible for 66 percent of the city’s total electrical usage, and we want to use it as effectively and wisely as possible.” wso

Fairbanks Nijhuis high-service pumps with variable-frequency drives move finished water into the distribution system.


Booth 4635

By replacing inefficient pumps and installing variable-frequency drives (VFDs), the Iowa city of Cedar Rapids has reduced power usage over the past few years. In addition, the city’s Water Divi-sion has cut electrical costs by optimizing operations at off-peak hours and earning special rates in an interruptible power pro-

gram. The combined savings have allowed the city to add UV disinfection to the water treatment process without increasing the total electricity bill.

The 56 Water Division staff members serve a population of more than 127,000 in a 70-square-mile area. Total capacity at the city’s two treat-ment plants is 60 mgd (average demand 36 mgd). Water is sourced from an alluvial aquifer and collected in 45 vertical wells and four collector wells along the Cedar River.

Both treatment plants use aeration, softening, recarbonation, chlori-nation, filtration (sand and gravel beds), UV disinfection, fluoridation and phosphate addition before pumping to 11 stor-age tanks. The staff maintains nine pumping sta-tions and 660 miles of mains.

More efficient

The city added UV disinfection to comply with U.S. EPA requirements for virus removal from sur-face water. In the evaluation process, Water Divi-sion staff saw a need for other plant updates, especially at the J Avenue facility, built in 1929. To offset the power required for UV, the city looked for efficiencies, most notably from the high-service pumps.

“The UV process uses 9 kW per million gallons, so by updating our pumping structure and adding VFDs, we maintain flat energy consump-tion,” says Tariq Baloch, water plant manager. The $41 million project was funded mainly by a state revolving fund loan and an $80,000 grant

from the local utility, Alliant Energy. The J Avenue plant received upgraded high-service pumps, new VFDs and power factor correction capacitors to optimize power quality.

Steady improvementMeanwhile, the city saw a need

to monitor its electrical usage, a major contributor to operating costs. Over time, an energy management program has evolved. “We’ve been looking at electrical usage, peak demand and power factor for every million gallons of water pumped per kW used,” says Roy Hesemann, plant manager. “We want to see how much electricity it takes to push water through the plant and find ways to minimize it. We serve an industrial area, and raising rates may discour-age industries from keeping operations here. We look at everything we can to keep tabs on our cost.”

In 2011, a dozen high-efficiency pumps (Fairbanks Nijhuis) and motors (Nidec Motor Corporation) replaced the older units. Six Allen-Bradley VFDs (Rockwell Auto-mation) were added to well pumps and finished water high-service pumps at J Avenue to reduce energy use and control of flow, which operators previously adjusted manually.

“Operators have full control of both ends of the facility so they can regulate how much comes in and

goes out,” Baloch says. “It makes their jobs so much easier. Previously, an operator had to run downstairs and adjust a 450 hp pump to get the needed pressure for the system. It was labor-intensive and took a lot of art instead of science. Now the controller automatically detects the change in pressure and adjusts the pumps accordingly. There’s less chance for error and less chance of rupturing lines from pressure fluctuations.”

Operators closely monitor real-time power usage through the SCADA system — especially helpful when the division is required to stay below a required power limit.

Power interrupted

In summer the Water Division is enrolled in Alliant’s interruptible rate program. It authorizes the utility on any given day to direct the Water Divi-sion to shed up to 1,420 kW in demand with two hours’ notice. The reduc-tion may last several hours and can happen several times each summer. In exchange, the division gets a $7.06 credit per kW during June, July and August and a $4.50 credit per kW during the rest of the year.

To shed power quickly, loads like general plant cooling and lighting are curtailed off first, and a 900 kW diesel-powered backup generator at each treatment plant is activated. The operating team must always plan ahead and be prepared for interruptions. “We try to anticipate when those

SUSTAINABLEPRACTICE

“We are the leader in the city for demonstrating

how we can measure and use electricity wisely.”STEVE HERSHNER

Smart PowerCedar Rapids controls electricity costs through careful monitoring, power-saving upgrades and enrollment in the electric utility’s interruptible rate program

BY LISA BALCERAK

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Operator Ben Weyers uses the SCADA system to evaluate the level in each water storage tank. Weyers and Jarrek Lucke, fellow operator, have been instrumental in automating the data collection and reporting systems within the plant to optimize energy savings.

Fairbanks Nijhuis 75 hp conveyance pumps move water from the clearwells beneath the sand and gravel filters to the chlorine contact chamber.

WSO welcomes stories about your green and environ-mentally progressive initiatives for future “Sustainable Practice” articles. Send your suggestions to [email protected] or call 877/953-3301.

calls may come in,” says Dustin Elin, operations supervisor. “Going into a very hot day, we will fill the tanks to the maximum the previous night so we are ready for an extended interruption, which could be nine hours long. We want to reduce usage of as many pumps as we can.”

The city also reduces its electricity rates by using energy off-peak when possible. By filling tanks, running centrifuges and backwashing filters during the evening when rates are lower, the division saves some $12,000.

Through its energy-management programs, the water department has set an example for other city departments and citizens alike. “We are the leader in the city for demonstrating how we can measure and use electricity wisely,” says Steve Hershner, utilities director. “The drinking water and wastewa-ter departments are responsible for 66 percent of the city’s total electrical usage, and we want to use it as effectively and wisely as possible.” wso

Fairbanks Nijhuis high-service pumps with variable-frequency drives move finished water into the distribution system.


A mid-size town approached Florida Gateway College inquir-ing about how to control disinfection byproducts and a rotten egg smell in the drinking water. Officials were planning a new treatment facility and were looking for alternative treatments.

The raw water sampling indicated that the new facility would have high levels of hydrogen sulfide and that total organics would be elevated. Because of its excellent disinfection and oxidation qualities, we began a discussion about ozone treatment.

Key benefits

Ozone is widely used in drinking water treatment. It is effective over a wide pH range, and the gas rapidly reacts with bacteria, viruses and protozoans. It has stronger germicidal properties than chlorination and has excellent oxidizing power with a short reaction time. Ozone treat-ment does not add chemicals to the water, and ozone can eliminate a wide variety of inorganic, organic and microbiological agents, as well as taste and odors.

Additional benefits, we explained, include its decanting abilities and its removal of micro-pollutants, such as pesticides. We also explained that since the city’s source water contained elevated levels of organic material, they would have to be aware of disinfection byproducts when using chlorine.

We also explained the disad-vantages of ozone: Equipment and operating costs are higher, and ozonation provides no germicidal or disinfection residual to inhibit or prevent regrowth of bacteria in the distribution system (although the quantity of disinfectant required to provide a residual is significantly reduced). Ozonation byproducts are still being evaluated, and it is possible that some may be carcinogenic.

Ozone treatment byproducts may include brominated compounds, aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids. Specifically, the gas reacts with bromide to form bromate, a regulated contaminant in drinking water with a Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 ppb.

For this reason, a post filtration system that includes an activated car-bon filter may be necessary. An ozone treatment system also may require pretreatment for hardness reduction or the addition of polyphosphate to prevent formation of carbonate scale in the distribution system.

Ozone is less water-soluble than chlorine, and therefore requires spe-cial mixing techniques. In addition, potential fire hazards and toxicity issues are associated with ozone generation.

Physical and chemical propertiesOzone was first used in water treatment in the late 1800s, and today it

is more widely used in Europe and Asia than in the United States (although use here is increasing). Ozone is an unstable gas comprised of three oxygen atoms. It readily degrades back to oxygen, and during the transition a free oxygen atom (free radical) is formed. This free radical is highly reactive and short-lived; it normally will survive only for milliseconds.

Ozone is a colorless gas that has an odor similar to the smell of the air after a major thunderstorm. It is a powerful oxidizing agent that is toxic to most waterborne organisms. It is a strong broad-spectrum disinfectant: Ozone treatment is an effective way to inactivate protozoans that form cysts and to eliminate almost all other pathogens.

Ozone is produced by passing oxygen through ultraviolet light or a cold electrical discharge. It must be created on site and added to the water column by bubble contact. Ozone has the advantage of producing fewer dangerous byproducts than chlorine disinfection, and it removes tastes and odors from raw water without producing any noxious odor.

Protecting the wells

In the area around the city in question there are numerous sinkholes, and the city engineer believes that surface water infiltrates the city wells.

For this reason, there was concern that other pollutants, such as micro-pollutants, could enter the water wells.

We explained that micro-pollutants, such as pesticides that occur in surface water, are effectively oxidized with ozone treatment. Because ozone inhibits the formation of disinfection byproducts, removes hydro-gen sulfide, removes organic and inorganic material and removes micro-pollutants, the community invested in an ozone water treatment facility. In 2011, the community won a best tasting water contest sponsored by its AWWA region.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Rowe, Ph.D., is a professor of Water Resources at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Fla. wso

A Better DisinfectantOzone is more effective than chlorine and derivatives and can deactivate chlorine-resistant pathogens — but it is not suitable for residual disinfection

BY JOHN ROWE, PH.D.

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Ozone treatment does not add chemicals to the water, and ozone can eliminate a wide variety of inorganic, organic and microbiological agents, as well as

taste and odors.


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VisitusatWEFTEC|Booth2431A mid-size town approached Florida Gateway College inquir-ing about how to control disinfection byproducts and a rotten egg smell in the drinking water. Officials were planning a new treatment facility and were looking for alternative treatments.

The raw water sampling indicated that the new facility would have high levels of hydrogen sulfide and that total organics would be elevated. Because of its excellent disinfection and oxidation qualities, we began a discussion about ozone treatment.

Key benefits

Ozone is widely used in drinking water treatment. It is effective over a wide pH range, and the gas rapidly reacts with bacteria, viruses and protozoans. It has stronger germicidal properties than chlorination and has excellent oxidizing power with a short reaction time. Ozone treat-ment does not add chemicals to the water, and ozone can eliminate a wide variety of inorganic, organic and microbiological agents, as well as taste and odors.

Additional benefits, we explained, include its decanting abilities and its removal of micro-pollutants, such as pesticides. We also explained that since the city’s source water contained elevated levels of organic material, they would have to be aware of disinfection byproducts when using chlorine.

We also explained the disad-vantages of ozone: Equipment and operating costs are higher, and ozonation provides no germicidal or disinfection residual to inhibit or prevent regrowth of bacteria in the distribution system (although the quantity of disinfectant required to provide a residual is significantly reduced). Ozonation byproducts are still being evaluated, and it is possible that some may be carcinogenic.

Ozone treatment byproducts may include brominated compounds, aldehydes, ketones and carboxylic acids. Specifically, the gas reacts with bromide to form bromate, a regulated contaminant in drinking water with a Maximum Contaminant Level of 10 ppb.

For this reason, a post filtration system that includes an activated car-bon filter may be necessary. An ozone treatment system also may require pretreatment for hardness reduction or the addition of polyphosphate to prevent formation of carbonate scale in the distribution system.

Ozone is less water-soluble than chlorine, and therefore requires spe-cial mixing techniques. In addition, potential fire hazards and toxicity issues are associated with ozone generation.

Physical and chemical propertiesOzone was first used in water treatment in the late 1800s, and today it

is more widely used in Europe and Asia than in the United States (although use here is increasing). Ozone is an unstable gas comprised of three oxygen atoms. It readily degrades back to oxygen, and during the transition a free oxygen atom (free radical) is formed. This free radical is highly reactive and short-lived; it normally will survive only for milliseconds.

Ozone is a colorless gas that has an odor similar to the smell of the air after a major thunderstorm. It is a powerful oxidizing agent that is toxic to most waterborne organisms. It is a strong broad-spectrum disinfectant: Ozone treatment is an effective way to inactivate protozoans that form cysts and to eliminate almost all other pathogens.

Ozone is produced by passing oxygen through ultraviolet light or a cold electrical discharge. It must be created on site and added to the water column by bubble contact. Ozone has the advantage of producing fewer dangerous byproducts than chlorine disinfection, and it removes tastes and odors from raw water without producing any noxious odor.

Protecting the wells

In the area around the city in question there are numerous sinkholes, and the city engineer believes that surface water infiltrates the city wells.

For this reason, there was concern that other pollutants, such as micro-pollutants, could enter the water wells.

We explained that micro-pollutants, such as pesticides that occur in surface water, are effectively oxidized with ozone treatment. Because ozone inhibits the formation of disinfection byproducts, removes hydro-gen sulfide, removes organic and inorganic material and removes micro-pollutants, the community invested in an ozone water treatment facility. In 2011, the community won a best tasting water contest sponsored by its AWWA region.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Rowe, Ph.D., is a professor of Water Resources at Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Fla. wso

A Better DisinfectantOzone is more effective than chlorine and derivatives and can deactivate chlorine-resistant pathogens — but it is not suitable for residual disinfection

BY JOHN ROWE, PH.D.

TECHTALK

Ozone treatment does not add chemicals to the water, and ozone can eliminate a wide variety of inorganic, organic and microbiological agents, as well as

taste and odors.


OUT AND ABOUT

STORY: TED J. RULSEHPHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF REID

Leslie Gryder’s role as a lab chemist in Lynchburg includes reaching out into the community to help troubleshoot customers’ issues and respond to emergencies

QUALITYLEADERSOPERATOR

Lab chemist Leslie Gryder, shown preparing water samples for coliform testing, spends considerable time outside the lab dealing with customer issues and distribution matters.

If you picture a water treatment lab chemist as someone spending all day indoors hunched over vials and test tubes, microscopes and spec-trophotometers, you don’t know Leslie Gryder.

As lab chemist for the Lynchburg (Va.) Department of Water Resources, Gryder is just as likely to be found checking source water

quality at the reservoir 22 miles from the city, meeting a customer at home to discuss a water-quality issue, or out on the distribution system pulling samples for bacteriological testing to check the potential health effects of a water main break.

It’s the variety of tasks and the changes of scenery that keep Gryder excited about going to work after 14 years in her role — that and the sat-isfaction of working with a team of bright people equally dedicated to delivering quality water to the city’s 76,000 residents.

For her efforts, Gryder earned the U.S. EPA’s 2012 Mid-Atlantic Pro-fessional Operator Excellence award in the Large System Category. “Les-lie is extremely dedicated and conscientious,” observes Timothy Mitchell, P.E., director of water resources. “She cares deeply about water quality and the reputation of our department. She works very well with our cus-tomers and other stakeholders, internal and external. She’s an essential

part of the fantastic team we have in the Water Treatment Division.”

Quality source

Lynchburg, known as the Hill City, draws its water from the Pedlar Reservoir, a billion-gallon impoundment of the Pedlar River in the George Washington National Forest. The water is naturally soft, and turbidity is consistent, largely unaffected by rainfalls. The city also can draw from the James River as a secondary source in the event of breaks in the pipeline from the reservoir or in case of drought.

“Over the long run, 95 percent of the time the reservoir is the primary source,” Gryder says.

Lynchburg operates two conventional water treatment plants: the Col-lege Hill Filtration Plant and the Abert Filtration Plant, with a combined capacity of 26 mgd and average combined flow of 10 mgd.

Gryder grew up in New York State and worked in a commercial labo-ratory while earning an associate degree in medical laboratory technol-ogy from the State University of New York. She then moved to Raleigh, N.C., worked full time in a laboratory and studied part time to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University.

Leslie Gryder, Lynchburg (Va.) Department of Water Resources POSITION: | Lab chemistEXPERIENCE: | 12 yearsCERTIFICATION: | Class I Water Plant OperatorDEGREES: | Associate, medical laboratory technology, State University of New York; bachelor’s, chemistry, North Carolina State UniversityMEMBERSHIP: | AWWAGOALS: | Continue delivering high-quality water to Lynchburg residents

“Leslie is extremely dedicated and

conscientious. She cares deeply about water quality and the reputation of our department. She’s an essential part of the fantastic team we have in the Water Treatment Division.”TIMOTHY MITCHELL, P.E.

Gryder’s duties include pulling twice-monthly field samples from some 40 sample stations located throughout Lynchburg.


OUT AND ABOUT

STORY: TED J. RULSEHPHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF REID

Leslie Gryder’s role as a lab chemist in Lynchburg includes reaching out into the community to help troubleshoot customers’ issues and respond to emergencies

QUALITYLEADERSOPERATOR

Lab chemist Leslie Gryder, shown preparing water samples for coliform testing, spends considerable time outside the lab dealing with customer issues and distribution matters.

If you picture a water treatment lab chemist as someone spending all day indoors hunched over vials and test tubes, microscopes and spec-trophotometers, you don’t know Leslie Gryder.

As lab chemist for the Lynchburg (Va.) Department of Water Resources, Gryder is just as likely to be found checking source water

quality at the reservoir 22 miles from the city, meeting a customer at home to discuss a water-quality issue, or out on the distribution system pulling samples for bacteriological testing to check the potential health effects of a water main break.

It’s the variety of tasks and the changes of scenery that keep Gryder excited about going to work after 14 years in her role — that and the sat-isfaction of working with a team of bright people equally dedicated to delivering quality water to the city’s 76,000 residents.

For her efforts, Gryder earned the U.S. EPA’s 2012 Mid-Atlantic Pro-fessional Operator Excellence award in the Large System Category. “Les-lie is extremely dedicated and conscientious,” observes Timothy Mitchell, P.E., director of water resources. “She cares deeply about water quality and the reputation of our department. She works very well with our cus-tomers and other stakeholders, internal and external. She’s an essential

part of the fantastic team we have in the Water Treatment Division.”

Quality source

Lynchburg, known as the Hill City, draws its water from the Pedlar Reservoir, a billion-gallon impoundment of the Pedlar River in the George Washington National Forest. The water is naturally soft, and turbidity is consistent, largely unaffected by rainfalls. The city also can draw from the James River as a secondary source in the event of breaks in the pipeline from the reservoir or in case of drought.

“Over the long run, 95 percent of the time the reservoir is the primary source,” Gryder says.

Lynchburg operates two conventional water treatment plants: the Col-lege Hill Filtration Plant and the Abert Filtration Plant, with a combined capacity of 26 mgd and average combined flow of 10 mgd.

Gryder grew up in New York State and worked in a commercial labo-ratory while earning an associate degree in medical laboratory technol-ogy from the State University of New York. She then moved to Raleigh, N.C., worked full time in a laboratory and studied part time to earn a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Carolina State University.

Leslie Gryder, Lynchburg (Va.) Department of Water Resources POSITION: | Lab chemistEXPERIENCE: | 12 yearsCERTIFICATION: | Class I Water Plant OperatorDEGREES: | Associate, medical laboratory technology, State University of New York; bachelor’s, chemistry, North Carolina State UniversityMEMBERSHIP: | AWWAGOALS: | Continue delivering high-quality water to Lynchburg residents

“Leslie is extremely dedicated and

conscientious. She cares deeply about water quality and the reputation of our department. She’s an essential part of the fantastic team we have in the Water Treatment Division.”TIMOTHY MITCHELL, P.E.

Gryder’s duties include pulling twice-monthly field samples from some 40 sample stations located throughout Lynchburg.


tion line breaks. “Leslie is an integral part of the team that identifies the affected areas, monitors the quality of the water, takes and tests samples, and determines whether we need to issue boil water notices,” Mitchell says.

Main breaks can lead to boil notices because a loss of system pressure (to less than 20 psi) creates the risk of system contamination through backflow, back siphonage or infiltration. “It’s not routine that we issue a boil notice for every main break, but we do analyze the situation, see how much system pressure was lost and determine how big an area was affected,” Mitchell says. “We communicate with the state and local health departments and decide based on the facts whether we need to issue a boil notice or not. It’s a precautionary measure.”

Two relatively recent significant main breaks resulted in boil water notices. One happened the day before Valentine’s Day, and the subse-quent boil notices affected the city’s “restaurant row” on one of the busi-est weekends. The second affected the city’s largest hospital, other restaurants and a commercial area. In those cases, says Mitchell, “Leslie was very involved in the whole process. She was integral in assessing the situation, coordinating with the health departments and helping us get the notices lifted as quickly as possible.”

When main breaks happen, Mitchell, Gryder, water plant superintendent Richard Eden and utility line maintenance superintendent Harry Doss lead the response team. The engineering division uses a WaterCAD program (Bentley Sys-tems) and detailed records of past complaints about low water pressure to model the break and identify the area where system pressure has dropped below 20 psi. The GIS team maps the affected area, helping determine which customers should receive boil water notices.

Gryder then draws samples from the area and analyzes them; she repeats the process after the main is repaired and pressure restored. In each case, the bacteriological samples require 24 hours incubation. Water is also tested for chlorine resid-ual. Boil notices themselves can be hand-delivered in the case of small breaks. In other cases, notices are announced on local TV and radio stations and posted on the department’s website.

Community cooperation

Gryder’s influence has reached beyond the city limits to include working with surrounding coun-ties on water-quality issues. She notes that Lynch-burg and county water agencies are subject to U.S. EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treat-ment Rules aimed at reducing illnesses from Cryp-tosporidium and other water-borne pathogens.

“When we were first required to comply with those rules, there weren’t many laboratories certi-fied to do the necessary E. coli testing,” she says. “So I got our lab certified by the Virginia State Lab, and then we offered our services to the coun-ties to perform the testing for them, as well.”

It’s that brand of dedication that helped Gry-der win the Operator Excellence Award, designed to recognize certified operators who exemplify exceptional work practices on the job and in the community, and who advance the health and safety of potable water for customers. It is pre-

sented annually by the Office of Drinking Water and Source Water Pro-tection in EPA Region 3.

For Gryder, the work isn’t about awards. “I really like the people I work with,” she says. “They are smart, and they care about what they do, and that’s a great atmosphere to work in. I especially enjoy the variety the job brings — it never gets boring.” wso

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Zeta-Meter, Inc.540/886-3503www.zeta-meter.com

Soon afterward, she married and moved with her husband to Lynch-burg, where “I looked for a job to make use of my newly attained degree,” Gryder says. The search led her to the city and the water department. “I was like most people who never really gave a second thought to where my water came from and what was involved in making it drinkable,” she recalls. “The first time I came here and got a tour of a water treatment plant, I found it fascinating. I still like the work very much.”

Gryder worked for the water department lab for two years, along the way earning her Class I water plant operator license. She left for eight years to stay home with her children, then returned to the job in 2001.

Varied duties

Like most of the 18 water treatment team members, Gryder wears dif-ferent hats. “We’re kind of a midsize utility, so we’re not big enough to have a lot of staff resources,” Mitchell says. “But we’re too big to not have any, so we have people who have multiple skills and multiple responsibilities.”

Gryder maintains a Virginia Department of Health certified lab for bacteriological analysis. “We draw samples to do our own testing for coli-form bacteria,” she says. “I deal with the new regulations that come out and try to anticipate what needs to be done day to day and month to month. I calibrate instrumentation, prepare reports to the Department of Health and for our own use, and help troubleshoot when we have issues with the water. We do some testing up at the reservoir, mainly in summertime.”

The lab work includes use of a zeta potential electrophoresis instru-ment (Zeta-Meter) to determine the optimum alum dose for treatment.

Dealing with customers is an important part of the job, and Gryder much prefers to meet them in person. Many complaints concern discol-ored water, often caused by a disruption in the flow from main flushing or a main break. “The folks who work on the construction crews generally deal with those, but we also get occasional complaints about the smell or taste of the water,” Gryder says.

“I end up doing a lot of face-to-face interaction. Somehow on the phone people just don’t really feel like you care. Occasionally I can talk to people over the phone and explain to them what’s going on, but most of the time I end up going out and talking to them.

“The first thing I do is ask what the problem is and how long it has been going on. You’d be surprised how many people say they have an issue with their water, but it’s only in one sink. In that case you know right then and there that it’s an issue with their own plumbing and not with the water.”

Where necessary she can use portable probes (largely Hach instru-ments) to check parameters such as chlorine, pH, iron and conductivity. She runs bacteriological tests back at the lab, and if she finds something of special concern she can send a sample to an outside lab.

To boil or not?

Gryder’s expertise comes into play in larger events such as distribu-

CONSISTENT EXCELLENCEThe Lynchburg water filtration plants have been well recognized for

performance excellence. In fact, the College Hill and Abert plants have

earned the Water Treatment Plant Performance Award for Excellence in

Granular Media Filtration from the Virginia Department of Health for six

consecutive years. The award recognizes consistently low finished water

turbidity, according to Timothy Mitchell, P.E., director of water resources

for the city.

“It’s unusual for a large plant to receive the award because it

requires turbidity no higher than 0.1 NTU, when the U.S. EPA standard is

0.3 NTU. “The fact we have won these awards and have been able to

keep our plants performing continuously at such a high level is a

testament to efforts of Leslie Gryder and the entire staff of the Water

Treatment Division.”

The Lynchburg team includes, from left, Chad Cline, water plant operator trainee; Timothy Mitchell, director of water resources; Gryder, chemist; Richard Eden, water plant superintendent; and Amanda Brown, water plant shift supervisor.

Award-winning chemist Leslie Gryder

“I end up doing a lot of face-to-face interaction.

Somehow on the phone people just don’t really feel like you care.” LESLIE GRYDER


tion line breaks. “Leslie is an integral part of the team that identifies the affected areas, monitors the quality of the water, takes and tests samples, and determines whether we need to issue boil water notices,” Mitchell says.

Main breaks can lead to boil notices because a loss of system pressure (to less than 20 psi) creates the risk of system contamination through backflow, back siphonage or infiltration. “It’s not routine that we issue a boil notice for every main break, but we do analyze the situation, see how much system pressure was lost and determine how big an area was affected,” Mitchell says. “We communicate with the state and local health departments and decide based on the facts whether we need to issue a boil notice or not. It’s a precautionary measure.”

Two relatively recent significant main breaks resulted in boil water notices. One happened the day before Valentine’s Day, and the subse-quent boil notices affected the city’s “restaurant row” on one of the busi-est weekends. The second affected the city’s largest hospital, other restaurants and a commercial area. In those cases, says Mitchell, “Leslie was very involved in the whole process. She was integral in assessing the situation, coordinating with the health departments and helping us get the notices lifted as quickly as possible.”

When main breaks happen, Mitchell, Gryder, water plant superintendent Richard Eden and utility line maintenance superintendent Harry Doss lead the response team. The engineering division uses a WaterCAD program (Bentley Sys-tems) and detailed records of past complaints about low water pressure to model the break and identify the area where system pressure has dropped below 20 psi. The GIS team maps the affected area, helping determine which customers should receive boil water notices.

Gryder then draws samples from the area and analyzes them; she repeats the process after the main is repaired and pressure restored. In each case, the bacteriological samples require 24 hours incubation. Water is also tested for chlorine resid-ual. Boil notices themselves can be hand-delivered in the case of small breaks. In other cases, notices are announced on local TV and radio stations and posted on the department’s website.

Community cooperation

Gryder’s influence has reached beyond the city limits to include working with surrounding coun-ties on water-quality issues. She notes that Lynch-burg and county water agencies are subject to U.S. EPA Long Term 2 Enhanced Surface Water Treat-ment Rules aimed at reducing illnesses from Cryp-tosporidium and other water-borne pathogens.

“When we were first required to comply with those rules, there weren’t many laboratories certi-fied to do the necessary E. coli testing,” she says. “So I got our lab certified by the Virginia State Lab, and then we offered our services to the coun-ties to perform the testing for them, as well.”

It’s that brand of dedication that helped Gry-der win the Operator Excellence Award, designed to recognize certified operators who exemplify exceptional work practices on the job and in the community, and who advance the health and safety of potable water for customers. It is pre-

sented annually by the Office of Drinking Water and Source Water Pro-tection in EPA Region 3.

For Gryder, the work isn’t about awards. “I really like the people I work with,” she says. “They are smart, and they care about what they do, and that’s a great atmosphere to work in. I especially enjoy the variety the job brings — it never gets boring.” wso

MORE INFO:Bentley Systems800/727-6555www.bentley.com

Hach Company800/227-4224www.hach.com(See ad page 3)

Zeta-Meter, Inc.540/886-3503www.zeta-meter.com

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Soon afterward, she married and moved with her husband to Lynch-burg, where “I looked for a job to make use of my newly attained degree,” Gryder says. The search led her to the city and the water department. “I was like most people who never really gave a second thought to where my water came from and what was involved in making it drinkable,” she recalls. “The first time I came here and got a tour of a water treatment plant, I found it fascinating. I still like the work very much.”

Gryder worked for the water department lab for two years, along the way earning her Class I water plant operator license. She left for eight years to stay home with her children, then returned to the job in 2001.

Varied duties

Like most of the 18 water treatment team members, Gryder wears dif-ferent hats. “We’re kind of a midsize utility, so we’re not big enough to have a lot of staff resources,” Mitchell says. “But we’re too big to not have any, so we have people who have multiple skills and multiple responsibilities.”

Gryder maintains a Virginia Department of Health certified lab for bacteriological analysis. “We draw samples to do our own testing for coli-form bacteria,” she says. “I deal with the new regulations that come out and try to anticipate what needs to be done day to day and month to month. I calibrate instrumentation, prepare reports to the Department of Health and for our own use, and help troubleshoot when we have issues with the water. We do some testing up at the reservoir, mainly in summertime.”

The lab work includes use of a zeta potential electrophoresis instru-ment (Zeta-Meter) to determine the optimum alum dose for treatment.

Dealing with customers is an important part of the job, and Gryder much prefers to meet them in person. Many complaints concern discol-ored water, often caused by a disruption in the flow from main flushing or a main break. “The folks who work on the construction crews generally deal with those, but we also get occasional complaints about the smell or taste of the water,” Gryder says.

“I end up doing a lot of face-to-face interaction. Somehow on the phone people just don’t really feel like you care. Occasionally I can talk to people over the phone and explain to them what’s going on, but most of the time I end up going out and talking to them.

“The first thing I do is ask what the problem is and how long it has been going on. You’d be surprised how many people say they have an issue with their water, but it’s only in one sink. In that case you know right then and there that it’s an issue with their own plumbing and not with the water.”

Where necessary she can use portable probes (largely Hach instru-ments) to check parameters such as chlorine, pH, iron and conductivity. She runs bacteriological tests back at the lab, and if she finds something of special concern she can send a sample to an outside lab.

To boil or not?

Gryder’s expertise comes into play in larger events such as distribu-

CONSISTENT EXCELLENCEThe Lynchburg water filtration plants have been well recognized for

performance excellence. In fact, the College Hill and Abert plants have

earned the Water Treatment Plant Performance Award for Excellence in

Granular Media Filtration from the Virginia Department of Health for six

consecutive years. The award recognizes consistently low finished water

turbidity, according to Timothy Mitchell, P.E., director of water resources

for the city.

“It’s unusual for a large plant to receive the award because it

requires turbidity no higher than 0.1 NTU, when the U.S. EPA standard is

0.3 NTU. “The fact we have won these awards and have been able to

keep our plants performing continuously at such a high level is a

testament to efforts of Leslie Gryder and the entire staff of the Water

Treatment Division.”

The Lynchburg team includes, from left, Chad Cline, water plant operator trainee; Timothy Mitchell, director of water resources; Gryder, chemist; Richard Eden, water plant superintendent; and Amanda Brown, water plant shift supervisor.

Award-winning chemist Leslie Gryder

“I end up doing a lot of face-to-face interaction.

Somehow on the phone people just don’t really feel like you care.” LESLIE GRYDER

OUT WITH WASTE

QUALITYLEADERS

AGENCY

Lined backwash pools at the Chelmsford Water District’s Crooked Spring treatment plant.

An impressive solar panel array sits in the field behind the Crooked Spring Water Treatment Plant, one of three plants owned by the Chelmsford (Mass.) Water District. The solar panels, installed in 2010, save some $154,000 a year on electricity.

That’s just one example of energy and cost savings the district has achieved. Other measures include energy efficient lighting with timers that shut the lights off when a room is vacated, a hybrid vehicle and infra-red heating to replace direct hot air heating in the district garage.

Water conservation is another initiative. “When I started at the district in 2007, we didn’t meet the water conservation rule restrictions,” says Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager. “We now meet or exceed the 65 gallons per capita per day Water Management Act goal, set by the state. We were averaging 69 gpd, and now we’re averaging a steady 62.”

The district is working with the Town of Chelmsford to retrofit munic-ipal buildings with water conservation devices. The district also pur-chased leak detection equipment.

Chelmsford Water was recog-nized for its water and energy con-servation with awards in 2012 from the Massachusetts Depart-ment of Environmental Protec-tion. The district also won the Massachusetts DEP Public Water System Award in 2010 and 2013,

and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Award and a Governor’s Citation in 2010.

Plant operators do their part for conservation. “Any time you can save on energy, it’s a fabulous thing,” says Bill McCarthy Sr., senior water quality manager. “We track the solar array efficiency every day with the computer, and if there is a problem, it trips an alarm.” Melanson jokes, “We watch the environment more than the environmentalists.”

Serving the town

The Chelmsford Water District serves 85 percent of the town, provid-ing water to more than 25,000 residents. The district maintains 19 wells, 140 miles of water mains and 1,498 fire hydrants. Eighty-two percent of connections are residential, 17 percent are commercial and industrial, and the rest are municipal.

Water withdrawn from the wells comes from both the Merrimack and Concord River basins, and above-ground water reservoirs hold one of the state’s largest capacities at 15.3 million gallons. Water from 19 gravel-packed wells is piped to the Crooked Spring, Riverneck and Smith Street plants, where it is treated and tested. Potassium permanganate and sodium hypochlorite are added during treatment, and potassium hydroxide is added after treatment as a corrosion inhibitor.

The district organization is divided into treatment, distribution and administration. Personnel in the departments are cross-trained and work cooperatively. The Crooked Spring and Riverneck plants run year-round, and the Smith Street plant runs during the peak season (May through October) and when one of the other plants is shut down for maintenance.

Four treatment operators staff the plants on a rotating basis, and the team also includes nine distribution and six management and adminis-trative staff. The operators are all certified, as are most of the distribution and administrative staff.

OUT WITH WASTEA Massachusetts water district earns accolades for energy and water conservation, while plant operators learn new technologies and skills

STORY: TRUDE WITHAMPHOTOGRAPHY: ED COLLIER

Chelmsford Water District, Chelmsford, Mass.FOUNDED: | 1913POPULATION SERVED: | 25,000SERVICE AREA: | 85 percent of Town of ChelmsfordSOURCE WATER: | Merrimack and Concord River basinsTREATMENT PROCESS: | Aeration, greens and filtration (Crooked Spring and Riverneck plants), membrane filtration (Smith Street plant)DISTRIBUTION: | 140 miles of water mainsSYSTEM STORAGE: | 15.3 million gallonsKEY CHALLENGE: | Water conservationANNUAL BUDGET: | $5.5 million (operating)WEBSITE: | www.chelmsfordwater.com“The processes we

have work great and produce excellent quality water.”TODD MELANSON


OUT WITH WASTE

QUALITYLEADERS

AGENCY

Lined backwash pools at the Chelmsford Water District’s Crooked Spring treatment plant.

An impressive solar panel array sits in the field behind the Crooked Spring Water Treatment Plant, one of three plants owned by the Chelmsford (Mass.) Water District. The solar panels, installed in 2010, save some $154,000 a year on electricity.

That’s just one example of energy and cost savings the district has achieved. Other measures include energy efficient lighting with timers that shut the lights off when a room is vacated, a hybrid vehicle and infra-red heating to replace direct hot air heating in the district garage.

Water conservation is another initiative. “When I started at the district in 2007, we didn’t meet the water conservation rule restrictions,” says Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager. “We now meet or exceed the 65 gallons per capita per day Water Management Act goal, set by the state. We were averaging 69 gpd, and now we’re averaging a steady 62.”

The district is working with the Town of Chelmsford to retrofit munic-ipal buildings with water conservation devices. The district also pur-chased leak detection equipment.

Chelmsford Water was recog-nized for its water and energy con-servation with awards in 2012 from the Massachusetts Depart-ment of Environmental Protec-tion. The district also won the Massachusetts DEP Public Water System Award in 2010 and 2013,

and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Award and a Governor’s Citation in 2010.

Plant operators do their part for conservation. “Any time you can save on energy, it’s a fabulous thing,” says Bill McCarthy Sr., senior water quality manager. “We track the solar array efficiency every day with the computer, and if there is a problem, it trips an alarm.” Melanson jokes, “We watch the environment more than the environmentalists.”

Serving the town

The Chelmsford Water District serves 85 percent of the town, provid-ing water to more than 25,000 residents. The district maintains 19 wells, 140 miles of water mains and 1,498 fire hydrants. Eighty-two percent of connections are residential, 17 percent are commercial and industrial, and the rest are municipal.

Water withdrawn from the wells comes from both the Merrimack and Concord River basins, and above-ground water reservoirs hold one of the state’s largest capacities at 15.3 million gallons. Water from 19 gravel-packed wells is piped to the Crooked Spring, Riverneck and Smith Street plants, where it is treated and tested. Potassium permanganate and sodium hypochlorite are added during treatment, and potassium hydroxide is added after treatment as a corrosion inhibitor.

The district organization is divided into treatment, distribution and administration. Personnel in the departments are cross-trained and work cooperatively. The Crooked Spring and Riverneck plants run year-round, and the Smith Street plant runs during the peak season (May through October) and when one of the other plants is shut down for maintenance.

Four treatment operators staff the plants on a rotating basis, and the team also includes nine distribution and six management and adminis-trative staff. The operators are all certified, as are most of the distribution and administrative staff.

OUT WITH WASTEA Massachusetts water district earns accolades for energy and water conservation, while plant operators learn new technologies and skills

STORY: TRUDE WITHAMPHOTOGRAPHY: ED COLLIER

Chelmsford Water District, Chelmsford, Mass.FOUNDED: | 1913POPULATION SERVED: | 25,000SERVICE AREA: | 85 percent of Town of ChelmsfordSOURCE WATER: | Merrimack and Concord River basinsTREATMENT PROCESS: | Aeration, greens and filtration (Crooked Spring and Riverneck plants), membrane filtration (Smith Street plant)DISTRIBUTION: | 140 miles of water mainsSYSTEM STORAGE: | 15.3 million gallonsKEY CHALLENGE: | Water conservationANNUAL BUDGET: | $5.5 million (operating)WEBSITE: | www.chelmsfordwater.com“The processes we

have work great and produce excellent quality water.”TODD MELANSON


“The district operates in an environment with a high chance of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination, so the aeration towers help protect the water by completely air stripping out any possible contamination, should it occur,” says Melanson.

All the district’s plants meet the 4-log reduction Groundwater Rule, which means the district can prove on a daily basis that it removes 99.99 percent of all potential bacterial contamination. “We increased the chlo-rine level before the rule went into effect, but with the intention of meet-ing the 4-log requirement,” says Melanson. “The increased chlorine dose also helps remove iron and manganese. The processes we have work great and produce excellent quality water.”

Going green

Soon after hiring Melanson, district leaders asked him to evaluate energy consumption and efficiency. He’s also in charge of emergency response, community outreach, training and mak-ing sure sampling and water restriction require-ments are met.

“The district wanted to lower its energy costs, so I started looking at ways we could do that,” Melanson says. “Because our facilities were all pretty new, there wasn’t much we could do at that level, so we started looking at renewable energy sources.” In 2008, he attended an energy roundta-ble with state DEP, the U.S. EPA and the Univer-sity of Massachusetts–Lowell, where he got advice on renewable energy options.

He settled on solar and connected with a solar engineering graduate student at UMass-Lowell,

who performed a feasibility study. Using federal stimulus funds, the district built the $2.8 million solar array at the Crooked Spring plant.

Commissioned in fall 2010, the array was one of the largest ground-mounted systems in New Eng-land. It includes 2,310 solar panels, each with a capacity of 205 watts, or about 550,000 kWh per year. Besides the energy savings, the plant earns a renewable energy credit for every 1,000 kWh generated, for an annual savings of $30,000, in addition to the 54 percent reduction in electricity use. Operators have taught themselves how to use software that tracks the solar array’s efficiency.

“The distribution staff lets us know when they’re going to test the hydrants, since

that influences the plants’ flows.”BILL McCARTHY SR.

Aeration towers reduce the plants’ use of potassium hydroxide by 30 to 40 percent.

(continued)

Modern plants

“When I started with the district in 1973 at the Smith Street plant, the treatment process was diatomaceous earth,” says McCarthy. “We’ve come a long way since then.” Built in 1964, the 1 mgd Smith Street plant was upgraded to an Aria (Pall Corporation) membrane filtration system in

2012. “The membrane system is more efficient than the old diatomaceous earth process and was able to fit in the existing building, which was a key requirement because of the plant’s location,” explains Melanson. The 3 mgd Riverneck plant, built in 2000, and 4 mgd Crooked Spring plant (2007) use aeration and greensand filtration.

“Before the Riverneck and Crooked Spring plants went online, we had a problem with manganese and iron precipitating out and staining the fixtures,” says Melanson. “It was more of an aesthetic issue, but we installed the treatment plants to solve that problem.”

Besides starting the process of removing manganese and iron, the aer-ation towers at each plant remove odors and dissolved carbon dioxide and help adjust the pH before the actual filtration process. The aeration tow-ers have reduced the plants’ use of potassium hydroxide chemical by 30 to 40 percent. “With the cost of drinking-water-quality potassium hydrox-ide increasing by as much as 200 percent a year, the savings have quickly added up,” says Melanson.

Conserving water is serious business for the Chelmsford Water

District. Water is supplied by just two underground aquifers (Merrimack

and Concord River Basins) that supply the district’s 19 gravel-packed

wells. In summer, water usage increases by about 50 percent.

Chelmsford’s permit allows for an annual average withdrawal of

3.96 mgd from the two basins combined. On peak days from May to

October, usage can exceed 4 mgd. The conservation program,

started in the early 1980s and revitalized in 2002 with an expanded

outreach program, has allowed the district to meet state conservation

rule restrictions. A district bylaw limits outdoor water usage, and a

solar-powered digital signboard in district neighborhoods keeps

residents informed about changes in water restriction levels.

A weather station includes monitoring equipment to measure

precipitation. “This has helped to get the point of the water conser-

vation program across to the public by generating area-specific

precipitation data,” Melanson says.

Other initiatives include installing smart meters, leak-detection

systems and water-saving devices, such as low-flow toilets and fixtures,

in town buildings. An irrigation system program catalogued existing

irrigation systems and allowed for the permitting of new ones.

The district has conducted a water audit of the entire distribution

system in Chelmsford’s three districts, and has beefed up public

education. “We list conservation steps on our website and explain

why we have water restrictions based on yearly precipitation,” says

Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager. “I also talk to

students in middle school and high school biology, chemistry and

ecology classes about the importance of water conservation.”

Conservation awards the district received in 2010 and 2012

proved the success of the program. Says Melanson, “It’s really the

residents who deserve the credit, since they’re the ones who took

steps to reduce their usage.”

SAVING WATER

The Crooked Spring plant team includes, from left, Bill McCarthy Jr., operator; Bill McCarthy Sr., water quality manager; Steve Pynn, operator; Bob Hayes, senior operator; and Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager.

Todd Melanson at the Crooked Spring plant’s solar array, which supplies thefacility with a majority of its electricity.


“The district operates in an environment with a high chance of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination, so the aeration towers help protect the water by completely air stripping out any possible contamination, should it occur,” says Melanson.

All the district’s plants meet the 4-log reduction Groundwater Rule, which means the district can prove on a daily basis that it removes 99.99 percent of all potential bacterial contamination. “We increased the chlo-rine level before the rule went into effect, but with the intention of meet-ing the 4-log requirement,” says Melanson. “The increased chlorine dose also helps remove iron and manganese. The processes we have work great and produce excellent quality water.”

Going green

Soon after hiring Melanson, district leaders asked him to evaluate energy consumption and efficiency. He’s also in charge of emergency response, community outreach, training and mak-ing sure sampling and water restriction require-ments are met.

“The district wanted to lower its energy costs, so I started looking at ways we could do that,” Melanson says. “Because our facilities were all pretty new, there wasn’t much we could do at that level, so we started looking at renewable energy sources.” In 2008, he attended an energy roundta-ble with state DEP, the U.S. EPA and the Univer-sity of Massachusetts–Lowell, where he got advice on renewable energy options.

He settled on solar and connected with a solar engineering graduate student at UMass-Lowell,

who performed a feasibility study. Using federal stimulus funds, the district built the $2.8 million solar array at the Crooked Spring plant.

Commissioned in fall 2010, the array was one of the largest ground-mounted systems in New Eng-land. It includes 2,310 solar panels, each with a capacity of 205 watts, or about 550,000 kWh per year. Besides the energy savings, the plant earns a renewable energy credit for every 1,000 kWh generated, for an annual savings of $30,000, in addition to the 54 percent reduction in electricity use. Operators have taught themselves how to use software that tracks the solar array’s efficiency.

“The distribution staff lets us know when they’re going to test the hydrants, since

that influences the plants’ flows.”BILL McCARTHY SR.

Aeration towers reduce the plants’ use of potassium hydroxide by 30 to 40 percent.

(continued)

Modern plants

“When I started with the district in 1973 at the Smith Street plant, the treatment process was diatomaceous earth,” says McCarthy. “We’ve come a long way since then.” Built in 1964, the 1 mgd Smith Street plant was upgraded to an Aria (Pall Corporation) membrane filtration system in

2012. “The membrane system is more efficient than the old diatomaceous earth process and was able to fit in the existing building, which was a key requirement because of the plant’s location,” explains Melanson. The 3 mgd Riverneck plant, built in 2000, and 4 mgd Crooked Spring plant (2007) use aeration and greensand filtration.

“Before the Riverneck and Crooked Spring plants went online, we had a problem with manganese and iron precipitating out and staining the fixtures,” says Melanson. “It was more of an aesthetic issue, but we installed the treatment plants to solve that problem.”

Besides starting the process of removing manganese and iron, the aer-ation towers at each plant remove odors and dissolved carbon dioxide and help adjust the pH before the actual filtration process. The aeration tow-ers have reduced the plants’ use of potassium hydroxide chemical by 30 to 40 percent. “With the cost of drinking-water-quality potassium hydrox-ide increasing by as much as 200 percent a year, the savings have quickly added up,” says Melanson.

Conserving water is serious business for the Chelmsford Water

District. Water is supplied by just two underground aquifers (Merrimack

and Concord River Basins) that supply the district’s 19 gravel-packed

wells. In summer, water usage increases by about 50 percent.

Chelmsford’s permit allows for an annual average withdrawal of

3.96 mgd from the two basins combined. On peak days from May to

October, usage can exceed 4 mgd. The conservation program,

started in the early 1980s and revitalized in 2002 with an expanded

outreach program, has allowed the district to meet state conservation

rule restrictions. A district bylaw limits outdoor water usage, and a

solar-powered digital signboard in district neighborhoods keeps

residents informed about changes in water restriction levels.

A weather station includes monitoring equipment to measure

precipitation. “This has helped to get the point of the water conser-

vation program across to the public by generating area-specific

precipitation data,” Melanson says.

Other initiatives include installing smart meters, leak-detection

systems and water-saving devices, such as low-flow toilets and fixtures,

in town buildings. An irrigation system program catalogued existing

irrigation systems and allowed for the permitting of new ones.

The district has conducted a water audit of the entire distribution

system in Chelmsford’s three districts, and has beefed up public

education. “We list conservation steps on our website and explain

why we have water restrictions based on yearly precipitation,” says

Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager. “I also talk to

students in middle school and high school biology, chemistry and

ecology classes about the importance of water conservation.”

Conservation awards the district received in 2010 and 2012

proved the success of the program. Says Melanson, “It’s really the

residents who deserve the credit, since they’re the ones who took

steps to reduce their usage.”

SAVING WATER

The Crooked Spring plant team includes, from left, Bill McCarthy Jr., operator; Bill McCarthy Sr., water quality manager; Steve Pynn, operator; Bob Hayes, senior operator; and Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager.

Todd Melanson at the Crooked Spring plant’s solar array, which supplies thefacility with a majority of its electricity.

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NMC1303_The Diff_faucetAd_WSO-OL.indd 1 8/19/13 2:15 PM

Good communication The operators also work efficiently to run the three plants, relying on

good communication. The operators and distribution group work together. “They’re all one unit, and they have to plan out the schedule to make sure everything is covered,” says McCarthy. “The distribution staff lets us know when they’re going to test the hydrants, since that influences the plants’ flows.”

The state requires each plant to be staffed for four hours a day. SCADA system alarms let opera-tors know of any problems during unstaffed periods. “Operators are cross-trained on all three plants and can step up to fill another’s shoes,” says Bob Hayes, chief plant operator.

McCarthy holds Level 3 water treatment and water distribution (3T/3D) certification, and has been with the district for 40 years. Hayes (17 years) holds 3T/2D cer-tification. Plant operators are Steve Pynn (3T/2D, 12 years) and Bill McCarthy Jr. (2T/2D, 6 years). The operators handle mainte-nance, grounds work and plant upkeep, and order and track sup-plies, such as chemicals. Benchtop testing is done at each plant, and samples are sent to a state certi-fied laboratory to meet state test-ing criteria.

Compliance with the 4-log rule means keeping meticulous records of plant flows, chlorine dose and chlorine contact time. “Starting the first of every year, we record the flows and chemicals, and the state goes through the books every three years to make sure we’re doing what we say we’re doing,” says McCarthy.

Self-sufficient

The Crooked Spring plant is designed to be self-sustaining in case of emergencies. “This started after 9/11, so that if the plant had to be secured and locked down, it could still operate,” says McCarthy. The plant has a full kitchen, generators and a fuel supply, and two radio frequencies for

line of sight. “We did that so the lines wouldn’t cross,” McCarthy says. “It used to take two and a half minutes to get information from the SCADA, and now it takes six seconds.”

The district belongs to the state’s water and wastewater response net-work, which allows utilities to respond cooperatively to statewide emer-gencies with personnel or equipment.

Melanson conducts regular safety and emergency response training with the staff. The operators also attend water association tabletop exer-cises and seminars.

Operators rely on each other to solve problems. If for example they visit a well site and find something that needs fixing, or if they are having

difficulty with chlorine levels, Hayes asks the team to look at the situation and come up with an answer.

“The operations team is the strongest and most conscientious I have seen in my career,” says Melanson. “They all grew up in this town, have worked

in the district for a long time and have been through a lot together. If there is a problem at a plant, they are ready to handle it, even if it’s at two a.m.”

McCarthy adds, “I consider myself an equal to the operators. No one is above the other. Every day, they are meeting challenges, and every time

they open that door they might be faced with a situation.”Melanson adds, “The operators treat the entire water system as if it’s

alive, because you can’t do something to one part without it affecting the others. The plant is the heart and the distribution system is the veins and arteries. The system operates con-tinuously and if something hap-pens to one portion, it can affect the entire community.” wso

MORE INFO:Pall Corporation800/645-6532www.pall.com/water

Bill McCarthy Jr. tests manganese levels.

“I consider myself an equal to the operators. No one is above the other. Every day, they are meeting challenges, and every time they open that

door they might be faced with a situation.”BILL MCCARTHY SR.

Bill McCarthy Sr. checks and records tank data.

NMC1303_The Diff_faucetAd_WSO-OL.indd 1 8/19/13 2:15 PM

Good communication The operators also work efficiently to run the three plants, relying on

good communication. The operators and distribution group work together. “They’re all one unit, and they have to plan out the schedule to make sure everything is covered,” says McCarthy. “The distribution staff lets us know when they’re going to test the hydrants, since that influences the plants’ flows.”

The state requires each plant to be staffed for four hours a day. SCADA system alarms let opera-tors know of any problems during unstaffed periods. “Operators are cross-trained on all three plants and can step up to fill another’s shoes,” says Bob Hayes, chief plant operator.

McCarthy holds Level 3 water treatment and water distribution (3T/3D) certification, and has been with the district for 40 years. Hayes (17 years) holds 3T/2D cer-tification. Plant operators are Steve Pynn (3T/2D, 12 years) and Bill McCarthy Jr. (2T/2D, 6 years). The operators handle mainte-nance, grounds work and plant upkeep, and order and track sup-plies, such as chemicals. Benchtop testing is done at each plant, and samples are sent to a state certi-fied laboratory to meet state test-ing criteria.

Compliance with the 4-log rule means keeping meticulous records of plant flows, chlorine dose and chlorine contact time. “Starting the first of every year, we record the flows and chemicals, and the state goes through the books every three years to make sure we’re doing what we say we’re doing,” says McCarthy.

Self-sufficient

The Crooked Spring plant is designed to be self-sustaining in case of emergencies. “This started after 9/11, so that if the plant had to be secured and locked down, it could still operate,” says McCarthy. The plant has a full kitchen, generators and a fuel supply, and two radio frequencies for

line of sight. “We did that so the lines wouldn’t cross,” McCarthy says. “It used to take two and a half minutes to get information from the SCADA, and now it takes six seconds.”

The district belongs to the state’s water and wastewater response net-work, which allows utilities to respond cooperatively to statewide emer-gencies with personnel or equipment.

Melanson conducts regular safety and emergency response training with the staff. The operators also attend water association tabletop exer-cises and seminars.

Operators rely on each other to solve problems. If for example they visit a well site and find something that needs fixing, or if they are having

difficulty with chlorine levels, Hayes asks the team to look at the situation and come up with an answer.

“The operations team is the strongest and most conscientious I have seen in my career,” says Melanson. “They all grew up in this town, have worked

in the district for a long time and have been through a lot together. If there is a problem at a plant, they are ready to handle it, even if it’s at two a.m.”

McCarthy adds, “I consider myself an equal to the operators. No one is above the other. Every day, they are meeting challenges, and every time

they open that door they might be faced with a situation.”Melanson adds, “The operators treat the entire water system as if it’s

alive, because you can’t do something to one part without it affecting the others. The plant is the heart and the distribution system is the veins and arteries. The system operates con-tinuously and if something hap-pens to one portion, it can affect the entire community.” wso

MORE INFO:Pall Corporation800/645-6532www.pall.com/water

Bill McCarthy Jr. tests manganese levels.

“I consider myself an equal to the operators. No one is above the other. Every day, they are meeting challenges, and every time they open that

door they might be faced with a situation.”BILL MCCARTHY SR.

Bill McCarthy Sr. checks and records tank data.


Surface waters that contain algae can be challenging to treat in con-ventional settling and filtration processes. Being light and buoy-ant, algae and certain other organic materials found in lakes and reservoirs can resist settling and inhibit downstream filtration.

For removing such substances, Infilco Degremont (SUEZ ENVI-RONNEMENT) offers the AquaDAF high-rate clarifier, a dissolved air flotation (DAF) process. Essentially a sedimentation process in reverse, it uses tiny air bubbles to float less-dense, flocculated impurities to the surface, where they are skimmed off.

The technology originated in Finland in the 1960s; Infilco Degremont licensed it and brought it to North America in 2000. It is designed to treat large volumes of low-turbidity, algae-laden water — 10 to 20 gpm per square foot of collection zone — in a small footprint. It can be installed for new treatment plants as well as retrofitted in existing facilities, even where space is constrained.

Patrick Daniel, application engineer with Infilco Degremont, talked about the technology and its applications for drinking water treatment in an interview with Water System Operator.

wso: When and where would a drinking water utility apply this

technology?Daniel: The real key is that you have something in the water that wants

to float out. For heavy particles, like silt in river water, it’s not the best

application. We’re trying to float the particles out of the water, and there are only so many air bubbles you can attach to a small piece of floc to float it out.

The ideal application is for water that contains algae but otherwise is pretty clean with low turbidity. Lakes and reservoirs are typically low in turbidity because every-thing heavy has already settled out by the time the raw water gets to the intake.

wso: Where does this tech-

nology fit in the treatment scheme?Daniel: We see it in brand new

plants, and in older failing plants. An old plant might have a conventional system with a really long basin where they try to settle out the particles. But if the water is from a lake that has algae problems, conventional treatment is not the best, because algae is very lightweight. It ends up going through the clarifier and then gets clogged up in the filter.

We see this technology applied where someone wants to get rid of an aging system and put in a system that is more suited for the type of water they have. We have a couple of installations where a utility did exactly that. Their system was failing. They were getting really short filter run times, and the water tasted bad, too, because algae made it through the system.

wso: What kind of chemistry is used in this process? Daniel: It’s basically standard jar testing chemistry. When we get a

project, we do jar tests and look at how the floc flows. It’s the standard chemistry you see in a conventional treatment plant, but instead of sink-ing the floc, we’re floating it.

wso: In summary, how does the process work?Daniel: Raw water entering the unit goes through a rapid mixer or

static mixer where we introduce the coagulant. The coagulant destabi-lizes the particles in the water so they start to clump together. The water then proceeds into a flocculation basin where we form a floc and get it the right size.

Going for the GreenThe AquaDAF high-rate clarifier has proven itself in effective removal of algae and other low-density solids from surface water sources

BY TED J. RULSEH

2

TECHNOLOGYDEEP DIVE

1) In one of two available configurations for removing floated solids, a mechanical scraper pushes the material into a trough.

2) A schematic shows the basic structure and operation of the AquaDAF high-rate clarifier.

3) Extremely fine bubbles float floc particles to the surface of the clarifier.

3

1

The water then enters the base of the flotation zone, where a saturated air-water recycle stream is added. This stream is produced by recycling some of the already clarified water to a pressurized saturator vessel. The recycle stream is then depressurized through a series of release nozzles. This creates thousands of micro-bubbles, which disperse into the flota-tion zone.

The air bubbles are really small, on the order of 40 to 70 micrometers. The water takes the appearance of milk — people call it whitewater. The bubbles attach to the floc particles formed in the previous step and float them to the surface. The clarified water exits the bottom of the unit through a perforated collector floor and moves on to filtration, which can be a media filter or a membrane system.

wso: How is the floated material removed from the unit?Daniel: There are two ways to remove the sludge — hydraulically or

mechanically. In hydraulic removal, we slowly close off the bafflement at intervals so that the water can’t leave the system. Water then lifts up a couple of inches and then spills over a weir like a waterfall, into a trough on the side. You get a more dilute liquid sludge that way.

The other method is to use a mechanical scraper. A motor- and gear-driven scraper blade comes down at intervals and pushes the sludge into the same trough. It’s thicker sludge when you remove the material this way, and the utility needs to have the proper equipment at the plant to handle that.

wso: What accounts for the high volume this system handles in a

small footprint?Daniel: It goes to the way we collect the water underneath the unit.

We introduce a headloss through the floor and force the water to take a particular path. Rather than letting the water take the least-resistant path,

we force it to take a more indirect route. That allows us to push more flow through the system.

wso: What effluent quality does the clarifier produce?Daniel: We typically see 90 percent algae removal in our pilot stud-

ies and our full-scale treatments. Some algae species are more difficult to remove, but on the other hand many of our systems get as high as 93 to 94 percent removal. Because we start with low-turbidity water, we typically see 1 NTU coming off the clarifier.

wso: How does this unit’s speed compare with conventional settling?Daniel: A conventional clarifier might take a couple of hours from

when the water enters until it leaves. It typically takes less than 30 min-utes, and more likely 20 minutes, to get through this system. It’s quick to turn on and lets you produce water a lot faster.

wso: How easy are these systems to install?Daniel: There are nine package units in capacities from 100 to 1,750

gpm. They show up as a tank and skid bearing the pump and saturation vessel. A contractor simply has to wire it, plumb it and it’s ready. It’s much quicker than doing a new concrete installation. wso

“The ideal application is for water that contains algae but otherwise is pretty clean

with low turbidity. Lakes and reservoirs are typically low in turbidity because everything heavy has already settled out by the time the raw water gets to the intake.”PATRICK DANIEL


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Surface waters that contain algae can be challenging to treat in con-ventional settling and filtration processes. Being light and buoy-ant, algae and certain other organic materials found in lakes and reservoirs can resist settling and inhibit downstream filtration.

For removing such substances, Infilco Degremont (SUEZ ENVI-RONNEMENT) offers the AquaDAF high-rate clarifier, a dissolved air flotation (DAF) process. Essentially a sedimentation process in reverse, it uses tiny air bubbles to float less-dense, flocculated impurities to the surface, where they are skimmed off.

The technology originated in Finland in the 1960s; Infilco Degremont licensed it and brought it to North America in 2000. It is designed to treat large volumes of low-turbidity, algae-laden water — 10 to 20 gpm per square foot of collection zone — in a small footprint. It can be installed for new treatment plants as well as retrofitted in existing facilities, even where space is constrained.

Patrick Daniel, application engineer with Infilco Degremont, talked about the technology and its applications for drinking water treatment in an interview with Water System Operator.

wso: When and where would a drinking water utility apply this

technology?Daniel: The real key is that you have something in the water that wants

to float out. For heavy particles, like silt in river water, it’s not the best

application. We’re trying to float the particles out of the water, and there are only so many air bubbles you can attach to a small piece of floc to float it out.

The ideal application is for water that contains algae but otherwise is pretty clean with low turbidity. Lakes and reservoirs are typically low in turbidity because every-thing heavy has already settled out by the time the raw water gets to the intake.

wso: Where does this tech-

nology fit in the treatment scheme?Daniel: We see it in brand new

plants, and in older failing plants. An old plant might have a conventional system with a really long basin where they try to settle out the particles. But if the water is from a lake that has algae problems, conventional treatment is not the best, because algae is very lightweight. It ends up going through the clarifier and then gets clogged up in the filter.

We see this technology applied where someone wants to get rid of an aging system and put in a system that is more suited for the type of water they have. We have a couple of installations where a utility did exactly that. Their system was failing. They were getting really short filter run times, and the water tasted bad, too, because algae made it through the system.

wso: What kind of chemistry is used in this process? Daniel: It’s basically standard jar testing chemistry. When we get a

project, we do jar tests and look at how the floc flows. It’s the standard chemistry you see in a conventional treatment plant, but instead of sink-ing the floc, we’re floating it.

wso: In summary, how does the process work?Daniel: Raw water entering the unit goes through a rapid mixer or

static mixer where we introduce the coagulant. The coagulant destabi-lizes the particles in the water so they start to clump together. The water then proceeds into a flocculation basin where we form a floc and get it the right size.

Going for the GreenThe AquaDAF high-rate clarifier has proven itself in effective removal of algae and other low-density solids from surface water sources

BY TED J. RULSEH

2

TECHNOLOGYDEEP DIVE

1) In one of two available configurations for removing floated solids, a mechanical scraper pushes the material into a trough.

2) A schematic shows the basic structure and operation of the AquaDAF high-rate clarifier.

3) Extremely fine bubbles float floc particles to the surface of the clarifier.

3

1

The water then enters the base of the flotation zone, where a saturated air-water recycle stream is added. This stream is produced by recycling some of the already clarified water to a pressurized saturator vessel. The recycle stream is then depressurized through a series of release nozzles. This creates thousands of micro-bubbles, which disperse into the flota-tion zone.

The air bubbles are really small, on the order of 40 to 70 micrometers. The water takes the appearance of milk — people call it whitewater. The bubbles attach to the floc particles formed in the previous step and float them to the surface. The clarified water exits the bottom of the unit through a perforated collector floor and moves on to filtration, which can be a media filter or a membrane system.

wso: How is the floated material removed from the unit?Daniel: There are two ways to remove the sludge — hydraulically or

mechanically. In hydraulic removal, we slowly close off the bafflement at intervals so that the water can’t leave the system. Water then lifts up a couple of inches and then spills over a weir like a waterfall, into a trough on the side. You get a more dilute liquid sludge that way.

The other method is to use a mechanical scraper. A motor- and gear-driven scraper blade comes down at intervals and pushes the sludge into the same trough. It’s thicker sludge when you remove the material this way, and the utility needs to have the proper equipment at the plant to handle that.

wso: What accounts for the high volume this system handles in a

small footprint?Daniel: It goes to the way we collect the water underneath the unit.

We introduce a headloss through the floor and force the water to take a particular path. Rather than letting the water take the least-resistant path,

we force it to take a more indirect route. That allows us to push more flow through the system.

wso: What effluent quality does the clarifier produce?Daniel: We typically see 90 percent algae removal in our pilot stud-

ies and our full-scale treatments. Some algae species are more difficult to remove, but on the other hand many of our systems get as high as 93 to 94 percent removal. Because we start with low-turbidity water, we typically see 1 NTU coming off the clarifier.

wso: How does this unit’s speed compare with conventional settling?Daniel: A conventional clarifier might take a couple of hours from

when the water enters until it leaves. It typically takes less than 30 min-utes, and more likely 20 minutes, to get through this system. It’s quick to turn on and lets you produce water a lot faster.

wso: How easy are these systems to install?Daniel: There are nine package units in capacities from 100 to 1,750

gpm. They show up as a tank and skid bearing the pump and saturation vessel. A contractor simply has to wire it, plumb it and it’s ready. It’s much quicker than doing a new concrete installation. wso

“The ideal application is for water that contains algae but otherwise is pretty clean

with low turbidity. Lakes and reservoirs are typically low in turbidity because everything heavy has already settled out by the time the raw water gets to the intake.”PATRICK DANIEL

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Ext

ra! Want More Stories?

Get more news, information and features with our exclusive online content.

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Teaching conservationWater conservation is the focus

of half of the 10 educational ses-sions offered during the city’s annual Residential Environmental Pro-gram Series, in its 26th year. For 2013, sessions included Tricks and Tips for Xeriscape, Evolving into a Xeriscape Design, More Color, Less Water – Dryland Perennials, Burning Questions: Fire and Our Watershed, and Cool Strategies for Summer Utility Savings.

Working with Fort Collins Util-ities outreach and education super-visor Marcee Camenson, D’Audney helps recruit speakers for the classes and puts together other water con-

servation programs for Earth Day, community events, farmers’ mar-kets and displays at home centers — just about anywhere they can reach Fort Collins residents.

Camenson also organizes an annual series of breakfast sessions for the utility’s Biz Ed program, including topics such as water supply and conservation. In addi-tion, she oversees youth education, including the Dr. WATERwise program, which sends a city em-ployee into third- through fifth-grade classrooms to present hands- on projects that teach the students about water issues and conserva-tion. The program, which reached

800 students last year, teaches students how to gauge their own water use, analyze data and find ways to “make every drop count.”

In third grade, students record the water they use for three days so they can grasp the volume pass-ing through the tap as they bathe, brush their teeth and flush the toilet. In fourth and fifth grades, the focus turns to the sources of water and its users: residential, business, farm, industrial and rec-reational. They also learn how water from the Rocky Mountain snowpack serves other states downstream.

Understanding users

Dr. WATERwise uses role-playing where students represent different user categories. “They have to learn about their category, and they have to stay in their role and discuss water with students assigned to other categories,” Cam-enson says. “They end up learning a lot. Then we hope they go home and discuss it with their parents.”

The city also sponsors the

annual Fort Collins Children’s Water Festival on the Colorado State campus. Each spring about 1,700 students attend classroom presen-tations, view displays and take part in activities geared to increas-ing water awareness.

Camenson, who also works with high school students in the Water-SHED program focusing on sur-face water issues, aims to engage students for more than just one year: The idea is to make sure the water lessons stick. “I want to see the students as much as I can, so by the time they graduate they are good citizens,” she says. “They’ll be the most educated population out there.” wso

WSO welcomes stories about your public information and education efforts for future “Winning them Over” articles. Send your suggestions to [email protected] or call 877/953-3301.

Students map their watershed while working with Dr. WaterWise as part of thecommunity education program.

Classroom exercises for grades 3-5 include hands-on demonstrations thatteach the importance of conservation.

In Colorado, where water rights are strictly governed and water supplies can be scant, the job of a water conservationist requires

immediate action and a long-range viewpoint.

Fort Collins water conserva-tionist Laurie D’Audney says her role is to help utility officials and political leaders prepare for the future, while keeping a close eye on the water available for the sum-

mer. The city’s education pro-grams include classroom sessions and an audit program that helps residents get a handle on irriga-tion water.

Fort Collins, in the foothills of the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains, averages 16 inches in annual precipitation. Home to 150,000 people and Colorado State University, it has three surface water sources: the Cache la Pou-dre River that runs through the city, water from the Michigan River that flows to the Poudre; and the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which impounds water on the west slope of the Front Range and pumps it through a tunnel to cit-ies on the eastern side.

Education first

As Fort Collins grows, the city emphasizes resource conservation.

The city has a four-level plan for water restrictions when drought limits supplies, and it includes fines for violators. But education and coop-eration rate higher than writing tickets. That was the idea behind a sprinkler audit program launched in 1999 that uses summer employ-ees to inspect properties and help home and business owners adjust lawn irrigation systems.

The workers check for broken lines or sprinkler heads and then, if the site has an automatic con-troller, turn their attention to the brains of the system. Since the program began, the city has audited more than 3,500 residen-tial customers.

“It’s amazing how many peo-ple have their controllers set up by the contractor when they’re installed and they just leave them after that,” D’Audney says. The

initial settings may not comply with the city’s drought response restrictions, or they may be dis-rupted by other factors. The audit crews help owners reset the con-trollers and teach them how to do so themselves.

Owners can request the audits, but the city often does them for people caught violating. “If we can help them get the controller set, then we usually don’t have a prob-lem again,” D’Audney says. “And that’s really our goal. The first thought is to educate rather than fine someone.”

WINNINGTHEM OVER

On PatrolFort Collins teaches conservation to kids and uses property audits to help owners irrigate their landscapes more responsibly

BY PETE LITTERSKI

PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

FOR

T C

OLL

INS

WA

TE

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TIL

ITIE

S

Each year the Fort Collins Water Utility offers watershed training for teachers at the city’s Pingree Park.

“I want to see the students as much

as I can, so by the time they graduate they are good citizens. They’ll be the most educated population out there.” MARCEE CAMENSON

A display at the Children’s Water Festival, an annual event that attracts some 2,000 students. The Fort Collins Water Utility is one of the festival sponsors.


Teaching conservationWater conservation is the focus

of half of the 10 educational ses-sions offered during the city’s annual Residential Environmental Pro-gram Series, in its 26th year. For 2013, sessions included Tricks and Tips for Xeriscape, Evolving into a Xeriscape Design, More Color, Less Water – Dryland Perennials, Burning Questions: Fire and Our Watershed, and Cool Strategies for Summer Utility Savings.

Working with Fort Collins Util-ities outreach and education super-visor Marcee Camenson, D’Audney helps recruit speakers for the classes and puts together other water con-

servation programs for Earth Day, community events, farmers’ mar-kets and displays at home centers — just about anywhere they can reach Fort Collins residents.

Camenson also organizes an annual series of breakfast sessions for the utility’s Biz Ed program, including topics such as water supply and conservation. In addi-tion, she oversees youth education, including the Dr. WATERwise program, which sends a city em-ployee into third- through fifth-grade classrooms to present hands- on projects that teach the students about water issues and conserva-tion. The program, which reached

800 students last year, teaches students how to gauge their own water use, analyze data and find ways to “make every drop count.”

In third grade, students record the water they use for three days so they can grasp the volume pass-ing through the tap as they bathe, brush their teeth and flush the toilet. In fourth and fifth grades, the focus turns to the sources of water and its users: residential, business, farm, industrial and rec-reational. They also learn how water from the Rocky Mountain snowpack serves other states downstream.

Understanding users

Dr. WATERwise uses role-playing where students represent different user categories. “They have to learn about their category, and they have to stay in their role and discuss water with students assigned to other categories,” Cam-enson says. “They end up learning a lot. Then we hope they go home and discuss it with their parents.”

The city also sponsors the

annual Fort Collins Children’s Water Festival on the Colorado State campus. Each spring about 1,700 students attend classroom presen-tations, view displays and take part in activities geared to increas-ing water awareness.

Camenson, who also works with high school students in the Water-SHED program focusing on sur-face water issues, aims to engage students for more than just one year: The idea is to make sure the water lessons stick. “I want to see the students as much as I can, so by the time they graduate they are good citizens,” she says. “They’ll be the most educated population out there.” wso

WSO welcomes stories about your public information and education efforts for future “Winning them Over” articles. Send your suggestions to [email protected] or call 877/953-3301.

Students map their watershed while working with Dr. WaterWise as part of thecommunity education program.

Classroom exercises for grades 3-5 include hands-on demonstrations thatteach the importance of conservation.

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In Colorado, where water rights are strictly governed and water supplies can be scant, the job of a water conservationist requires

immediate action and a long-range viewpoint.

Fort Collins water conserva-tionist Laurie D’Audney says her role is to help utility officials and political leaders prepare for the future, while keeping a close eye on the water available for the sum-

mer. The city’s education pro-grams include classroom sessions and an audit program that helps residents get a handle on irriga-tion water.

Fort Collins, in the foothills of the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains, averages 16 inches in annual precipitation. Home to 150,000 people and Colorado State University, it has three surface water sources: the Cache la Pou-dre River that runs through the city, water from the Michigan River that flows to the Poudre; and the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which impounds water on the west slope of the Front Range and pumps it through a tunnel to cit-ies on the eastern side.

Education first

As Fort Collins grows, the city emphasizes resource conservation.

The city has a four-level plan for water restrictions when drought limits supplies, and it includes fines for violators. But education and coop-eration rate higher than writing tickets. That was the idea behind a sprinkler audit program launched in 1999 that uses summer employ-ees to inspect properties and help home and business owners adjust lawn irrigation systems.

The workers check for broken lines or sprinkler heads and then, if the site has an automatic con-troller, turn their attention to the brains of the system. Since the program began, the city has audited more than 3,500 residen-tial customers.

“It’s amazing how many peo-ple have their controllers set up by the contractor when they’re installed and they just leave them after that,” D’Audney says. The

initial settings may not comply with the city’s drought response restrictions, or they may be dis-rupted by other factors. The audit crews help owners reset the con-trollers and teach them how to do so themselves.

Owners can request the audits, but the city often does them for people caught violating. “If we can help them get the controller set, then we usually don’t have a prob-lem again,” D’Audney says. “And that’s really our goal. The first thought is to educate rather than fine someone.”

WINNINGTHEM OVER

On PatrolFort Collins teaches conservation to kids and uses property audits to help owners irrigate their landscapes more responsibly

BY PETE LITTERSKI

PH

OT

OS

CO

UR

TE

SY

OF

FOR

T C

OLL

INS

WA

TE

R U

TIL

ITIE

S

Each year the Fort Collins Water Utility offers watershed training for teachers at the city’s Pingree Park.

“I want to see the students as much

as I can, so by the time they graduate they are good citizens. They’ll be the most educated population out there.” MARCEE CAMENSON

A display at the Children’s Water Festival, an annual event that attracts some 2,000 students. The Fort Collins Water Utility is one of the festival sponsors.


Water system operators increasingly strive to perform more sustain-ably and drive down energy costs. Here are some of the latest energy effi-cient generators, motors, pumps, blowers, drives and renewable energy systems that water utilities are using to help save energy while delivering a high-quality product.

Generators

Industrial diesel liquid-cooled generatorIndustrial Diesel Liquid Cooled (IDLC) generator sets from Baldor

Electric are available in ratings from 300 to 2,000 kW and include heavy-duty diesel engines that meet the latest EPA emissions regulations. They have brushless synchronous alternators with dynamic balancing and four-pole construction for long life and low maintenance. An easy-to-use microprocessor-based controller allows for field programming. The units are production tested to

ensure easy startup. They accept rated load in one step. 749/646-4711; www.baldor.com.

Tier 2 diesel generator set

High-horsepower diesel generator sets from Cummins Power Generation meet EPA Tier 2 emissions regulations. They are designed for emergency response, steady-state performance, reliability and versatility for standby, prime and continuous power applications. Models operating at 60 Hz are rated from 1,250 to 2,250 kW. Models operating at 50 Hz are rated from 1,400 to 2,500 kVa. They accept full rated load in a single step as required by NFPA for Level 1 systems, and are available with a data center continu-ous rating for continuous use, complying with Uptime Institute stan-dards. 877/769-7669; www.cumminspower.com.

Energy-efficient generator

The 2,500 kW generator from Kohler Power Systems has a V-16 engine that offers high power density in a compact footprint. Its International Building Code (IBC) 2012 seis-mic certification makes it suitable for water

treatment plants. The generator fully integrates with automatic transfer switches, custom paralleling switchgear and controls. 800/544-2444; www.kohlerpower.com.

Commercial generator

The SGX 7500 Generator from Subaru Industrial Power Products offers a Subaru EX overhead cam engine. It is constructed of heavy-duty steel and equipped with steel fuel tanks. At 7.5 kW, it is the largest of three models available. It is CSA certified to meet electrical safety standards. 847/540-7300; www.subarupower.com.

High-Efficiency Motors/Pumps/Blowers

Hybrid blowerThe Delta Hybrid rotary lobe compressor from

Aerzen USA combines rotary lobe blower and screw compressor technologies. It provides the reliability of positive displacement aeration with energy efficiency comparable to turbo technologies. The screw compres-sor, with internal compression, is efficient in high pres-

sure ranges. 610/380-0244; www.aerzenusa.com.

High-speed turbo blowerThe High Speed Turbo Blower from APG-Neuros uses

a bump foil air bearing that is oil free and noncontact, needing no lubricating or associated maintenance. Its permanent magnet synchronous motor transfers EMF to the load with no physical contact between stator and shaft, offering high-precision motor speed con-trol. It can attain flow rates to 21,000 scfm and a design discharge pressure to 15 psig. Models range from 30 to 700 hp; dual-core models (400 to 700 hp) provide a wide flow range with a turndown rate of up to 80 percent. 866/592-9482; www.apg-neuros.com.

Efficient aerator and mixer motor

Endura Series motors from Aqua-Aerobic Systems are high- and premium-efficiency options for Aqua-Jet surface aerators and Aqua DDM direct-drive mixers. They are available in a variety of horsepower ratings and operate under severe conditions. They require no greasing and only limited maintenance for five years. 800/940-5008; www.aqua-aerobic.com.

Regenerative blower

Regenerative blowers from Atlantic Blowers are available in single- or double-stage configurations. The impeller is directly connected to the motor shaft, elim-inating pulleys and belts. This minimizes

moving parts, reducing maintenance and maximizing life. The units pro-vide clean, dry, oil-free air at slightly above ambient temperature. Air volume ranges from 18 to 1,519 cfm, and air pressure from 22 to 313 inches H20. Motor ratings range from 0.16 to 50 hp. 214/233-0280; www.atlanticblowers.com.

Aeration blower

Eurus Blower offers bi-lobe (MB) or tri-lobe (ZG) aeration blowers and packages for MBBRs, sludge tanks and equalization tanks. They are rated to 15 psig and offer airflows to 3,950 cfm. They have integral-shaft ductile iron impellers, dual splash lubrication, oversized roller bear-ings, piston ring air seals and viton lip seals. They have high-efficiency integrated intake filter/silencers with washable polyurethane filter media, combination bases and heavy-duty integrated discharge silencers and vibration dampers. 630/221-8282; www.eurusblower.com.

PRODUCT FOCUS: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATIONBY CRAIG MANDLI

High-speed centrifugal blowerThe Hoffman Revolution high-speed

centrifugal blower from Gardner Denver delivers up to 45 percent energy savings and high reliability with little maintenance. It is factory prewired and tested in an ergonomi-cally designed sound enclosure for plug-and-

play operation. Technology improvements allow a compact footprint. It has a 1-meter certified sound rating at below 80 dBA. Features include a single enclosure housing, high-speed blower/motor unit, direct-driven high-speed motor, self-contained cooling system, air filtration elements, high-efficiency impeller, magnetic smart bearings and blow-off valve assembly. 724/239-1500; www.hoffmanandlamson.com.

High-efficiency regenerative blower

High-efficiency K Series regenerative blowers from FPZ are ideal for applications that require low power consumption. The high-efficiency impeller maximizes the blower airflow output at pressure (especially at pressures greater than 4.5 psig). Multi-ple horsepower options area available that allow the user to utilize the lowest installed power required to meet the system pressure requirements. Standard motors are suitable for use with variable-fre-quency drives, so the blower can operate at lower speeds to minimize power consumption. Their compact design and low noise levels allow them to be installed without large acoustical enclosures. They are capable of producing pressures to 12.5 psig and flows over 1,000 cfm, and are backed by a three-year warranty. 262/268-0180; www.fpz.com.

Inverter duty vertical motor

The U.S. MOTORS line of inverter duty vertical motors from Nidec Motor Corporation include a bear-ing protection system with a shaft grounding-ring that reduces damage from voltage spikes. The system is available on 40 hp and above vertical HOLLOSHAFT motors. Vertical motors 100 hp and larger also include an insulated bearing to prevent circulating and other bearing currents. 888/637-7333; www.nidec-motor.com.

Vacuum blower

RB-DV Hi-Vacuum blowers from Robuschi USA offer an airflow range from 400 to 6,200 cfm. Air injection manifolds allow operation at 28 inches Hg continuously without a vac-uum relief valve. The lightweight manifolds

and low-pulsation technology ensure low noise and less vibration. The fabricated and cast manifolds and foot assemblies can be custom made to suit PTO angle. Lifting hooks allow safe and easy assembly and removal. 877/424-1020; www.robuschiusa.com.

Renewable Energy Systems

Biosolids thermal hydrolysis systemThe EXELYS biosolids thermal hydrolysis system

from Kruger USA is used in a DLD (digestion-lysis-digestion) configuration to optimize energy production

and solids reduction. Material is fed to the first digester, which can oper-ate in a mesophilic or thermophilic state, and the easily degradable solids are converted to biogas. The material is then dewatered and fed to the continuous thermal hydrolysis system. The heat is recovered for steam generation and heating of the first digester. The hydrolysed material is then digested in the second digester, a mesophilic unit where all solubi-lized solids in the system are converted to biogas. 919/677-8310; www.krugerusa.com.

Disinfection energy generation

Integrated energy-generation sys-tems from Pasteurization Technology Group combine water disinfection with the generation of renewable energy. They can use waste byproducts such as biogas or biomass or natural gas to power a tur-bine or engine that generates electricity. Exhaust passes through a heat-recovery unit that increases the temperature to disinfect the water. Intelligent software optimizes energy and water flow. The technology does not require toxic chemicals or electricity. It has passed California Title 22 disinfection standards. 510/357-0562; www.pastechgroup.com.

Energy management software

StruxureWare for Water software from Schneider Electric includes an eas-ily configurable dashboard that allows ad hoc reporting and analysis. Operators have several tools that aggregate energy and related data into a single platform for

analysis of energy savings. The power monitoring functions deliver data as actionable information through a customizable, user-friendly interface accessible from computers and handheld devices on the network. The functionality can be scaled from small systems up to large municipal or industrial systems. 770/329-3878; www.schneider-electric-water.com.

Solar-powered water monitor

At sites without utility power, a solar-pow-ered water monitor from SunWize Technol-ogies can help maintain operations to provide clean, continuous water supplies. Systems can operate integrated units of spread spectrum radios and dissolved oxygen (DO) analyzers. Analog signal outputs of DO analyzers are wired directly into RTU/radios. The remote radio units transmit the sig-nals to a central ModBus gateway radio, which interfaces with a SCADA system to monitor and provide historical trends of the collected data. 800/817-6527; www.sunwize.com.

Variable-Speed Drives

Eddy current driveEddy Current Drives from DSI Dynamatic

include an EC-2000 Controller that enables digital or analog integration with digital process control systems, SCADA systems or PLCs. A flexible key-pad enables simple and intuitive programming of control parameters and

(Continued on page 35)


Water system operators increasingly strive to perform more sustain-ably and drive down energy costs. Here are some of the latest energy effi-cient generators, motors, pumps, blowers, drives and renewable energy systems that water utilities are using to help save energy while delivering a high-quality product.

Generators

Industrial diesel liquid-cooled generatorIndustrial Diesel Liquid Cooled (IDLC) generator sets from Baldor

Electric are available in ratings from 300 to 2,000 kW and include heavy-duty diesel engines that meet the latest EPA emissions regulations. They have brushless synchronous alternators with dynamic balancing and four-pole construction for long life and low maintenance. An easy-to-use microprocessor-based controller allows for field programming. The units are production tested to

ensure easy startup. They accept rated load in one step. 749/646-4711; www.baldor.com.

Tier 2 diesel generator set

High-horsepower diesel generator sets from Cummins Power Generation meet EPA Tier 2 emissions regulations. They are designed for emergency response, steady-state performance, reliability and versatility for standby, prime and continuous power applications. Models operating at 60 Hz are rated from 1,250 to 2,250 kW. Models operating at 50 Hz are rated from 1,400 to 2,500 kVa. They accept full rated load in a single step as required by NFPA for Level 1 systems, and are available with a data center continu-ous rating for continuous use, complying with Uptime Institute stan-dards. 877/769-7669; www.cumminspower.com.

Energy-efficient generator

The 2,500 kW generator from Kohler Power Systems has a V-16 engine that offers high power density in a compact footprint. Its International Building Code (IBC) 2012 seis-mic certification makes it suitable for water

treatment plants. The generator fully integrates with automatic transfer switches, custom paralleling switchgear and controls. 800/544-2444; www.kohlerpower.com.

Commercial generator

The SGX 7500 Generator from Subaru Industrial Power Products offers a Subaru EX overhead cam engine. It is constructed of heavy-duty steel and equipped with steel fuel tanks. At 7.5 kW, it is the largest of three models available. It is CSA certified to meet electrical safety standards. 847/540-7300; www.subarupower.com.

High-Efficiency Motors/Pumps/Blowers

Hybrid blowerThe Delta Hybrid rotary lobe compressor from

Aerzen USA combines rotary lobe blower and screw compressor technologies. It provides the reliability of positive displacement aeration with energy efficiency comparable to turbo technologies. The screw compres-sor, with internal compression, is efficient in high pres-

sure ranges. 610/380-0244; www.aerzenusa.com.

High-speed turbo blowerThe High Speed Turbo Blower from APG-Neuros uses

a bump foil air bearing that is oil free and noncontact, needing no lubricating or associated maintenance. Its permanent magnet synchronous motor transfers EMF to the load with no physical contact between stator and shaft, offering high-precision motor speed con-trol. It can attain flow rates to 21,000 scfm and a design discharge pressure to 15 psig. Models range from 30 to 700 hp; dual-core models (400 to 700 hp) provide a wide flow range with a turndown rate of up to 80 percent. 866/592-9482; www.apg-neuros.com.

Efficient aerator and mixer motor

Endura Series motors from Aqua-Aerobic Systems are high- and premium-efficiency options for Aqua-Jet surface aerators and Aqua DDM direct-drive mixers. They are available in a variety of horsepower ratings and operate under severe conditions. They require no greasing and only limited maintenance for five years. 800/940-5008; www.aqua-aerobic.com.

Regenerative blower

Regenerative blowers from Atlantic Blowers are available in single- or double-stage configurations. The impeller is directly connected to the motor shaft, elim-inating pulleys and belts. This minimizes

moving parts, reducing maintenance and maximizing life. The units pro-vide clean, dry, oil-free air at slightly above ambient temperature. Air volume ranges from 18 to 1,519 cfm, and air pressure from 22 to 313 inches H20. Motor ratings range from 0.16 to 50 hp. 214/233-0280; www.atlanticblowers.com.

Aeration blower

Eurus Blower offers bi-lobe (MB) or tri-lobe (ZG) aeration blowers and packages for MBBRs, sludge tanks and equalization tanks. They are rated to 15 psig and offer airflows to 3,950 cfm. They have integral-shaft ductile iron impellers, dual splash lubrication, oversized roller bear-ings, piston ring air seals and viton lip seals. They have high-efficiency integrated intake filter/silencers with washable polyurethane filter media, combination bases and heavy-duty integrated discharge silencers and vibration dampers. 630/221-8282; www.eurusblower.com.

PRODUCT FOCUS: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATIONBY CRAIG MANDLI

High-speed centrifugal blowerThe Hoffman Revolution high-speed

centrifugal blower from Gardner Denver delivers up to 45 percent energy savings and high reliability with little maintenance. It is factory prewired and tested in an ergonomi-cally designed sound enclosure for plug-and-

play operation. Technology improvements allow a compact footprint. It has a 1-meter certified sound rating at below 80 dBA. Features include a single enclosure housing, high-speed blower/motor unit, direct-driven high-speed motor, self-contained cooling system, air filtration elements, high-efficiency impeller, magnetic smart bearings and blow-off valve assembly. 724/239-1500; www.hoffmanandlamson.com.

High-efficiency regenerative blower

High-efficiency K Series regenerative blowers from FPZ are ideal for applications that require low power consumption. The high-efficiency impeller maximizes the blower airflow output at pressure (especially at pressures greater than 4.5 psig). Multi-ple horsepower options area available that allow the user to utilize the lowest installed power required to meet the system pressure requirements. Standard motors are suitable for use with variable-fre-quency drives, so the blower can operate at lower speeds to minimize power consumption. Their compact design and low noise levels allow them to be installed without large acoustical enclosures. They are capable of producing pressures to 12.5 psig and flows over 1,000 cfm, and are backed by a three-year warranty. 262/268-0180; www.fpz.com.

Inverter duty vertical motor

The U.S. MOTORS line of inverter duty vertical motors from Nidec Motor Corporation include a bear-ing protection system with a shaft grounding-ring that reduces damage from voltage spikes. The system is available on 40 hp and above vertical HOLLOSHAFT motors. Vertical motors 100 hp and larger also include an insulated bearing to prevent circulating and other bearing currents. 888/637-7333; www.nidec-motor.com.

Vacuum blower

RB-DV Hi-Vacuum blowers from Robuschi USA offer an airflow range from 400 to 6,200 cfm. Air injection manifolds allow operation at 28 inches Hg continuously without a vac-uum relief valve. The lightweight manifolds

and low-pulsation technology ensure low noise and less vibration. The fabricated and cast manifolds and foot assemblies can be custom made to suit PTO angle. Lifting hooks allow safe and easy assembly and removal. 877/424-1020; www.robuschiusa.com.

Renewable Energy Systems

Biosolids thermal hydrolysis systemThe EXELYS biosolids thermal hydrolysis system

from Kruger USA is used in a DLD (digestion-lysis-digestion) configuration to optimize energy production

and solids reduction. Material is fed to the first digester, which can oper-ate in a mesophilic or thermophilic state, and the easily degradable solids are converted to biogas. The material is then dewatered and fed to the continuous thermal hydrolysis system. The heat is recovered for steam generation and heating of the first digester. The hydrolysed material is then digested in the second digester, a mesophilic unit where all solubi-lized solids in the system are converted to biogas. 919/677-8310; www.krugerusa.com.

Disinfection energy generation

Integrated energy-generation sys-tems from Pasteurization Technology Group combine water disinfection with the generation of renewable energy. They can use waste byproducts such as biogas or biomass or natural gas to power a tur-bine or engine that generates electricity. Exhaust passes through a heat-recovery unit that increases the temperature to disinfect the water. Intelligent software optimizes energy and water flow. The technology does not require toxic chemicals or electricity. It has passed California Title 22 disinfection standards. 510/357-0562; www.pastechgroup.com.

Energy management software

StruxureWare for Water software from Schneider Electric includes an eas-ily configurable dashboard that allows ad hoc reporting and analysis. Operators have several tools that aggregate energy and related data into a single platform for

analysis of energy savings. The power monitoring functions deliver data as actionable information through a customizable, user-friendly interface accessible from computers and handheld devices on the network. The functionality can be scaled from small systems up to large municipal or industrial systems. 770/329-3878; www.schneider-electric-water.com.

Solar-powered water monitor

At sites without utility power, a solar-pow-ered water monitor from SunWize Technol-ogies can help maintain operations to provide clean, continuous water supplies. Systems can operate integrated units of spread spectrum radios and dissolved oxygen (DO) analyzers. Analog signal outputs of DO analyzers are wired directly into RTU/radios. The remote radio units transmit the sig-nals to a central ModBus gateway radio, which interfaces with a SCADA system to monitor and provide historical trends of the collected data. 800/817-6527; www.sunwize.com.

Variable-Speed Drives

Eddy current driveEddy Current Drives from DSI Dynamatic

include an EC-2000 Controller that enables digital or analog integration with digital process control systems, SCADA systems or PLCs. A flexible key-pad enables simple and intuitive programming of control parameters and



Dehumidification system saves energy, reduces damageProblem

A municipal water treatment facility in Tonawanda, N.Y., was experi-encing problems with inadequate humidity control inside the pipe galler-ies, resulting in significant maintenance issues with the pipes and auxiliary devices. Moisture would condense, causing corrosion, and drip onto instruments, valves, filter equipment and wiring.

SolutionKathabar Dehumidifi-

cation Systems provided a liquid desiccant dehu-midification system that controls the humidity in the galleries, maintaining the dew point lower than the tem-perature of the water in the pipes. It operates by absorb-ing the water vapor from the air with a liquid desiccant, continuously circulated through a heat exchanger and cooled by a modulated flow of river water. The system checks the tem-

perature of the water and automatically adjusts the air conditions to provide a dew point that eliminates condensation.

RESULTThe system keeps the pipe galleries dry year round. Its controllability

allows the plant to maintain the proper air conditions, eliminate mainte-nance problems and save energy. 716/875-2000; www.kathabar.com.

Generators provide power for system with frequent power outagesProblem

The Rathbun Regional Water Association (RRWA), a provider of water to southeast Iowa, is charged with keeping 36 water towers full in a rural area that suffers frequent power outages. “When power is lost, the water from a tower keeps flowing, but a clock starts ticking on how soon each tower will run out,” says Rod Witt, RRWA in Cen-terville, Iowa. “Some towers last a day or longer, while others need to be replenished in just a few hours.”

Solution“We essentially have

36 different countdown clocks, one for each water tower, based on water lev-els and projected usage,” says Witt. Four towable 200 kW Kohler Power Systems generators are moved strategically among 39 pump stations through-out the Rathbun distribution area. They run for a few hours to top off a water tower, then are transported to the next pump station.

RESULTThe generators have performed flawlessly in several large power

outages, including a 2007 ice storm that coated the area with up to 2 inches of ice, snapping several thousand power poles, and keeping power down for more than a week. 800/544-2444; www.kohler power.com. wso

CASE STUDIES: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATIONBY CRAIG MANDLI

It’s your magazine.Tell your story.

WSO welcomes news about your water system for future articles.Send your ideas to [email protected]

digital display of any two of several status parameters. The drives convert the constant-speed rotary energy of a standard motor to precisely con-trolled speed or torque without significant electrical conversion. No har-monic distortion or audible noise is created. The equipment operates in normal ambient conditions without auxiliary cooling or special power supply. 800/548-2169; www.dynamatic.com.

Variable-frequency drive control panel

OLS Series control panels from Orenco Controls contain integrated variable-frequency drives, which can optimize system operation and reduce energy usage. They also prolong pump and system life by reducing hard starts and water hammer. Multiple drives can be configured through one user-friendly, easy-to-understand human-machine interface. Each panel and its enclosure can be designed and built specifi-cally for application and set-up needs. Using a project’s unique parame-ters, engineers pre-program user interfaces to the site-specific needs of an installation, making the panel virtually plug and play. It offers circuit protection, heat dissipation systems (fan or A/C), phase and voltage pro-tection, level controls and a variety of other customizable features. 877/257-8712; www.orencocontrols.com.

Variable-speed pressure booster

The IntelliBoost variable-speed constant pressure booster system from Pentair/Aurora is tailored to fresh-water applications. The system offers a combination of a variable-frequency drive for each pump and a program-

mable logic controller (PLC) with a proportional integral derivative (PID) loop to stage up to four pumps based on pressure and flow needs. 630/859-7000; www.aurorapump.com.

Transfer switches

RTS Series transfer switches from Russelectric are UL labeled and listed for 30-cycle closing and withstand ratings based on testing per UL Standard 1008. They simplify selective coordination of overcur-rent/short circuit devices in emergency and backup power systems. Capable of closing in on and with-standing 30 cycles of fault current, they have capacity to allow downstream devices to clear a fault before upstream devices. Consequently, they simplify the engineering task of selective coordina-tion mandated by the National Electrical Code for emergency and legally required standby systems. They are available in single- and dual-operator versions in ratings from 100 to 4,000 amps for open- or closed-transition switching. 781/749-6000; www.russelectric.com.

Drive unit

Drive units from WesTech Engineering are delivered as a single, completely assembled and shop-tested unit, ready to be installed on the thickener or clarifier center column. They offer flexibility of design that allows engineers to select a drive that closely matches the process and mechanical requirements. 801/265-1000; www.westech-inc.com. wso

PRODUCT FOCUS: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATION (Continued from page 33)


Dehumidification system saves energy, reduces damageProblem

A municipal water treatment facility in Tonawanda, N.Y., was experi-encing problems with inadequate humidity control inside the pipe galler-ies, resulting in significant maintenance issues with the pipes and auxiliary devices. Moisture would condense, causing corrosion, and drip onto instruments, valves, filter equipment and wiring.

SolutionKathabar Dehumidifi-

cation Systems provided a liquid desiccant dehu-midification system that controls the humidity in the galleries, maintaining the dew point lower than the tem-perature of the water in the pipes. It operates by absorb-ing the water vapor from the air with a liquid desiccant, continuously circulated through a heat exchanger and cooled by a modulated flow of river water. The system checks the tem-

perature of the water and automatically adjusts the air conditions to provide a dew point that eliminates condensation.

RESULTThe system keeps the pipe galleries dry year round. Its controllability

allows the plant to maintain the proper air conditions, eliminate mainte-nance problems and save energy. 716/875-2000; www.kathabar.com.

Generators provide power for system with frequent power outagesProblem

The Rathbun Regional Water Association (RRWA), a provider of water to southeast Iowa, is charged with keeping 36 water towers full in a rural area that suffers frequent power outages. “When power is lost, the water from a tower keeps flowing, but a clock starts ticking on how soon each tower will run out,” says Rod Witt, RRWA in Cen-terville, Iowa. “Some towers last a day or longer, while others need to be replenished in just a few hours.”

Solution“We essentially have

36 different countdown clocks, one for each water tower, based on water lev-els and projected usage,” says Witt. Four towable 200 kW Kohler Power Systems generators are moved strategically among 39 pump stations through-out the Rathbun distribution area. They run for a few hours to top off a water tower, then are transported to the next pump station.

RESULTThe generators have performed flawlessly in several large power

outages, including a 2007 ice storm that coated the area with up to 2 inches of ice, snapping several thousand power poles, and keeping power down for more than a week. 800/544-2444; www.kohler power.com. wso

CASE STUDIES: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATIONBY CRAIG MANDLI

It’s your magazine.Tell your story.

WSO welcomes news about your water system for future articles.Send your ideas to [email protected]

Jacobi Carbons offers the world's broadest line of activated carbons for air, water, and process gas/liquid treatment.

Visit us at: www.jacobi.net or stop and see us at WEFTEC booth #4387 in Chicago!

digital display of any two of several status parameters. The drives convert the constant-speed rotary energy of a standard motor to precisely con-trolled speed or torque without significant electrical conversion. No har-monic distortion or audible noise is created. The equipment operates in normal ambient conditions without auxiliary cooling or special power supply. 800/548-2169; www.dynamatic.com.

Variable-frequency drive control panel

OLS Series control panels from Orenco Controls contain integrated variable-frequency drives, which can optimize system operation and reduce energy usage. They also prolong pump and system life by reducing hard starts and water hammer. Multiple drives can be configured through one user-friendly, easy-to-understand human-machine interface. Each panel and its enclosure can be designed and built specifi-cally for application and set-up needs. Using a project’s unique parame-ters, engineers pre-program user interfaces to the site-specific needs of an installation, making the panel virtually plug and play. It offers circuit protection, heat dissipation systems (fan or A/C), phase and voltage pro-tection, level controls and a variety of other customizable features. 877/257-8712; www.orencocontrols.com.

Variable-speed pressure booster

The IntelliBoost variable-speed constant pressure booster system from Pentair/Aurora is tailored to fresh-water applications. The system offers a combination of a variable-frequency drive for each pump and a program-

mable logic controller (PLC) with a proportional integral derivative (PID) loop to stage up to four pumps based on pressure and flow needs. 630/859-7000; www.aurorapump.com.

Transfer switches

RTS Series transfer switches from Russelectric are UL labeled and listed for 30-cycle closing and withstand ratings based on testing per UL Standard 1008. They simplify selective coordination of overcur-rent/short circuit devices in emergency and backup power systems. Capable of closing in on and with-standing 30 cycles of fault current, they have capacity to allow downstream devices to clear a fault before upstream devices. Consequently, they simplify the engineering task of selective coordina-tion mandated by the National Electrical Code for emergency and legally required standby systems. They are available in single- and dual-operator versions in ratings from 100 to 4,000 amps for open- or closed-transition switching. 781/749-6000; www.russelectric.com.

Drive unit

Drive units from WesTech Engineering are delivered as a single, completely assembled and shop-tested unit, ready to be installed on the thickener or clarifier center column. They offer flexibility of design that allows engineers to select a drive that closely matches the process and mechanical requirements. 801/265-1000; www.westech-inc.com. wso

PRODUCT FOCUS: ENERGY MANAGEMENT AND POWER GENERATION (Continued from page 33)


1|Val-Matic swing check valveThe AWWA swing check valve from Val-Matic Valve & Manu-

facturing Corp. is designed for municipal and industrial water and wastewater applications. The valve prevents backflow by automatically closing when fluid reverses direction. Features include a ductile iron disc that swings open upon pump startup. When closed, the valve provides a tight shutoff through the field-replaceable stainless steel seat. Valves are available with three closure options (lever and weight, air cushion, lever and spring) and 2- to 24-inch and 30- to 48-inch sizes. 630/941-7600; www.valmatic.com.

2|Assmann large double-wall tanksCylindrical double-wall tanks from Assmann Corporation of

America eliminate chemical spills and the need for lined concrete con-tainment. The molded tanks feature uniform walls and heavy top side-wall and dome for chemical and corrosion resistance, while the primary inner tank and secondary locked-on outer containment ensures against chemical spills. Tanks are available in sizes from 20 to 6,550 gallons. 888/357-3181; www.assmann-usa.com.

3|Endress+Hauser cell density sensorThe OUSBT66 sensor for cell density from Endress+Hauser

uses near-infrared light absorbance to monitor cell density in real time, providing an easy and reliable method for measuring biomass concentra-tion. The sensor can be operated continuously up to 158 degrees F and exposed to 275 degrees F with the lamp turned off for CIP, SIP or steam sterilization in an autoclave. 888/363-7377; www.us.endress.com.

4|Dow reverse osmosis elementsFilmtec ECO reverse osmosis elements from Dow Water and

Process Solutions combine membrane chemistry and low dP feed spac-ers for lower energy costs and reduced chemical consumption when RO is followed by a mixed bed ion exchange unit. The elements, available in ECO-4001 and ECO-440i configurations, are designed to deliver up to 40 percent lower salt passage at up to 30 percent less energy. www.dow.com/liquidseps.

5|Rain for Rent TDH calculator appThe TDH calculator mobile app from Rain for Rent

can be used by engineers, field operators and technicians to

determine pump selection. The free app can be downloaded from iTunes. 800/742-7246; www.rainforrent.com.

6|Pulsar sludge interface monitorThe Sludge Finder 2 sludge interface monitor from Pulsar Pro-

cess Measurement uses a self-cleaning transducer to bounce a sonar sig-nal from the interface layers and analyze the signal to provide a profile of the sludge levels, including RAS and FLOC measurement from a single transducer. 850/279-4882; www.pulsar-pm.com.

7|Sage thermal mass flowmeterThe Basic thermal mass flowmeter from Sage Metering fea-

tures low power consumption and can be used for any gas. The meter has an all-stainless steel probe or inline sensor, 4-20 mA signal and pulse out-put. 831/242-2030; www.sagemetering.com.

Static injection mixer slides into placeThe Model 2800 NSF-certified, fixed-plate, wafer-style static injec-

tion mixer for water treatment plants from Westfall Manufacturing Co. uses a combination of alternate vortex shedding and intense shear zone turbulence to achieve 98 percent injected fluid dispersion 10 diameters downstream. Features include a short laying length of 1 to 2 inches and integral injection assemblies. The mixer is 60 inches in diameter by 1 inch thick and is available up to 10 feet in diameter.

“The real advantage of the mixer is the short line length — 1 inch to 1 1/4 inches. It just sandwiches between the pipeline flanges,” says Robert Glanville, marketing director for Westfall Manufactur-ing. The mixer has a flat surface, rather than fins that extend into the pipe on the downstream side, for easy removal. “You just loosen up the bolts on the flanges and slide it right out if you need to clean it,” he says. There’s no need to remove sections of pipe. “It’s a real prob-lem-solver. We’ve built them from 1/2 inch through 72 inches. They can be installed in locations where there just isn’t room to install a conventional mixer.”

Predrilled to fit into the mating flange bolt circle of any piping system, the model 2800 mixer is made from 316 stainless steel and comes in three orifice ratios (0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 beta openings) for mix-ing at 1-3 FPS, 3-8 FPS or 8-11 FPS.

Mixers also can be made from other metals and plastics — PVC, CPVC, fiberglass, Teflon. “In metals, we’ve done 304 through 316

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTBY ED WODALSKI

PRODUCT NEWS

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8|Badger Meter utility management softwareReadCenter AnalyticsPro and ReadCenter Analytics+ soft-

ware from Badger Meter provides water and gas utilities with access to metrics and information for efficient operation. When coupled with Advanced Metering Infrastructure hardware, the software helps utilities optimize operations for increased productivity. The enhanced dashboard enables water utility personnel to view potential issues such as leaks, tam-pering, no usage, reverse flow and endpoints that are reaching the final days of useful life. Users also can click to see condition details. 800/876-3837; www.badgermeter.com.

9|Xylem multiparameter instrumentsMultiLab IDS laboratory instruments and smart sensors for the

water and wastewater industry from YSI, a xylem brand, can measure three parameters at a time — pH, ORP, BOD or conductivity — or three of the same parameters. The MultiLab line includes the 4010-1 (one chan-

nel), 4010-2 (dual channel) and 4010-3 (three channel) as well as smart digital probes for optical-based BOD5, pH, ORP and conductivity mea-surement. 800/897-4151; www.ysi.com.

10|Markland suspended solids density meterThe suspended solids density meter from Markland Spe-

cialty Engineering Ltd. monitors sludge concentrations in pipelines, clar-ifiers, tanks and sand/membrane filters. Using non-radioactive ultrasound, the meter measures primary, secondary, return-activated and backwash sludge, even concentrations too thick for optical methods. The inline pipe spool-piece sensor is non-intrusive and provides a continuous linear reading of suspended solids. Throw-in style probe is available. 905/873-7791; www.sludgecontrols.com.

11|Fluid Components International analyzer flow switch/monitor

The FS10A analyzer flow switch/monitor from Fluid Components International meets requirements for safety integrity level (SIL) 2 com-pliant service and is classified as a Type B subsystem in accordance to IEC 61508-1 with a hardware failure tolerance of 0. The instrument’s wet-ted parts are corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel with Hastelloy-C22 sensor tips. 800/854-1993; www.fluidcomponents.com.

12|Opto 22 groov interface appThe groov View for iOS and Android apps controls how

groov browser-based operator interfaces are displayed on smartphones, tablets and other devices. The apps are an optional part of Opto 22’s groov, a way to securely build and deploy Web-based operator interfaces for automation, monitoring and control applications. 800/321-6786; www.opto22.com.

13|Victaulic direct groove, two-piece couplingRigid and flexible Advanced Groove System couplings

from Victaulic are designed for piping systems up to 60 inches in diame-ter, install in less than an hour and offer pressure ratings up to 350 psi. 610/559-3300; www.victaulic.com.

stainless, hastelloy, titanium and Alloy 20,” Glanville says. “In some cases we’ve made mixers out of carbon steel with Teflon coating.”

The mounting ring can be drilled and tapped to accommodate quills for chemical injection, including chlorine, alum, mixed oxi-dants, lime, activated carbon, caustic soda, hydroflustic acid, sodium hypochlorite and aqua ammonia. Mixers can be installed in approx-imately a half hour on a small pipeline and require no maintenance. “We’ve been building them since ’95 and we’ve never had any reports of noticeable wear,” Glanville says. “You pretty much install it and forget it.” 888/928-3747; www.westfallmfg.com.

Model 2800 static injection mixer from Westfall Manufacturing Co.

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1|Val-Matic swing check valveThe AWWA swing check valve from Val-Matic Valve & Manu-

facturing Corp. is designed for municipal and industrial water and wastewater applications. The valve prevents backflow by automatically closing when fluid reverses direction. Features include a ductile iron disc that swings open upon pump startup. When closed, the valve provides a tight shutoff through the field-replaceable stainless steel seat. Valves are available with three closure options (lever and weight, air cushion, lever and spring) and 2- to 24-inch and 30- to 48-inch sizes. 630/941-7600; www.valmatic.com.

2|Assmann large double-wall tanksCylindrical double-wall tanks from Assmann Corporation of

America eliminate chemical spills and the need for lined concrete con-tainment. The molded tanks feature uniform walls and heavy top side-wall and dome for chemical and corrosion resistance, while the primary inner tank and secondary locked-on outer containment ensures against chemical spills. Tanks are available in sizes from 20 to 6,550 gallons. 888/357-3181; www.assmann-usa.com.

3|Endress+Hauser cell density sensorThe OUSBT66 sensor for cell density from Endress+Hauser

uses near-infrared light absorbance to monitor cell density in real time, providing an easy and reliable method for measuring biomass concentra-tion. The sensor can be operated continuously up to 158 degrees F and exposed to 275 degrees F with the lamp turned off for CIP, SIP or steam sterilization in an autoclave. 888/363-7377; www.us.endress.com.

4|Dow reverse osmosis elementsFilmtec ECO reverse osmosis elements from Dow Water and

Process Solutions combine membrane chemistry and low dP feed spac-ers for lower energy costs and reduced chemical consumption when RO is followed by a mixed bed ion exchange unit. The elements, available in ECO-4001 and ECO-440i configurations, are designed to deliver up to 40 percent lower salt passage at up to 30 percent less energy. www.dow.com/liquidseps.

5|Rain for Rent TDH calculator appThe TDH calculator mobile app from Rain for Rent

can be used by engineers, field operators and technicians to

determine pump selection. The free app can be downloaded from iTunes. 800/742-7246; www.rainforrent.com.

6|Pulsar sludge interface monitorThe Sludge Finder 2 sludge interface monitor from Pulsar Pro-

cess Measurement uses a self-cleaning transducer to bounce a sonar sig-nal from the interface layers and analyze the signal to provide a profile of the sludge levels, including RAS and FLOC measurement from a single transducer. 850/279-4882; www.pulsar-pm.com.

7|Sage thermal mass flowmeterThe Basic thermal mass flowmeter from Sage Metering fea-

tures low power consumption and can be used for any gas. The meter has an all-stainless steel probe or inline sensor, 4-20 mA signal and pulse out-put. 831/242-2030; www.sagemetering.com.

Static injection mixer slides into placeThe Model 2800 NSF-certified, fixed-plate, wafer-style static injec-

tion mixer for water treatment plants from Westfall Manufacturing Co. uses a combination of alternate vortex shedding and intense shear zone turbulence to achieve 98 percent injected fluid dispersion 10 diameters downstream. Features include a short laying length of 1 to 2 inches and integral injection assemblies. The mixer is 60 inches in diameter by 1 inch thick and is available up to 10 feet in diameter.

“The real advantage of the mixer is the short line length — 1 inch to 1 1/4 inches. It just sandwiches between the pipeline flanges,” says Robert Glanville, marketing director for Westfall Manufactur-ing. The mixer has a flat surface, rather than fins that extend into the pipe on the downstream side, for easy removal. “You just loosen up the bolts on the flanges and slide it right out if you need to clean it,” he says. There’s no need to remove sections of pipe. “It’s a real prob-lem-solver. We’ve built them from 1/2 inch through 72 inches. They can be installed in locations where there just isn’t room to install a conventional mixer.”

Predrilled to fit into the mating flange bolt circle of any piping system, the model 2800 mixer is made from 316 stainless steel and comes in three orifice ratios (0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 beta openings) for mix-ing at 1-3 FPS, 3-8 FPS or 8-11 FPS.

Mixers also can be made from other metals and plastics — PVC, CPVC, fiberglass, Teflon. “In metals, we’ve done 304 through 316

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTBY ED WODALSKI

PRODUCT NEWS

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8|Badger Meter utility management softwareReadCenter AnalyticsPro and ReadCenter Analytics+ soft-

ware from Badger Meter provides water and gas utilities with access to metrics and information for efficient operation. When coupled with Advanced Metering Infrastructure hardware, the software helps utilities optimize operations for increased productivity. The enhanced dashboard enables water utility personnel to view potential issues such as leaks, tam-pering, no usage, reverse flow and endpoints that are reaching the final days of useful life. Users also can click to see condition details. 800/876-3837; www.badgermeter.com.

9|Xylem multiparameter instrumentsMultiLab IDS laboratory instruments and smart sensors for the

water and wastewater industry from YSI, a xylem brand, can measure three parameters at a time — pH, ORP, BOD or conductivity — or three of the same parameters. The MultiLab line includes the 4010-1 (one chan-

nel), 4010-2 (dual channel) and 4010-3 (three channel) as well as smart digital probes for optical-based BOD5, pH, ORP and conductivity mea-surement. 800/897-4151; www.ysi.com.

10|Markland suspended solids density meterThe suspended solids density meter from Markland Spe-

cialty Engineering Ltd. monitors sludge concentrations in pipelines, clar-ifiers, tanks and sand/membrane filters. Using non-radioactive ultrasound, the meter measures primary, secondary, return-activated and backwash sludge, even concentrations too thick for optical methods. The inline pipe spool-piece sensor is non-intrusive and provides a continuous linear reading of suspended solids. Throw-in style probe is available. 905/873-7791; www.sludgecontrols.com.

11|Fluid Components International analyzer flow switch/monitor

The FS10A analyzer flow switch/monitor from Fluid Components International meets requirements for safety integrity level (SIL) 2 com-pliant service and is classified as a Type B subsystem in accordance to IEC 61508-1 with a hardware failure tolerance of 0. The instrument’s wet-ted parts are corrosion-resistant 316L stainless steel with Hastelloy-C22 sensor tips. 800/854-1993; www.fluidcomponents.com.

12|Opto 22 groov interface appThe groov View for iOS and Android apps controls how

groov browser-based operator interfaces are displayed on smartphones, tablets and other devices. The apps are an optional part of Opto 22’s groov, a way to securely build and deploy Web-based operator interfaces for automation, monitoring and control applications. 800/321-6786; www.opto22.com.

13|Victaulic direct groove, two-piece couplingRigid and flexible Advanced Groove System couplings

from Victaulic are designed for piping systems up to 60 inches in diame-ter, install in less than an hour and offer pressure ratings up to 350 psi. 610/559-3300; www.victaulic.com.

stainless, hastelloy, titanium and Alloy 20,” Glanville says. “In some cases we’ve made mixers out of carbon steel with Teflon coating.”

The mounting ring can be drilled and tapped to accommodate quills for chemical injection, including chlorine, alum, mixed oxi-dants, lime, activated carbon, caustic soda, hydroflustic acid, sodium hypochlorite and aqua ammonia. Mixers can be installed in approx-imately a half hour on a small pipeline and require no maintenance. “We’ve been building them since ’95 and we’ve never had any reports of noticeable wear,” Glanville says. “You pretty much install it and forget it.” 888/928-3747; www.westfallmfg.com.

Model 2800 static injection mixer from Westfall Manufacturing Co.

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WILO names national sales manager, opens Georgia Center

WILO USA promoted Harold Adams to national sales manager for its water management sector. He succeeds Joseph Melton who passed away in April. Adams has worked for WILO since 2009, most recently as northeast regional sales manager. The company also opened a 61,625-square-feet distribution center in Thomasville, Ga.

Kaeser Compressors opens Philadelphia office

Kaeser Compressors opened a factory-direct facility in the greater Phil-adelphia area. The branch office offers air system audits, design and installa-tion, new equipment sales, preventive maintenance and repair services.

Electro Static offers AEGIS grounding ring repair handbook

The 36-page AEGIS shaft grounding ring motor repair handbook from Electro Static Technology describes best practices for protecting motor bear-ings from electrical damage. The book explains how to diagnose electrical bearing damage caused by variable-frequency drives (VFDs), also known as inverters. It can be downloaded at www.est-aegis.com/bearing.

Brown and Caldwell promotes senior managers

Brown and Caldwell promoted Jay Patil, P.E., to director of client ser-vices and Cindy Paulson, Ph.D., to director of technical services. Marc Damikolas, P.E., was promoted to senior vice president and business unit manager for the California region, replacing Patil. Robert Ash, P.E., was promoted to senior vice president and the new role of enterprise risk management. Jeffrey Theerman, P.E., was promoted to lead the newly combined utility performance, operations and maintenance and informa-tion technology group.

UV Superstore launches website

UV Superstore launched a new website, www.uvsuperstore.com, featuring replacement ultraviolet lamps, quartz sleeves and other items for ultraviolet water and air treatment systems.

WEF names 2013 Fellows

The Water Environment Federation named its 2013 list of Fellows. They will be recognized at WEFTEC 2013 in Chicago, Oct. 5-9. The new Fellows include Kartik Chandran, Bruce Corwin, John Crittenden, Davis Ford, Eduardo Jordao, Mike Kavanaugh, Cecil Lue-Hing, Richard Luthy, Bob Marini, Keith Riley, Bruce Rittmann, Henry Schwartz, Julian Sand-ino, Perry Schafer and James Stahl.

ThinQk adds aftermarket pump componentsThinQk is a new supplier of aftermarket parts for air-operated double

diaphragm (AODD) pumps. Manufactured in Europe and the United States, components are made to conform to current technical standards.

Endress+Hauser launches online store

Endress+Hauser launched E-direct, www.e-direct.us, an online store offering pressure transducers and switches, temperature switches and thermometers, paperless recorders, digi-tal displays, level switches and flowmeters, pH, conductivity and oxygen analytical transmitters.

APG-Neuros ranked 66 on Profit 500 list

APG-Neuros ranked 66 on Profit magazine’s list of the fast-growing Canadian companies. Rankings are based on revenue growth over five years. APG-Neuros, manufacturer of high-speed blowers for the munici-pal and industrial markets, had 1,082 percent growth.

Alfa Laval acquires Niagara Blower

Alfa Laval acquired heat transfer company Niagara Blower of Buffalo, N.Y., known for its Wet Surface Air Cooler technology.

Cole-Parmer publishes water quality catalog

The 2013 Water Quality Catalog from Cole-Parmer includes pH, con-ductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, water sampling and water testing instruments and supplies. Catalogs can be requested by calling 800/323-4340 or visiting www.coleparmer.com/20126.

National Pump & Compressor launches website

National Pump & Compressor, an industrial equipment rental, sales and service provider, launched the website www.hurricanesupport-beaumont.com to provide awareness of the emerging disaster recovery business. The site is intended to provide businesses and municipalities with information on how to prepare for a hurricane, history of areas affected by hurricanes and how the company can help in the event of a hurricane or natural disaster. It includes information on industrial pumps, hoses, generators and other flood relief and dewatering equipment.

ABB acquires UK-based Dynamotive

The ABB power and technology group acquired Dynamotive of Coalville, UK, expanding its offerings in low- and medium-voltage drives and motors. The privately owned Dynamotive has 40 employees, who will continue to work for ABB.

Gorman-Rupp names rental sales manager

Gorman-Rupp Co. promoted Jamie Schoenian to rental sales manager. He has 15 years experience and will be responsible for sales, service, aftermarket, technical support and product forecasting between Gorman-Rupp and National Rental accounts.

Vacon North America opens headquarters facility

Vacon North America, manufacturer of AC drives, relocated to a larger facility at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. The 12,481-square-feet office and training facility can accommodate groups up to 44 and includes a product training lab and product showcase.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Jamie Schoenian

Harold Adams

Ovivo participates in 450mm technology development

Water treatment company Ovivo, part of the GLV Group, is collabo-rating at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in New York State with the Facility 450 Consortium to design and build computer chip facilities for the development of 450mm wafer technology.

BLACOH Fluid Control hires manager, engineer

BLACOH Fluid Control named Alfredo D’Souza business develop-ment manager for sales regions serv-ing Canada, the Middle East and India and James Burke director of engineering. He will be responsi-ble for new product development and process innovations. wso

James BurkeAlfredo D’Souza

tpomag.comDedicated to Municipal Wastewater Professionals

FREE subscription at:


It’s black and white.In every issue of Municipal Sewer & Water, you’ll read all about sanitary sewer, stormwater and water system professionals. You’ll discover:

n Who are the innovators in system repair and maintenance n How they make sound decisions that improve service and save money n What tools and technologies drive efficiency and performance n Where to go to find the latest equipment and advice

No gray area here.

Municipal Sewer & Water has it all. And it’s FREE.

Start your subscription today at mswmag.com or call 800-257-7222.

14|Sensorex free chlorine sensorsFCL500 series free chlorine sensors from Sensorex Corp.

use amperometric measurement technology to monitor free chlorine in process applications. With three models covering the 0-2 ppm, 0-5 ppm and 0-10 ppm ranges, the sensors can be used in new installations or as a field replacement for existing sensors in drinking water disinfection, dis-tribution and industrial water treatment systems. The sensors interface with PLC, SCADA and other process control systems via 4-20 mA output. 714/895-4344; www.sensorex.com.

15|Krohne Optiwave 5200 radar level meter tools

The Optiwave 5200 C/F radar level meter from Krohne is designed for liquid applications in a 98-foot measuring range. The GHz FMCW, 2-wire, loop-powered device measures up to 580 psi in general purpose and hazardous locations (Class 1, Division 1). The system’s PP and PTFE wave horn antennas are process sealed and gasket free, making them suited for corrosive conditions. The PP antenna can be mounted on pro-cess connections as small as 1 1/2 inches. The metallic horn and wave-length antennas use a dual-seal mechanism, O-ring and Metaglas process for a hermetic seal in toxic or explosive applications. 800/356-9464; http://us.krohne.com.

16|Singer single-point insertion flowmeterThe model 106-SPI-MV single-point insertion electro-mag-

netic flowmeter from Singer Valve, in partnership with McCrometer, can be utilized with the metering valve as a standalone option or built into a 106-2SC-PCO pilot system to provide complete flow-based valve control. The insertion probe extends into the flow stream in one of the valve inlet connections and protrudes into the valve, equivalent to one-eighth of the valve diameter. The bullet nose eliminates clogging or buildup and has no moving parts. The unit can be installed on any Singer Valve model from 4 to 36 inches. 604/594-5404; www.singervalve.com. wso

PRODUCT NEWS

(Continued from page 37)

1416

15

WILO names national sales manager, opens Georgia Center

WILO USA promoted Harold Adams to national sales manager for its water management sector. He succeeds Joseph Melton who passed away in April. Adams has worked for WILO since 2009, most recently as northeast regional sales manager. The company also opened a 61,625-square-feet distribution center in Thomasville, Ga.

Kaeser Compressors opens Philadelphia office

Kaeser Compressors opened a factory-direct facility in the greater Phil-adelphia area. The branch office offers air system audits, design and installa-tion, new equipment sales, preventive maintenance and repair services.

Electro Static offers AEGIS grounding ring repair handbook

The 36-page AEGIS shaft grounding ring motor repair handbook from Electro Static Technology describes best practices for protecting motor bear-ings from electrical damage. The book explains how to diagnose electrical bearing damage caused by variable-frequency drives (VFDs), also known as inverters. It can be downloaded at www.est-aegis.com/bearing.

Brown and Caldwell promotes senior managers

Brown and Caldwell promoted Jay Patil, P.E., to director of client ser-vices and Cindy Paulson, Ph.D., to director of technical services. Marc Damikolas, P.E., was promoted to senior vice president and business unit manager for the California region, replacing Patil. Robert Ash, P.E., was promoted to senior vice president and the new role of enterprise risk management. Jeffrey Theerman, P.E., was promoted to lead the newly combined utility performance, operations and maintenance and informa-tion technology group.

UV Superstore launches website

UV Superstore launched a new website, www.uvsuperstore.com, featuring replacement ultraviolet lamps, quartz sleeves and other items for ultraviolet water and air treatment systems.

WEF names 2013 Fellows

The Water Environment Federation named its 2013 list of Fellows. They will be recognized at WEFTEC 2013 in Chicago, Oct. 5-9. The new Fellows include Kartik Chandran, Bruce Corwin, John Crittenden, Davis Ford, Eduardo Jordao, Mike Kavanaugh, Cecil Lue-Hing, Richard Luthy, Bob Marini, Keith Riley, Bruce Rittmann, Henry Schwartz, Julian Sand-ino, Perry Schafer and James Stahl.

ThinQk adds aftermarket pump componentsThinQk is a new supplier of aftermarket parts for air-operated double

diaphragm (AODD) pumps. Manufactured in Europe and the United States, components are made to conform to current technical standards.

Endress+Hauser launches online store

Endress+Hauser launched E-direct, www.e-direct.us, an online store offering pressure transducers and switches, temperature switches and thermometers, paperless recorders, digi-tal displays, level switches and flowmeters, pH, conductivity and oxygen analytical transmitters.

APG-Neuros ranked 66 on Profit 500 list

APG-Neuros ranked 66 on Profit magazine’s list of the fast-growing Canadian companies. Rankings are based on revenue growth over five years. APG-Neuros, manufacturer of high-speed blowers for the munici-pal and industrial markets, had 1,082 percent growth.

Alfa Laval acquires Niagara Blower

Alfa Laval acquired heat transfer company Niagara Blower of Buffalo, N.Y., known for its Wet Surface Air Cooler technology.

Cole-Parmer publishes water quality catalog

The 2013 Water Quality Catalog from Cole-Parmer includes pH, con-ductivity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, water sampling and water testing instruments and supplies. Catalogs can be requested by calling 800/323-4340 or visiting www.coleparmer.com/20126.

National Pump & Compressor launches website

National Pump & Compressor, an industrial equipment rental, sales and service provider, launched the website www.hurricanesupport-beaumont.com to provide awareness of the emerging disaster recovery business. The site is intended to provide businesses and municipalities with information on how to prepare for a hurricane, history of areas affected by hurricanes and how the company can help in the event of a hurricane or natural disaster. It includes information on industrial pumps, hoses, generators and other flood relief and dewatering equipment.

ABB acquires UK-based Dynamotive

The ABB power and technology group acquired Dynamotive of Coalville, UK, expanding its offerings in low- and medium-voltage drives and motors. The privately owned Dynamotive has 40 employees, who will continue to work for ABB.

Gorman-Rupp names rental sales manager

Gorman-Rupp Co. promoted Jamie Schoenian to rental sales manager. He has 15 years experience and will be responsible for sales, service, aftermarket, technical support and product forecasting between Gorman-Rupp and National Rental accounts.

Vacon North America opens headquarters facility

Vacon North America, manufacturer of AC drives, relocated to a larger facility at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, Wis. The 12,481-square-feet office and training facility can accommodate groups up to 44 and includes a product training lab and product showcase.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Jamie Schoenian

Harold Adams

Ovivo participates in 450mm technology development

Water treatment company Ovivo, part of the GLV Group, is collabo-rating at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in New York State with the Facility 450 Consortium to design and build computer chip facilities for the development of 450mm wafer technology.

BLACOH Fluid Control hires manager, engineer

BLACOH Fluid Control named Alfredo D’Souza business develop-ment manager for sales regions serv-ing Canada, the Middle East and India and James Burke director of engineering. He will be responsi-ble for new product development and process innovations. wso

James BurkeAlfredo D’Souza

tpomag.comDedicated to Municipal Wastewater Professionals

FREE subscription at:


North CarolinaThe North Carolina Section of AWWA and WEA is offering these courses:• Oct. 1 – Water Distribution Seminar, Clemmons• Oct. 14-18 – Coastal Collection and Distribution School, Morehead City• Oct. 31 – NCWTFOCB Exams, Kinston, Morganton and RaleighVisit www.ncsafewater.org.

Ohio The Ohio Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 – Hands-On Collection Workshop, Zanesville• Sept. 25-26 – Plant Operations & Laboratory Analysts Workshop,

Grove City• Oct. 17 – 2013 Hands-On Collection Workshop – NE Section, TBA• Oct. 24 – 2013 Hands-On Collection Workshop – SW Section, TBAVisit www.ohiowea.org.

OklahomaThe Oklahoma Environmental Training Center is offering the Okla-

homa Water and Pollution Control Association Short School and Confer-ence Sept. 30-Oct. 4 in Midwest City. Visit www.rscoetc.wordpress.com.

Texas

The Texas Water Utilities Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – Management, Corpus Christi• Sept. 24-26 – Calculations, Terrell• Oct. 8-10 – Chlorinator Maintenace, Gatesville• Oct. 15-17 – Valve and Hydrant, VictoriaVisit www.twua.org.

UtahThe Intermountain Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 26 – Water System Operator Workshop, Orem• Oct. 1-2 – Operator Precertification Training, Washington• Oct. 9 – Improving Your Water System, webinarVisit www.ims-awwa.org.

WisconsinThe Wisconsin Rural Water Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 26 – Regional Utility Management Training, Plover• Oct. 8 – Excavation “Competent Person” Safety, Mt. Horeb• Oct. 14-18 – Cross Connection Control Assembly Tester Certifica-

tion, Plover

• Oct. 22 – Excavation “Competent Person” Safety, GreenvilleVisit www.wrwa.org. The UW-Madison Department of Engineering - Professional Devel-

opment is offering a Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention course Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Madison. Visit www.epdweb.engr.wisc.edu.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Continuing

Education is offering a Sustainable Water Management course Oct. 9 in Milwaukee. Visit www4.uwm.edu. wso

Sept. 18-20Wisconsin Water Association Annual Conference, Kalahari Resort,

Wisconsin Dells. Visit www.wiawwa.org. Sept. 19-20

Confluence Conference, sponsored by the water associations in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; Greenville, S.C. Visit www.confluence.cc. Sept. 22-25

AWWA World Congress 2013, Las Vegas, Nev. Visit www.awwa.org. Sept. 23-25

Northwest Membrane Operators Association First Annual Symposium, “Getting the Best from Your Membrane Treatment Plant,” Vancouver, Wash. Visit www.nwmoa.com.

Sept. 30-Oct. 3California-Nevada Section AWWA Annual Fall Conference, Sacra-

mento Convention Center/Hyatt Regency. Visit www.ca-nv-awwa.org. Oct. 1-3

National Rural Water Association H2O-XPO, Louisville, Ky. Visit www.waterproconference.org. Oct. 2-4

WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Las Vegas, Nev. Visit www.watersmartinnovations.com. Oct. 5-9

Water Environment Federation WEFTEC conference, Chicago. Visit www.weftec.org. Oct. 13-15

Alabama-Mississippi AWWA Section Annual Conference, Tunica Resorts, Miss. Visit www.awwa.org.

EVENTS

PEOPLE/AWARDSThe City of Manassas (Va.) Public Works and Utilities Department

received the 2012 Excellence in Water Treatment Plant Performance award from the state Department of Health Office of Drinking Water. The city earned the silver designation.

The water treatment plant in Daphne, Ala., was renamed the Henry

Lovette Water Treatment Plant. Lovette was an employee of Daphne Utilities for 39 years. A recent facility upgrade included giving the build-ing a neighborhood feel.

The Town of Leesburg (Va.) Utilities Department earned the state

Department of Health Excellence in Waterworks Performance Award for the ninth consecutive year at the Kenneth B. Rollins Water Filtration Plant. The town received the 2012 Silver award for excellence in filtration and clarification.

Kentucky American Water announced two Phase III Directors Awards

from the Partnership for Safe Water for its Kentucky River Station I and Richmond Road Station water treatment plants in Fayette County. The awards were presented to Dorothy Johnson of the water quality team and Mitzi Combs, supervisor of the Kentucky River Station I treatment plant, during the 2013 AWWA Conference.

To recognize members of your team, please send notices of new hires, promo-tions, service milestones, certifications or achievements to [email protected].

EDUCATION

AWWAThe American Water Works Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – S1302 Financial Management, San Antonio, Texas, Online• Sept. 25 – Introduction to Wastewater Treatment, Milwaukee, Wis.• Sept. 30 – AMTA/SCMA Joint Technology Transfer Workshop,

South Padre Island, Texas• Oct. 7-27 – High Tech Operator Course 2, Online• Oct. 9 – Sustainable Water Management – An Introduction,

Milwaukee, Wis.• Oct. 11 – Water Harvesting Systems and Application, Milwaukee, Wis.• Oct. 23 – New Developments in On-site Generation Technology

Webinar, Online• Oct. 28-Nov. 17 – High-Tech Operator Course 3, OnlineVisit www.awwa.org.

ArkansasThe Arkansas Rural Water Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 24-26 – Basic Distribution, West Fork• Oct. 8-10 – Intermediate Distribution, Gassville• Oct. 16-17 – Water Specialized Training, Eureka Springs• Oct . 22 – Basic Math, Lonoke• Oct. 23 – Applied Math, Lonoke• Oct. 24 – ADH Compliance, Lonoke• Oct. 29-31 – Advanced Treatment, LonokeVisit www.arkansasruralwater.org.

CaliforniaThe California-Nevada Section of AWWA is offering a Backflow

Tester Course Oct. 21 in Rancho Cucamonga. Visit www.ca-nv-awwa.org.

ColoradoThe Rocky Mountain Section of AWWA is offering a PWO Seminar

Oct. 18 in Estes Park. Visit www.rmwea.org.

FloridaThe Florida Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 – Phosphate Testing, online• Oct. 2 – Post-Event Field Safety Awareness, Pompano Beach• Oct. 17 – Fluoride Measurements with Ion Selective Probes WebinarVisit www.fsawwa.org.

IllinoisThe Illinois Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 - Nov. 14 – Water Distribution System Operation & Main-

tenance, Westmont• Sept. 24 – Collecting, Documenting, & Evaluating Well & Well

Pump Test Data, Romeoville• Sept. 25-26 – High Tech Operator Course 1, Lombard• Oct. 1 – Radiation Worker Training for Operators at Radium

Removal, webinar• Oct. 3 – Annual Regulatory Update, Elgin• Oct. 15 – A Detailed Look at Telemetry, Rockford• Oct. 22 – Water Operator C & D: Math Exam Refresher, Frankfort• Oct. 24 – Optimized Treatment Strategies to Meet Stage 2 D/DBP

Rule, webinar• Oct. 29 – Effective Backflow Programs, Chicago• Oct. 30 – Maintaining Water Quality in the Distribution System, O’Fallon• Oct. 31 – What the Frack? Separating Myth from Fact, ElginVisit www.isawwa.org.

MichiganThe Michigan Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – Basic Math & Hydraulics Short Course, Higgins Lake• Sept. 23-25 – Distribution System Short Course, Higgins Lake• Oct. 1 – Research & Technical Practices Seminar, Bath• Oct. 15-17 – Limited Treatment Short Course, Hickory Corners• Oct. 15-17 – Distribution System Short Course, Hickory Corners• Oct. 29-30 – U.P. Water Distribution System Operators’ Training,

GladstoneVisit www.mi-water.org.

New YorkThe New York Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 24 – Top Ops Boot Camp, Troy• Sept. 25 – Media and Public Relations, Utica• Sept. 25 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Troy• Oct. 2 – UV Disinfection and Facility Tour, Kingston• Oct. 9 – Chemical Metering Pump Operation, Canastota• Oct. 9 – Total Coliform Rule Revisions, Peekskill• Oct. 16 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Rochester• Oct. 16 – UV Disinfection, Utica• Oct. 22 – Chemical Metering Pump Operation, Norwich• Oct. 23 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Troy• Oct. 29 – Media and Public Relations, MwelvilleVisit www.nysawwa.org.

WSO invites your national, state or local association to post notices and news items in the Worth Noting column. Send contributions to [email protected] Noting


North CarolinaThe North Carolina Section of AWWA and WEA is offering these courses:• Oct. 1 – Water Distribution Seminar, Clemmons• Oct. 14-18 – Coastal Collection and Distribution School, Morehead City• Oct. 31 – NCWTFOCB Exams, Kinston, Morganton and RaleighVisit www.ncsafewater.org.

Ohio The Ohio Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 – Hands-On Collection Workshop, Zanesville• Sept. 25-26 – Plant Operations & Laboratory Analysts Workshop,

Grove City• Oct. 17 – 2013 Hands-On Collection Workshop – NE Section, TBA• Oct. 24 – 2013 Hands-On Collection Workshop – SW Section, TBAVisit www.ohiowea.org.

OklahomaThe Oklahoma Environmental Training Center is offering the Okla-

homa Water and Pollution Control Association Short School and Confer-ence Sept. 30-Oct. 4 in Midwest City. Visit www.rscoetc.wordpress.com.

Texas

The Texas Water Utilities Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – Management, Corpus Christi• Sept. 24-26 – Calculations, Terrell• Oct. 8-10 – Chlorinator Maintenace, Gatesville• Oct. 15-17 – Valve and Hydrant, VictoriaVisit www.twua.org.

UtahThe Intermountain Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 26 – Water System Operator Workshop, Orem• Oct. 1-2 – Operator Precertification Training, Washington• Oct. 9 – Improving Your Water System, webinarVisit www.ims-awwa.org.

WisconsinThe Wisconsin Rural Water Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 26 – Regional Utility Management Training, Plover• Oct. 8 – Excavation “Competent Person” Safety, Mt. Horeb• Oct. 14-18 – Cross Connection Control Assembly Tester Certifica-

tion, Plover

• Oct. 22 – Excavation “Competent Person” Safety, GreenvilleVisit www.wrwa.org. The UW-Madison Department of Engineering - Professional Devel-

opment is offering a Cross Connection Control and Backflow Prevention course Oct. 28-Nov. 1 in Madison. Visit www.epdweb.engr.wisc.edu.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Continuing

Education is offering a Sustainable Water Management course Oct. 9 in Milwaukee. Visit www4.uwm.edu. wso

Sept. 18-20Wisconsin Water Association Annual Conference, Kalahari Resort,

Wisconsin Dells. Visit www.wiawwa.org. Sept. 19-20

Confluence Conference, sponsored by the water associations in Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina; Greenville, S.C. Visit www.confluence.cc. Sept. 22-25

AWWA World Congress 2013, Las Vegas, Nev. Visit www.awwa.org. Sept. 23-25

Northwest Membrane Operators Association First Annual Symposium, “Getting the Best from Your Membrane Treatment Plant,” Vancouver, Wash. Visit www.nwmoa.com.

Sept. 30-Oct. 3California-Nevada Section AWWA Annual Fall Conference, Sacra-

mento Convention Center/Hyatt Regency. Visit www.ca-nv-awwa.org. Oct. 1-3

National Rural Water Association H2O-XPO, Louisville, Ky. Visit www.waterproconference.org. Oct. 2-4

WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, Las Vegas, Nev. Visit www.watersmartinnovations.com. Oct. 5-9

Water Environment Federation WEFTEC conference, Chicago. Visit www.weftec.org. Oct. 13-15

Alabama-Mississippi AWWA Section Annual Conference, Tunica Resorts, Miss. Visit www.awwa.org.

EVENTS

RE

PR

INTS

clean. The Red is subject to wide variations in organic matter and hard-ness, related to weather and the nature of the watershed, Hall observes. Normal flows range from about 3,000 to 5,500 cubic feet per second.

The main feeder streams include the Otter Tail River, with generally high water quality; the Bois de Sioux River, with very poor water quality; and the Wild Rice River. “Every river system that feeds the Red is vari-able, depending on how much rain we’re getting at the time,” says Hall.

At the old treatment plant, which used lime and soda ash softening and dual-media filtration, the wide source water variations overwhelmed the process. At the time, the source water included about 60 percent river and 40 percent well water. Potassium permanganate and sometimes

activated carbon were fed at the river pumping station, but at times that wasn’t enough. When taste and odor problems arose, complaint calls came in bunches.

Reliable processThe MWH engineering firm (then known as Montgomery Watson)

designed the new treatment plant. The Moorhead team has steadily improved on the design with instrumentation and updates to the SCADA system, originally supplied by Instrument Control Systems (ICS).

One river pump station and two well pump stations deliver raw water directly into the plant. The waters mix in an influent chamber, and the flow then enters two 5.5 mgd softening basins (Infilco Degremont). Typi-cally, only one basin operates at a time, and when both operate, they work in parallel.

Water in the basins is fed with lime and soda ash, along with ferric sulfate as a coagulant and polymer for flocculation. Ammonia is also added in the softening stage for bromate control in the downstream ozo-nation process.

The WEDECO ozonation/recarbonation chamber (Xylem) has six cells fed with variable amounts of ozone and carbon dioxide, depending on raw water conditions. Residual ozone is sampled at various points in the chamber.

Before final filtration, fluoride is added, along with sodium hexameta-phosphate for heavy metal sequestration and corrosion control. The

Members of the MPS Water Division team are, back, from left, water plant staff members Dan Haman, Kris Knutson, Nate Halbakken, Troy Hall, Jason Yonke, Chris Knutson, Alan Neer, Chris Capecchi and Daryl Brahos; front row, distribution crew members Jared Heller, Chris Perlichek, Matt Andvik, Phil Shequen and Matt Mehl.

Moorhead (Minn.) Public ServiceFOUNDED: | 1896POPULATION SERVED: | 42,000TERRITORY: | Cities of Moorhead and Dilworth, Oakport TownshipCAPACITY: | 16 mgdSYSTEM STORAGE: | 7.9 million gallonsSOURCE WATER: | Red River (85%), Buffalo Aquifer (15%)TREATMENT PROCESS: | Lime/soda ash softening, ozonation,

dual media filtration INFRASTRUCTURE: | 190 miles of water mains, three water towers,

two ground storage tanks, two reservoirs on plant sitesKEY CHALLENGE: | Source water variabilityANNUAL BUDGET: | $4.5 million (operations)WEBSITE: | www.mpsutility.com

“When we look at the SCADA and see our water-quality trends, we want to

see flatlines — everything just humming along. Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish.”TROY HALL

flow then enters two 5.5 mgd softening basins (Infilco Degremont). Typi-cally, only one basin operates at a time, and when both operate, they work

Water in the basins is fed with lime and soda ash, along with ferric sulfate as a coagulant and polymer for flocculation. Ammonia is also added in the softening stage for bromate control in the downstream ozo

The WEDECO ozonation/recarbonation chamber (Xylem) has six cells fed with variable amounts of ozone and carbon dioxide, depending on raw water conditions. Residual ozone is sampled at various points in

Before final filtration, fluoride is added, along with sodium hexametaphosphate for heavy metal sequestration and corrosion control. The

plant’s four dual-media filter cells each hold two feet of anthracite coal atop 12 inches of sand. The filtered water goes to the clear well, where chlorine is fed to combine with ammonia and form chlora-mines for disinfectant residual. The water is then delivered to the res-ervoirs and water towers (7.9 mil-lion gallons total system storage).

Ozone does itHall notes that ozonation is

the key to odor and taste control. “We ozonate at very high pH [at times 11 or higher] so that we benefit from some advanced oxidation,” he says. “Ozone has been a really big improvement since it came online in 1995. It helps break down the organic material. Sometimes we feed CO2 with the ozone as the pH is dropping down close to that of the product water. That helps with taste and odor, too.”

But it wasn’t technology alone that conquered the variability of Red River water. The plant staff’s diligence had a lot to do with it. “Since we started this plant, we have probably doubled or tripled the amount of online instrumentation,” says Hall. “Our SCADA gives us a lot of infor-mation about water quality and what’s happening in the process, and we’re constantly trying to improve that.”

The system’s programmable logic controllers and other control hard-ware are from Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation), and the SCADA software is from IntelliSys Inc. Online instrumentation in the treatment plant and water system includes:

• Three total chlorineanalyzers fromWallace&Tiernan (SiemensWater Technologies Corp.)

• Monochloramine/ammonia analyzer, five pH monitors, and eightturbidimeters from Hach Company

• Two pH controllers (CO2 auto control), four ozone analyzers and two conductivity meters from Rosemount Analytical (Emerson Process Management)

• Organiconlineanalyzerfroms::canMeasuringSystemsBenchtop lab equipment includes a turbidimeter and spectrophotometer

from Hach Company, total organic carbon analyzer from OI Analytical, an IC chromatograph from Dionex, now sold as Thermo Scientific – Water Analysis, and an Orion pH meter from Thermo Scientific – Water Analysis.

The team tests raw water for hardness and alkalinity every four hours and tests the finished water every eight hours. The ozone analyzers test the water in the ozone contact chamber every 20 seconds. Ozone dosage is adjusted manually based on monitoring for ozone residual. “We have to adjust the ozone feed rate as water quality changes — on a good day, just a couple of times; on a bad day, once an hour or more,” says Haman.

Water from Moorhead, Minn., won the first two “Best in Glass”

taste competitions held by the state section of the American Water

Works Association at its annual conference in September in Duluth.

The event includes a vendor show where water samples from

communities that enter the competition are subjected to a taste test

and a popular vote among the attendees. The field is narrowed to

the top three vote-getters, which go to a second round of tasting by a

panel of three from Minnesota section members and a celebrity judge.

“In both 2009 and 2010, we won both the popular and the panel

vote,” says Troy Hall, Water Division manager for Moorhead Public Service.

“The official winner is the sample selected by the panel of judges.”

Another honor awaits: The plant is to be featured during 2012 on

an episode of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” program, showing

the process of cleaning the softening basins. Says Hall, “It has been

a fun year.”

“We don’t like to keep secrets

between positions. We expect all our operators to be very familiar with the SCADA. As a super-visor, I try to involve the operators so they can help me out with data analysis, maintenance tasks, or whatever happens to come up.”KRIS KNUTSON

Part-time water treatment plant operator Leslee Storlie uses a Thermix stirrer from Thermo Scientific – Water Analysis in a lab testing protocol.

Water treatment plant operator Dan Haman adjusts gas flow on ozone generator from WEDECO, a division of Xylem.

romWallaceWallaceW &Tiernan (Siemens

nalyzer, five pH monitors, and eighturbidimeters from Hach Company

auto control), four ozone analyzers and two conductivity meters from Rosemount Analytical (Emerson

s::can Measuring SystemsBenchtop lab equipment includes a turbidimeter and spectrophotometer










“In both 2009 and 2010, we won both the popular and the panel





the process of cleaning the softening basins. Says Hall, “It has been

The SCADA is programmed with the U.S. EPA ozone contact time (CT) requirements for disinfection. The ozone analyzers feed data directly into the SCADA, which calculates the actual CT value in real time. “In operations, we adjust the ozone, pH or whatever parameter is necessary to make sure the actual plant CT value is above the EPA requirements,” says Haman. “Once we meet the disinfection require-ment, 99 percent of the time the odor and taste issues are taken care of.”

As a teamThe staff’s success derives in part from the team atmosphere its lead-

ers try to create. “There’s a lot of overlap in the way we do things — a lot of cross-training,” notes Kris Knutson, water plant supervisor. “We don’t like to keep secrets between positions. We expect all our operators to be very familiar with the SCADA. As a supervisor, I try to involve the oper-ators so they can help me out with data analysis, maintenance tasks, or whatever happens to come up.”

Halbakken adds, “We communicate with each other. If one of us sees a problem, we alert the others. Everybody is always looking to keep the best product going out of the plant at all times. If that means someone has to be called at three in the morning to deal with a problem, everybody’s open to that. Everyone’s willing to help out.”

Notes Haman, “We try to work to each other’s strengths and shore up our weaknesses. For example, Nate is better at plumbing than I am, so I’ll give him plumbing jobs. In turn, he can give me data to analyze to find out when is the best time to order lime. We each have our little projects and our specialties.”

Hall cites SCADA work as an example of the team’s cooperation. “For the past decade, we have done all our SCADA work internally,” he says. “It’s not a perfect SCADA, but it has been built by people who really care about the end result. When we want to make a change in how a process works, we all work together.

“I’ve done some SCADA work in the office. Kris and Dan have done screen development for various purposes. It has evolved almost entirely in-house. We also select and install our own instrumentation.”

Problem solversTeamwork has helped the Moorhead staff resolve a variety of process

issues. Several years ago, pH variability was a constant challenge. Work-ing together, staff members made the correction by installing pH probes, making plumbing changes, and doing SCADA programming.

In another instance, rising non-carbonate hardness in the Red River was taking a toll on the soda ash feed pumps. A former operator located a peristaltic pump model (Watson-Marlow) that appeared better suited to the task. Operators, an instrument technician and electricians from the utility’s electrical side worked together to test and install the new pumps. “In a few months, we went from having to service the pumps every week to having almost no problems,” says Haman.

Another improvement involved installing a meter in the intake line to sample Red River water for conductivity as a way to predict total hard-ness in the river in real time. The team did the job, including data analy-sis and SCADA programming, entirely in-house, installing a used instrument purchased on the Internet for a few hundred dollars.

Future plans include installing instrumentation at the river pumping station, about three miles (two hours of in-pipe travel time) from the plant. “I’m excited about that,” says Haman. “We’ll be able to see changes in the water before it gets to the plant and so deal with them more effectively.”

Hall calls it a privilege to lead a staff with many and diverse talents. “The strengths of our people make it all work,” he says. “We try our best every day to use the strengths of the people we have.”

The results show up daily in the water glasses of Moorhead residents. wso

THE MPS TEAM

Staff members at the Moorhead Public Service water treatment

plant are:

• TroyHall,WaterDivisionmanager,19yearsofservice,ClassAlicense

• KrisKnutson,waterplantsupervisor,sixyears,ClassA

• NateHalbakken,leadwatertreatmentplantoperator,nineyears,

Class A

• JasonYonke,leadwatertreatmentplantoperator,14years,ClassA

• GenaDahl,waterplantchemist,fouryears

• DanHaman,waterplantoperator,sixyears,ClassC

• DarylBrahos,waterplantoperator,fouryears,ClassC

• ChristopherCapecchi,waterplantoperator,oneyear

• ChristopherKnutson,water

plant operator, one year,

Class D

• AlanNeer,waterplantopera-

tor, four years, Class A

• LesleeStorlie,part-timewater

plant operator, one year

• KevinYoung,part-timewater


MORE INFO:Emerson Process Management800/854-8257www.raihome.com

ERDCO Engineering Corporation800/553-0550www.erdco.com

HachCompany800/227-4224www.hach.com

ICSHealy-Ruff763/559-0568www.icshealyruff.com

Infilco Degremont, Inc.804/756-7600www.degremont-technologies.com

IntelliSys, Inc.800/347-9977www.intellisyssoftware.com

Modentic Industrial Corp.www.modentic.com.tw

MWHGlobal303/533-1900www.mwhglobal.com

OI Analytical800/653-1711www.oico.com(See ad page 29)

Rockwell Automation414/382-2000www.rockwellautomation.com

s::can Measuring Systems888/296-8250www.s-can.us

SiemensWaterTechnologiesCorp.866/926-8420www.water.siemens.com

ThermoScientific–WaterAnalysis800/225-1480www.thermoscientific.com/water

Watson-MarlowPumpsGroup800/282-8823www.wmpg.com

Xylem 704/409-9700www.xyleminc.com

“The strengths of our people make it all work. We try our best every

day to use the strengths of the people we have.”TROY HALL

Water Division manager Troy Hall

Reprinted with permission from WSO™ / January 2012 / © 2012, COLE Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 / 800-257-7222 / www.wsomag.com

BRIGHT IDEAS:

Automated meter reading in Davie County, N.C. Page 36


Plant upgrades in Rockville, Md.Page 30

TECH TALK:

Keys to success with wireless SCADA

Page 38

Tastes Great!


January/February 2012 www.wsomag.com

MOORHEAD PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERS HIGH-QUALITY WATER FROM VARIABLE SOURCESPage 10

wsoManaging Our Most Valuable Resource

TM

Troy HallWater Division managerMoorhead, Minn.

TasTesGreaT!Technology and teamwork help Moorhead Public Service deliver consistently high-quality water from a highly variable source in Minnesota’s Red River

STORY: Ted J. RulSehPHOTOGRAPHY: John BoRge

The Red River is best known for periodic floods that afflict North Dakota, most notably around Grand Forks. Much farther south, in Moorhead, Minn., the river is known for something else, though mainly to the staff at the water treatment plant.

“Up here, it’s not a big river,” says treatment plant operator Dan Haman. “Local events can have a large impact on it. A rain event can often wash interesting water into the river, especially if the weather has been dry for a while.”

Years ago, that led to complaints from customers about odor and bad taste in the water coming from the tap. That no longer happens. In 1995, Moorhead Public Service added ozonation to its treatment process, and it proved to be a reliable cure. In fact, for the past two years, Moorhead’s water has been voted the best tasting in the state in a competition held by the Minnesota section of the American Water Works Association.

Troy Hall, Water Division manager, credits the treatment technology, along with a talented operations team, with keeping the process on track. “When we look at the SCADA and see our water-quality trends, we want to see flatlines — everything just humming along,” says Hall. “Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve accomplished.”

Variable sourceWhat the Moorhead team calls the North Treatment Plant (10 mgd

capacity) was built in 1995. The old 6 mgd treatment plant is now rarely used: The staff operates it periodically just to make sure it remains func-tional and available for emergencies. When the plant operates, it treats well water only.

The new plant, with 10 full-time and two part-time staff members, was designed specifically to deal with variable source water in the Red River. The utility also draws well water from the Buffalo Aquifer, but the river provides about 85 percent of the source water on an annual basis.

“There’s a reason it’s called the Red River,” says Nate Halbakken, lead treatment plant operator. Which is to say it’s not what one would call

Qualityleaders

PLANT

clean. The Red is subject to wide variations in organic matter and hard-ness, related to weather and the nature of the watershed, Hall observes. Normal flows range from about 3,000 to 5,500 cubic feet per second.

The main feeder streams include the Otter Tail River, with generally high water quality; the Bois de Sioux River, with very poor water quality; and the Wild Rice River. “Every river system that feeds the Red is vari-able, depending on how much rain we’re getting at the time,” says Hall.

At the old treatment plant, which used lime and soda ash softening and dual-media filtration, the wide source water variations overwhelmed the process. At the time, the source water included about 60 percent river and 40 percent well water. Potassium permanganate and sometimes




One river pump station and two well pump stations deliver raw water directly into the plant. The waters mix in an influent chamber, and the flow then enters two 5.5 mgd softening basins (Infilco Degremont). Typi-cally, only one basin operates at a time, and when both operate, they work in parallel.

Water in the basins is fed with lime and soda ash, along with ferric sulfate as a coagulant and polymer for flocculation. Ammonia is also added in the softening stage for bromate control in the downstream ozo-nation process.

The WEDECO ozonation/recarbonation chamber (Xylem) has six cells fed with variable amounts of ozone and carbon dioxide, depending on raw water conditions. Residual ozone is sampled at various points in the chamber.

Before final filtration, fluoride is added, along with sodium hexameta-phosphate for heavy metal sequestration and corrosion control. The


Moorhead (Minn.) Public Service

FouNDeD: | 1896PoPulATioN ServeD: | 42,000TerriTorY: | Cities of Moorhead and Dilworth, Oakport TownshipCAPACiTY: | 16 mgdSYSTeM STorAge: | 7.9 million gallonsSourCe WATer: | Red River (85%), Buffalo Aquifer (15%)TreATMeNT ProCeSS: | Lime/soda ash softening, ozonation,

dual media filtration iNFrASTruCTure: | 190 miles of water mains, three water towers,

two ground storage tanks, two reservoirs on plant sitesKeY CHAlleNge: | Source water variabilityANNuAl BuDgeT: | $4.5 million (operations)WeBSiTe: | www.mpsutility.com

“When we look at the SCAdA and see our water-quality trends, we want to

see flatlines — everything just humming along. Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish.”TRoy hAll

plant’s four dual-media filter cells each hold two feet of anthracite coal atop 12 inches of sand. The filtered water goes to the clear well, where chlorine is fed to combine with ammonia and form chlora-mines for disinfectant residual. The water is then delivered to the res-ervoirs and water towers (7.9 mil-lion gallons total system storage).

ozone does itHall notes that ozonation is

the key to odor and taste control. “We ozonate at very high pH [at times 11 or higher] so that we benefit from some advanced oxidation,” he says. “Ozone has been a really big improvement since it came online in 1995. It helps break down the organic material. Sometimes we feed CO2 with the ozone as the pH is dropping down close to that of the product water. That helps with taste and odor, too.”

But it wasn’t technology alone that conquered the variability of Red River water. The plant staff’s diligence had a lot to do with it. “Since we started this plant, we have probably doubled or tripled the amount of online instrumentation,” says Hall. “Our SCADA gives us a lot of infor-mation about water quality and what’s happening in the process, and we’re constantly trying to improve that.”

The system’s programmable logic controllers and other control hard-ware are from Allen-Bradley (Rockwell Automation), and the SCADA software is from IntelliSys Inc. Online instrumentation in the treatment plant and water system includes:

• Three total chlorineanalyzers fromWallace&Tiernan (SiemensWater Technologies Corp.)

• Monochloramine/ammonia analyzer, five pH monitors, and eightturbidimeters from Hach Company

• Two pH controllers (CO2 auto control), four ozone analyzers and two conductivity meters from Rosemount Analytical (Emerson Process Management)

• Organiconlineanalyzerfroms::canMeasuringSystemsBenchtop lab equipment includes a turbidimeter and spectrophotometer



Water from Moorhead, Minn., won the first two “Best in glass”








“in both 2009 and 2010, we won both the popular and the panel





the process of cleaning the softening basins. Says Hall, “it has been

a fun year.”

“We don’t like to keep secrets

between positions. We expect all our operators to be very familiar with the SCAdA. As a super-visor, I try to involve the operators so they can help me out with data analysis, maintenance tasks, or whatever happens to come up.”KRIS KnuTSon

Part-time water treatment plant operator leslee Storlie uses a Thermix stirrer from Thermo Scientific – Water Analysis in a lab testing protocol.

Water treatment plant operator Dan Haman adjusts gas flow on ozone generator from WeDeCo, a division of Xylem.

Water plant supervisor Kris Knutson adjusts an ozone gas feed valve. ozonation has helped Moorhead Public Service correct recurring odor issues caused by source water variation. (gas fl owmeter by erDCo engineering Corporation, valve by Modentic industrial Corp.)

The SCADA is programmed with the U.S. EPA ozone contact time (CT) requirements for disinfection. The ozone analyzers feed data directly into the SCADA, which calculates the actual CT value in real time. “In operations, we adjust the ozone, pH or whatever parameter is necessary to make sure the actual plant CT value is above the EPA requirements,” says Haman. “Once we meet the disinfection require-ment, 99 percent of the time the odor and taste issues are taken care of.”

As a teamThe staff’s success derives in part from the team atmosphere its lead-

ers try to create. “There’s a lot of overlap in the way we do things — a lot of cross-training,” notes Kris Knutson, water plant supervisor. “We don’t like to keep secrets between positions. We expect all our operators to be very familiar with the SCADA. As a supervisor, I try to involve the oper-ators so they can help me out with data analysis, maintenance tasks, or whatever happens to come up.”

Halbakken adds, “We communicate with each other. If one of us sees a problem, we alert the others. Everybody is always looking to keep the best product going out of the plant at all times. If that means someone has to be called at three in the morning to deal with a problem, everybody’s open to that. Everyone’s willing to help out.”

Notes Haman, “We try to work to each other’s strengths and shore up our weaknesses. For example, Nate is better at plumbing than I am, so I’ll give him plumbing jobs. In turn, he can give me data to analyze to find out when is the best time to order lime. We each have our little projects and our specialties.”




issues. Several years ago, pH variability was a constant challenge. Work-ing together, staff members made the correction by installing pH probes, making plumbing changes, and doing SCADA programming.


Another improvement involved installing a meter in the intake line to sample Red River water for conductivity as a way to predict total hard-ness in the river in real time. The team did the job, including data analy-sis and SCADA programming, entirely in-house, installing a used instrument purchased on the Internet for a few hundred dollars.


Hall calls it a privilege to lead a staff with many and diverse talents. “The strengths of our people make it all work,” he says. “We try our best every day to use the strengths of the people we have.”

The results show up daily in the water glasses of Moorhead residents. wso

The MPS TeAM

Staff members at the Moorhead Public Service water treatment

plant are:

• TroyHall,WaterDivisionmanager,19yearsofservice,ClassAlicense

• KrisKnutson,waterplantsupervisor,sixyears,ClassA

• NateHalbakken,leadwatertreatmentplantoperator,nineyears,

Class A

• JasonYonke,leadwatertreatmentplantoperator,14years,ClassA

• GenaDahl,waterplantchemist,fouryears

• DanHaman,waterplantoperator,sixyears,ClassC

• DarylBrahos,waterplantoperator,fouryears,ClassC

• ChristopherCapecchi,waterplantoperator,oneyear

• ChristopherKnutson,water


Class D

• AlanNeer,waterplantopera-




• KevinYoung,part-timewater


MoRe InFo:Emerson Process Management800/854-8257www.raihome.com

ERDCO Engineering Corporation800/553-0550www.erdco.com

HachCompany800/227-4224www.hach.com

ICSHealy-Ruff763/559-0568www.icshealyruff.com

Infilco Degremont, Inc.804/756-7600www.degremont-technologies.com

IntelliSys, Inc.800/347-9977www.intellisyssoftware.com

Modentic Industrial Corp.www.modentic.com.tw

MWHGlobal303/533-1900www.mwhglobal.com

OI Analytical800/653-1711www.oico.com(See ad page 29)

Rockwell Automation414/382-2000www.rockwellautomation.com

s::can Measuring Systems888/296-8250www.s-can.us

SiemensWaterTechnologiesCorp.866/926-8420www.water.siemens.com

ThermoScientific–WaterAnalysis800/225-1480www.thermoscientific.com/water

Watson-MarlowPumpsGroup800/282-8823www.wmpg.com

Xylem 704/409-9700www.xyleminc.com

“The strengths of our people make it all work. We try our best every

day to use the strengths of the people we have.”TRoy hAll


Reprinted with permission from WSO™ / Month 0000 / © 2012, COLE Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 220, Three Lakes, WI 54562 / 800-257-7222 / www.wsomag.com




issues. Several years ago, pH variability was a constant challenge. Working together, staff members made the correction by installing pH probes, making plumbing changes, and doing SCADA programming.


Another improvement involved installing a meter in the intake line to sample Red River water for conductivity as a way to predict total hardness in the river in real time. The team did the job, including data analysis and SCADA programming, entirely in-house, installing a used instrument purchased on the Internet for a few hundred dollars.


Hall calls it a privilege to lead a staff with many and diverse talents.

Class A

• JasonYonke,Yonke,Y leadwatertreatmentpreatmentpreatment lantolantolant perator,14years,14years,14y ClassA

• GenaDahl,waterplantclantclant hemist,fouryouryour earsyearsy

• DanHaman,waterplantolantolant perator,sixyixyix ears,years,y ClassC

• DarylBrahos,waterplantolantolant perator,fouryouryour ears,years,y ClassC

• ChristopherCChristopherCChristopher apecchi,waterplantolantolant perator,oneyearyeary

• ChristopherK• ChristopherK• Christopher nutson,water


Class D

• AlanNeer,waterplantolantolant pera-




• KevinYoung,Young,Y part-timewater







One river pump station and two well pump stations deliver raw water directly into the plant. The waters mix in an influent chamber, and the


Public Service

Cities of Moorhead and Dilworth, Oakport Township

Red River (85%), Buffalo Aquifer (15%)Lime/soda ash softening, ozonation,

190 miles of water mains, three water towers, two ground storage tanks, two reservoirs on plant sites

activated carbon were fed at the river pumping station, but at times that wasn’t enough. When taste and odor problems arose, complaint calls came

The MWH engineering firm (then known as Montgomery Watson) designed the new treatment plant. The Moorhead team has steadily improved on the design with instrumentation and updates to the SCADA system, originally supplied by Instrument Control Systems (ICS).

One river pump station and two well pump stations deliver raw water directly into the plant. The waters mix in an influent chamber, and the

Members of the MPS Water Division team are, back, from left, water plant staff members Dan Haman, Kris Knutson, Nate Halbakken, Troy Hall, Jason Yonke, Chris Knutson, Alan Neer, Chris Capecchi and Daryl Brahos; front row, distribution crew members Jared Heller, Chris Perlichek, Matt Andvik, Phil




The event includes a vendor show where water samples from “We don’t like to Part-time water treatment plant operator Leslee Storlie uses a Thermix stirrer from Thermo Scientific






TASTESGREAT!Technology and teamwork help Moorhead Public Service deliver consistently high-quality water from a highly variable source in Minnesota’s Red River

STORY: TED J. RULSEHPHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN BORGE

The Red River is best known for periodic floods that afflict North Dakota, most notably around Grand Forks. Much farther south, in Moorhead, Minn., the river is known for something else, though mainly to the staff at the water treatment plant.

“Up here, it’s not a big river,” says treatment plant operator Dan Haman. “Local events can have a large impact on it. A rain event can often wash interesting water into the river, especially if the weather has been dry for a while.”

Years ago, that led to complaints from customers about odor and bad taste in the water coming from the tap. That no longer happens. In 1995, Moorhead Public Service added ozonation to its treatment process, and it proved to be a reliable cure. In fact, for the past two years, Moorhead’s water has been voted the best tasting in the state in a competition held by the Minnesota section of the American Water Works Association.

Troy Hall, Water Division manager, credits the treatment technology, along with a talented operations team, with keeping the process on track. “When we look at the SCADA and see our water-quality trends, we want to see flatlines — everything just humming along,” says Hall. “Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve accomplished.”

Variable sourceWhat the Moorhead team calls the North Treatment Plant (10 mgd

capacity) was built in 1995. The old 6 mgd treatment plant is now rarely used: The staff operates it periodically just to make sure it remains func-tional and available for emergencies. When the plant operates, it treats well water only.

The new plant, with 10 full-time and two part-time staff members, was designed specifically to deal with variable source water in the Red River. The utility also draws well water from the Buffalo Aquifer, but the river provides about 85 percent of the source water on an annual basis.

“There’s a reason it’s called the Red River,” says Nate Halbakken, lead treatment plant operator. Which is to say it’s not what one would call

QUALITYLEADERS

PLANT“When we look at the SCADA and see our water-quality trends, we want to

see flatlines — everything just humming along. Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish.”TROY HALL

When we look at the SCADA and see our water-quality trends, we want to

see flatlines — everything just humming along. Through teamwork, that’s what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

TASTESGREATechnology and teamwork help Moorhead Public Service deliver consistently high-quality water from a highly variable source in Minnesota’s Red Riverhigh-quality water from a highly variable source in Minnesota’s Red River

STORY: TED J. RULSEHPHOTOGRAPHY: JOHN BORGE

QUALITYLEADERS

PLANT

BRIGHT IDEAS:

Automated meter reading in Davie County, N.C. Page 36


Plant upgrades in Rockville, Md.Page 30

TECH TALK:

Keys to success with wireless SCADA

Page 38

Tastes Great!


January/February 2012 www.wsomag.com

MOORHEAD PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERS HIGH-QUALITY WATER FROM VARIABLE SOURCESPage 10

wsoManaging Our Most Valuable Resource

TM

Troy HallWater Division managerMoorhead, Minn.

POSTERS Starting At$35

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Starting At$10

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Starting At$25

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PEOPLE/AWARDSThe City of Manassas (Va.) Public Works and Utilities Department

received the 2012 Excellence in Water Treatment Plant Performance award from the state Department of Health Office of Drinking Water. The city earned the silver designation.

The water treatment plant in Daphne, Ala., was renamed the Henry

Lovette Water Treatment Plant. Lovette was an employee of Daphne Utilities for 39 years. A recent facility upgrade included giving the build-ing a neighborhood feel.

The Town of Leesburg (Va.) Utilities Department earned the state

Department of Health Excellence in Waterworks Performance Award for the ninth consecutive year at the Kenneth B. Rollins Water Filtration Plant. The town received the 2012 Silver award for excellence in filtration and clarification.

Kentucky American Water announced two Phase III Directors Awards

from the Partnership for Safe Water for its Kentucky River Station I and Richmond Road Station water treatment plants in Fayette County. The awards were presented to Dorothy Johnson of the water quality team and Mitzi Combs, supervisor of the Kentucky River Station I treatment plant, during the 2013 AWWA Conference.

To recognize members of your team, please send notices of new hires, promo-tions, service milestones, certifications or achievements to [email protected].

EDUCATION

AWWAThe American Water Works Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – S1302 Financial Management, San Antonio, Texas, Online• Sept. 25 – Introduction to Wastewater Treatment, Milwaukee, Wis.• Sept. 30 – AMTA/SCMA Joint Technology Transfer Workshop,

South Padre Island, Texas• Oct. 7-27 – High Tech Operator Course 2, Online• Oct. 9 – Sustainable Water Management – An Introduction,

Milwaukee, Wis.• Oct. 11 – Water Harvesting Systems and Application, Milwaukee, Wis.• Oct. 23 – New Developments in On-site Generation Technology

Webinar, Online• Oct. 28-Nov. 17 – High-Tech Operator Course 3, OnlineVisit www.awwa.org.

ArkansasThe Arkansas Rural Water Association is offering these courses:• Sept. 24-26 – Basic Distribution, West Fork• Oct. 8-10 – Intermediate Distribution, Gassville• Oct. 16-17 – Water Specialized Training, Eureka Springs• Oct . 22 – Basic Math, Lonoke• Oct. 23 – Applied Math, Lonoke• Oct. 24 – ADH Compliance, Lonoke• Oct. 29-31 – Advanced Treatment, LonokeVisit www.arkansasruralwater.org.

CaliforniaThe California-Nevada Section of AWWA is offering a Backflow

Tester Course Oct. 21 in Rancho Cucamonga. Visit www.ca-nv-awwa.org.

ColoradoThe Rocky Mountain Section of AWWA is offering a PWO Seminar

Oct. 18 in Estes Park. Visit www.rmwea.org.

FloridaThe Florida Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 – Phosphate Testing, online• Oct. 2 – Post-Event Field Safety Awareness, Pompano Beach• Oct. 17 – Fluoride Measurements with Ion Selective Probes WebinarVisit www.fsawwa.org.

IllinoisThe Illinois Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 19 - Nov. 14 – Water Distribution System Operation & Main-

tenance, Westmont• Sept. 24 – Collecting, Documenting, & Evaluating Well & Well

Pump Test Data, Romeoville• Sept. 25-26 – High Tech Operator Course 1, Lombard• Oct. 1 – Radiation Worker Training for Operators at Radium

Removal, webinar• Oct. 3 – Annual Regulatory Update, Elgin• Oct. 15 – A Detailed Look at Telemetry, Rockford• Oct. 22 – Water Operator C & D: Math Exam Refresher, Frankfort• Oct. 24 – Optimized Treatment Strategies to Meet Stage 2 D/DBP

Rule, webinar• Oct. 29 – Effective Backflow Programs, Chicago• Oct. 30 – Maintaining Water Quality in the Distribution System, O’Fallon• Oct. 31 – What the Frack? Separating Myth from Fact, ElginVisit www.isawwa.org.

MichiganThe Michigan Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 23-25 – Basic Math & Hydraulics Short Course, Higgins Lake• Sept. 23-25 – Distribution System Short Course, Higgins Lake• Oct. 1 – Research & Technical Practices Seminar, Bath• Oct. 15-17 – Limited Treatment Short Course, Hickory Corners• Oct. 15-17 – Distribution System Short Course, Hickory Corners• Oct. 29-30 – U.P. Water Distribution System Operators’ Training,

GladstoneVisit www.mi-water.org.

New YorkThe New York Section of AWWA is offering these courses:• Sept. 24 – Top Ops Boot Camp, Troy• Sept. 25 – Media and Public Relations, Utica• Sept. 25 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Troy• Oct. 2 – UV Disinfection and Facility Tour, Kingston• Oct. 9 – Chemical Metering Pump Operation, Canastota• Oct. 9 – Total Coliform Rule Revisions, Peekskill• Oct. 16 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Rochester• Oct. 16 – UV Disinfection, Utica• Oct. 22 – Chemical Metering Pump Operation, Norwich• Oct. 23 – Basic Laboratory Skills, Troy• Oct. 29 – Media and Public Relations, MwelvilleVisit www.nysawwa.org.

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People.The greatest natural resource.

tpomag.comSUBSCRIBE FOR FREE

“What makes it all work is the people. I am really proud of our team. We look for responsibility and a good work ethic. We can teach wastewater operation or lab technique, but we can’t teach character. Each person brings that with them the fi rst day.”James PendletonPlant SuperintendentHarpeth Valley Utilities District Wastewater Treatment PlantNashville, Tenn.

Keller America offers several submersible level

transmitters, each designed to provide the best price,

performance, and value for your application.

Each of these transmitters is built to order in the U.S. with a

short, 3-day lead time and several models include guaranteed

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September 2013