Municipalities across the U.S. have one of two types of sewer systems. A separate sanitary sewer may be what most people assume is in their city. It’s a sewer where water from showers, sinks, and toilets goes into the sewers and travels to wastewater treatment plants. In the first half of the 1900s, combined sewers were also allowed. With these systems, wastewater from homes and businesses goes into sewers, but so does storm runoff from rains and melting snow.

When was the last time your facility was upgraded? Planning needs to be a key consideration to ensure your wastewater treatment plant is managing flow rates of wastewater and, possibly, stormwater runoff. If it’s been a while since your district has discussed facility upgrades, you’re long overdue. It’s time to ask these questions.

What Type of Sewer System Do We Have?

What type of sewer system does your municipality have? Are you a separate sanitary sewer system? Generally, you won’t face too much strain with higher flow rates, but water can enter the system unexpectedly during heavy rains. If there are any leaking seals, cracks in the sewer system, or failing connections, stormwater runoff may leak into your system unexpectedly.

If there is a blockage, it can cause wastewater to back up and overflow in areas of your plant. Failing equipment and vandalism are other risks separate sanitary sewer wastewater treatment plants face. This can cause sewer overflows or create issues in your wastewater treatment plant’s collection system.

You may have an older wastewater treatment plant that is a combined sewer. Extremely heavy rainfall can wreak havoc on your system. If there are flooding rains, your plant could end up with overflow that has to be released as untreated sewage into a nearby lake or river. This can be disastrous.

In 1994, the EPA took steps to reduce the number of combined sewer systems in the U.S. Ideally, the hopes were that municipalities would separate their sewer systems and storm runoff drains. By 2000, the U.S. Congress required remaining cities and towns with combined sewer systems to meet the EPA’s guidelines requiring at least nine controls in place to reduce the impact of sewage overflows, such as retention basins or expanding the wastewater treatment facility’s capacity.

You might think that in 20+ years since the EPA’s guidelines changed that all remaining combined sewer systems had been corrected. It’s not the case. One Vermont city facing such changes drafted its proposal in 2019. It involves new valve vaults, new flow controls, a larger storage tank, a new screening structure, and a new grinder pumping station. Plus, miles of sewer lines need to be added or improved. The upgrades are targeted to be completed by 2032.

Have We Been Fined or Warned Recently? If So, Why?

Has your wastewater treatment plant received fines or warnings lately? When a wastewater treatment plant receives its permits, it’s given limits to meet before the wastewater is released. A plant has to properly treat wastewater to achieve the goals set forth in permits.

The city of Wapato, Washington, was warned and agreed to pay the EPA $25,750 in penalties for discharging treated wastewater that exceeded the limits listed in the facility’s permits. Zinc was one of the pollutants triggering the warning and fine.

If your equipment isn’t doing all it should, it’s time to evaluate the equipment and processes you have in place. Make upgrades as needed to ensure you’re able to treat wastewater correctly before it’s discharged. Adding new pumps, larger storage tanks, and better aeration systems all help improve efficiency. Computerized equipment that measures increasing and decreasing flows is another cost-effective change to consider.

What Are Our Peak Flow Rates and What’s Our Capacity?

You have a permit from the government that states the measures you must meet. It includes things like how much chlorine can remain in treated wastewater that you send back to the public water system or a local river or lake.

Another consideration is how much wastewater comes into your treatment plant each day and how much your equipment is capable of handling. Your equipment needs to be able to handle peak flows. Leaving a little extra room for the unexpected is helpful.

If you’re finding your plant is often at capacity, it’s time to consider making upgrades. As more people or businesses come to town, water usage increases. That means more wastewater entering the sewers. Your plant needs to be able to handle the growth.

What happens if new developments are leading to more wastewater than expected. Say a new condo complex comes in and planners estimate an average of 70 gallons per day from each resident. But, some people in those condos are using far more. An expert will need to rule out leaking toilet seals or similar issues. If it’s simply that people are using more water than estimated, it can become a headache. You can’t kick people out of their homes, so you have to look at growing the capacity of your plant.

Have Weather Patterns Shifted Unexpectedly?

What about the weather in your area? Global warming is causing some unexpected shifts in weather patterns that are impacting cities’ wastewater treatment systems. Detroit saw flooding after heavy rainfall hit in mid-March. The excessive rainfall caused a river to flood and back up the sewer system. Pumping systems became overwhelmed, so untreated sewage had to be released elsewhere.

Back in 2020, Concord, California’s wastewater treatment plant was used to flow rates of around 50 million gallons a day. Flooding rains led to an increase to 200 million gallons. The facility couldn’t keep up with it. While the plant is a separate sanitary wastewater system, stormwater entered through leaking mains and pipes. The city had to divert incoming wastewater and move some into storage tanks to be treated at a later date.

Have We Addressed Ways to Boost Efficiency?

Finally, look at your plant’s efficiency. If there are cost-effective ways to boost efficiency, make the improvements. You might consider using available grants or government loans to add solar panels to reduce your facility’s electricity rates. Wind power is another option.

You might want to upgrade old equipment for newer pumps and motors that don’t use as much power. For example, a Magna Rotor Aerator offers high efficiency for a lower operating cost. Even maintenance costs are reduced thanks to a hinged access panel. Aeration will cost less, saving money on electricity consumption, so the money you spend pays for itself through the savings you gain.

Alternative fuel is another idea to embrace. Instead of using oil, propane, or electric heaters to keep your workers warm enough in colder months, upgrade to a heating system that captures something you have plenty of within your plant. Add systems that capture methane and convert it into gas that can heat your facility.

Are you interested in learning more about upgrades that improve efficiency, lower your overall costs, and ensure you can meet your plant’s increased flow rates? Talk to the experts at Lakeside Equipment. Our engineers have decades of experience and help ensure you have a quality solution to ensure you have a wastewater treatment plant that meets, if not exceeds, your municipality’s needs.

Clogged pumps in a sewer and wastewater system aren’t new issues, but they have been increasingly frustrating to districts across the nation. The main issues tend to be sanitary wipes that are marketed as flushable that do not break down in the water as quickly as advertised. Double- and triple-ply toilet papers, paper towels, and facial tissues also don’t disintegrate quickly.

 Consumers purchase the items thinking they’re flushable and will dissolve in their wastewater, but they don’t. They build up in pipes, get caught around pumps in the equipment, and lead to blockages that can become costly as sewer and wastewater workers need to locate the blockage and remove it. In South Carolina, a blockage required divers at the cost of $140,000, and that cost ends up driving up prices for households and companies in that municipality.

Recent Clogs That Led to Costly Problems

Back in August, the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal in Delaware was flooded with upwards of 8,000 gallons of raw sewage. Why? A pump station in Lewes developed a clog that caused tremendous issues. At the heart of the clog were unflushable items like baby wipes.

As the clog built in both the lead and secondary pipes, a backup pump took over, but that pump also failed. The sewage backed up into pipes leading to a backflow situation that caused a cleanout lid to open. Sewage then entered the canal. It took workers about six hours to correct the situation.

A few months later, officials in Chaska, Minnesota, posted a picture of a shredded cotton towel that clogged a pump. Lift stations that usually get cleaned every three months were cleaned four times in one week due to clogs.

Why a towel was flushed down a toilet is unknown, but the city made it a goal to inform the public that paper towels, baby wipes, “flushable wipes,” tissues, and menstrual products should not be flushed as they do cause clogs.

The North Charleston Sewer District in South Carolina recently had to bring this issue up again. Not only is this sewer district dealing with baby wipes and flushable wipes that have been flushed down the toilet, but those wipes are mixing with the grease that people are pouring down sinks and solidifying in the sewer lines.

It’s clear that this is an issue that’s occurring across the country. What can sewer districts and wastewater treatment plants do to help put an end to clogs at pump stations?

Educate Those in Your District

You can’t always control what people flush, but they may not know what they are doing is driving up prices. Raise awareness. One of the first steps is to educate the people in your wastewater and sewer district. People see the term flushable and don’t realize that these wipes do not disintegrate as well as advertised

Go on social media and publish pictures of the clogs. If people see how these wipes do not break down effectively, it helps them understand the issues they’re causing. Make it known that it’s best to throw these wipes into the trash.

People may not pay attention to postcards or flyers you place in the mail. But, they may catch ads on Facebook or YouTube, if you have that budget available. Hold an open house with tours of your facility, if possible, and spread the word that way.

Make sure you bring up the different items that are marketed as septic-safe but aren’t. Wipes are just one item that are marketed as flushable but cause problems in sewers and wastewater treatment plants. Tampons, “flushable” cat litter, and toilet bowl scrubbers are other items that do not break down, even though it says they’re septic-safe products.

It’s also useful to point out the risks of untreated sewage being leaked into waterways. If you’re near an ocean, the area shellfish becomes contaminated and is no longer safe to eat. Lakes are exposed to high levels of bacteria and nitrogen, which makes lakes unsafe to swim in and can cause algae blooms to thrive.

Charleston, South Carolina’s District Filed a Lawsuit

South Carolina’s Charleston Water System took a surprising, yet logical step. After spending more than $300,000 to fix blockages and pump failures, they filed a lawsuit against manufacturers and retailers marketing wipes as being “flushable.” Consumers see that a wipe is flushable and don’t realize the damage it can cause to wastewater treatment systems. These flushable wipes and other flushable products like “flushable” cat litter do not disintegrate as people expect.

Kimberly-Clark was the first company to offer a settlement with Charleston Water System. The company is working on a new design to ensure the wipes disintegrate faster.

Upgrading Equipment Helps

Another step a wastewater district and sewer system can do is make sure older equipment is upgraded. Go through your system’s equipment and see how old the pumps, screens, trash rakes, and other components are. Modern equipment may be more effective at removing items that cause blockages. Sometimes, additional screens or more efficient trash rakes can help.

If your district doesn’t have grinder pumps, they can make a big difference. The pumps grind materials, which reduces the risk of a blockage. Grinder pumps work at slow speeds with high torque to grind up items like flushable wipes and cat litter, menstrual pads, paper towels, rags, and things that shouldn’t be flushed.

Another option would be a rotating drum screen. They’re great at capturing finer particles from wipes and tissues that have broken down some and impact wastewater treatment processes. The screenings caught in a rotating drum are compacted, dewatered, and spray washed to remove organics and water that continues to the next stages of wastewater treatment.

Talk to the Experts in Wastewater Treatment Equipment    

It helps to discuss possible upgrades with an expert in wastewater treatment systems. Engineers understand the best ways to come up with ways to prevent future issues. It may be upgrading your equipment or adding equipment that helps lower your energy bills, which balances out the cost of the new screens, pumps, etc.

When you’re moving wastewater, Archimedean screw pumps offer non-clog designs. These systems can be open or closed and are easy to maintain. Because the design helps prevent clogs, you don’t have to pre-screen wastewater. They’re a good choice for wastewater treatment plant lift stations.

Raptor screen products screen, wash, dewater, and compact waste at one time. The stainless steel construction provides longevity, while the all-in-one design handles several components of wastewater treatment at once.

Depending on the capacity of your system and the number of residential and business customers using your system, the best solution will vary. The experts at Lakeside Equipment are happy to discuss the issues you’re having and the best possible solutions. We’ll work with your budget and come up with designs and equipment that lower the risks of blockages and raw sewage releases. Call us to learn more.

The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) was enacted in 1948, but it didn’t add much in the way of federal guidelines. Essentially, states, towns, and cities were offered some federal funding to address water pollution, but water pollution was a state’s problem and up to communities to solve on their own.

The FWPCA was updated in the 1950s and 1960s, now there was some control on a federal level, but only if the waterway passed through more than one state. It still required states to set their own standards. The changes were considered problematic as it was hard to determine exactly who was violating quality standards given the length of some waterways. Even if it was determined who was polluting a waterway, clean-up measures took longer than expected and control measures could be planned but not necessarily implemented.

Then, Ohio’s Cuyahoga River caught fire in 1969. There were so many chemicals and other pollutants in the water that it became obvious something needed to change. President Richard Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970 and established the Environmental Protection Agency, which started a movement to clean up America’s waterways.

All of this brings us to 1972 when the federal government decided that government involvement was long overdue. That’s when the U.S. Clean Water Act was enacted, and it turns 50 this year.

The Clean Water Act Is Signed Into Law

The Clean Water Act of 1972 came up with new goals, and the biggest was that all industrial and municipal wastewater had to be treated before it was discharged. The federal government offered monetary assistance for the construction of municipal wastewater treatment plants, set strict enforcement policies on the federal level, and left day-to-day implementation of the new law to the states. This time, however, the EPA had a say in what happened, which put a lot more control in the government’s hands.

In October of 1972, one of the first changes hit when Congress enacted the Ocean Dumping Act. At that point, close to six dozen companies who had applied to dump their chemicals in the oceans were told no. That helped stop some of the pollutants from going into the ocean.

As the Clean Water Act also required industrial wastewater to be treated, industries had a deadline of July 1, 1977, in order to establish policies and develop industrial wastewater treatment systems. Municipal wastewater systems also had that deadline to establish secondary treatment systems, but they could apply for extensions and hope they’d be approved. Even with extensions, all wastewater districts had to meet the EPA’s “best practicable control technology” standards by July 1, 1988.

The best practicable control technology improvements were next. Industries were also given until March 31, 1989, to meet the “best available technology” for water treatment of toxic substances. Industrial settings that failed to meet this rule faced court-ordered actions.

Once the 1988 deadline hit, 86% of the nation’s municipal wastewater treatment plants had met the standards. The 14% that didn’t meet the deadline faced court-ordered schedules. Sadly, there are still towns and cities that struggle to meet the standards due to crumbling infrastructure.

Until 1988, sewage sludge and industrial waste were still being dumped in the oceans. It was banned completely with the Sewage-Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988. In 1992, New York City dumped its last load of sewage in the ocean finalizing the city’s agreement with the Ocean Dumping Ban Act.

The Safe Drinking Water Act Followed

At the end of 1974, another act was passed by the government. The Safe Drinking Water Act was signed on December 16th. It gave the EPA authority to regulate the quality of drinking water in public water systems.

Even as measures were taken to stop polluting the nation’s waterways, cancer-causing chemicals were discovered in New Orleans and Pittsburgh’s drinking water. Many other towns and cities were finding their public water smelled or tasted odd. To end this, drinking water standards were to be set by the end of 1977. In 1977, the act was upgraded and the changes were signed into law by President Jimmy Carter.

Public water systems had to make sure their water met these new standards, though extensions, such as budgetary constraints, would be granted in certain situations. Plus, districts that didn’t meet the EPA’s standards had to notify all customers immediately of the pollutants in the community’s drinking water.

Under President Reagan’s presidency, the Safe Water Drinking Act was updated again in 1986. More than 100 contaminants were added to the list of current contaminants. Industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants had until 1991 to upgrade their wastewater treatment plants or systems to start cleaning wastewater of the new contaminants. Lead materials were also banned in water systems. Until then, lead solder could be used on water supply pipes.

When 400,000 people in Wisconsin were sickened by cryptosporidium, it led to 100 deaths. The EPA immediately launched regulations and testing for cryptosporidium with the Interim Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule.

The next amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act took place in 1996 under President Clinton. He signed the law to grant funding to municipal water treatment plants in need of upgrades to their system and to make sure they provide information to customers about any microbes or chemicals in their public drinking water supply.

In 1997, Canada and the U.S. teamed up to clean up the Great Lakes. The goal was to clean the lakes by 2006, as these lakes were providing more than 15 million people with water at the time the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was signed.

Hudson River was the next waterway to get cleanup. PCB contamination in the Hudson River was cleaned in 2002 by removing 2.65 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the river.

The EPA Announced Government Contracts, Loans, and Grants Bans

To ensure industries and wastewater districts followed the new laws, the EPA announced a ban on any government contracts, loans, or grants in 1975. If a company was in violation of the Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act, it would not be awarded a government grant, loan, or contract. Essentially, anyone caught polluting would lose out on essential government funding options and future contracts.

Use of PCBs and Other Chemicals Are Banned

One area of concern in 1979 became the use of synthetic chemicals known as PCBs. They were commonly used in paints, cement, and many commercial and household products. PCBs were found in water, soil, and in the air. As they were believed to cause certain cancers, their use needed to be phased out.

In 1983, the EPA ordered an immediate stop to EDB’s use as a pesticide after it was found in the groundwater. As it is a carcinogen and mutagen, it was immediately banned.

President Reagan signed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act in 1986. If toxic chemicals were going to be released into the air, soil, or water, communities had to be informed. 

What’s the Future of the Clean Water Act?

Even with the Clean Water Act, there are still many issues. In 1983, sewage treatment plants, farms, and urban runoff brought the pollution levels in the Chesapeake Bay to unheard-of levels. Federal, state, and local teams worked together to begin the cleanup that’s still ongoing. 

President Obama renewed efforts to clean and protect the Chesapeake Bay. To do so, he named the bay a national treasure with an executive order in 2009. In 2011, the EPA established the “Pollution Diet” limiting the maximum daily load for pollutants like nitrogen and phosphorus from states with waterways that feed into the Chesapeake Bay. Pollution controls must be in place by 2025.

As research advances, more pollutants are found and pollution from the past starts leaching out of the soil or groundwater and raising issues today. That’s why the 50-year-old Clean Water Act continues to be updated and altered.

Does your plant need upgrades to meet the most recent EPA requirements? Are you struggling with efficiency and coming too close to maximum flow rates? It’s time to address the upgrades to your wastewater treatment plant or water treatment facility. Lakeside Equipment is an expert in treatment solutions and has been since the 1920s. Trust in our expertise to bring your facility up-to-date with technology and energy-efficient equipment.

Nitrogen is one of the worst pollutants as it increases algae blooms in streams, rivers, and lakes. It gets into the ocean and hurts coral reefs, seagrass, and plants, developing fish and aquatic animals. Plus, algae blooms can harm wildlife and pets that swim in or drink the polluted water.

Current estimates are that around 6.2 million tons of nitrogen make it into the world’s oceans and seas. The Mississippi River is one of the largest offenders in the U.S. with around 1.57 million metric tons of nitrogen released into the Gulf of Mexico each year.

Here’s something you should be prepared for, especially if your city or town has an aging wastewater treatment plant. Prepare to have the EPA order you to lower the amount of nitrogen being released into nearby water sources. With polluted lakes, streams, rivers, and coastal waters, it’s past time to make changes to stop the damage. That’s why the EPA is cracking down.

It Could Happen to You, Too

This happened to Chicopee, Massachusetts, recently. Chicopee’s sewer department received notice that they must lower the nitrogen the city releases into the Connecticut River. At the time of the warning, the city was releasing around 1,800 pounds per day and needs to reduce that to no more than 647 pounds. The cost of the upgrades needed to meet the EPA’s requirements is topping $65 million.

That’s just one project the city is currently working on. They also are working on separating the stormwater runoff and sewer systems to prevent heavy rains from flooding the wastewater treatment plant or backing up the sewers and ending up dumping raw sewage into area rivers. That project is estimated to cost the city about $300 million when it’s completed.

So far, the city has received a grant for $4.5 million, but the costs of all upgrades are expected to be close to $400 million. While residents and businesses in the water district wouldn’t see an immediate increase in their bills, it’s unavoidable in the future, and those increases may alarm ratepayers. It’s important to plan improvements in ways that operating costs are also reduced, which lessens the impact on ratepayers.

Activated Sludge Processes Are Commonly Used to Lower Nitrogen

The most common method for nitrogen removal is an activated sludge process. Start with aeration that heightens the habitat for bacteria and protozoa that digest organic matter. Aeration continually happens, which can use up energy costs. You want an efficient aerator that transfers the most oxygen for the lowest operating cost.

The microorganisms take the nitrogen and digest it, which produces waste sludge that contains oxidized organic materials. Some of that organic matter is used to grow more microorganisms, but more of it is moved to settling tanks where the sludge settles to the bottom and is removed. That removed waste ends up in landfills or can be turned into fertilizer in forests or fields that aren’t near bodies of water.

In this process, nitrogen and ammonia are oxidized and phosphorus is removed and nitrites end up as a harmless nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas can be used to inflate tires, replace oxygen in food packaging to keep foods fresher for longer, and in light bulb manufacturing.  

A Magna Rotor Aerator is a solid choice as it is built to withstand heavy use and harsh environments, has stainless steel blades for durability, and available fiberglass covers reduce loss of heat in cold climates. Maintenance is easily handled thanks to the convenient access areas. It’s a high-efficiency, reliable, low-operating-cost option.

Other Options for Nitrogen Removal

Activated sludge processes are the most popular with wastewater districts, but there are other options. Here are some of the other methods being used around the world.

Microalgae have cells that double their biomass every day by feeding on nitrogen. As they do it, they produce bioactive compounds, sugars, proteins, and fats. All of that can be recovered for animal feed and fertilizer. It’s an energy-efficient method, but it’s not effective overall. It’s also expensive to maintain a system that’s capable of removing enough nitrogen.

You can use a solid electron acceptor, such as oxygen and microbes in wastewater to convert nitrogen into electricity. It’s a system being studied as it could be useful for generating clean energy while also taking care of something that’s done every day. But, the hurdles so far have been in creating an efficient system that also is capable of removing the organics.

Anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) is also energy efficient. Bacteria process ammonia and create a nitrogen gas. The only issue is that it processes the wastewater’s ammonia, but it’s not good at handling the organic matter. It’s great for low organic loads, but more than that and the system just doesn’t work well.

Separating Systems Is Also Essential

If your district still has combined sewer lines and stormwater drains, that’s something you should consider changing. Combined Sewer Overflows are still found in more than 750 cities around the U.S. If you have one, your wastewater district must be able to handle flooding rains or high levels of melting snow.

Whether you’re separating your system or upgrading wastewater treatment plant equipment, we have a few suggestions.

Some of the equipment you should consider include Archimedes screw pumps for moving higher volumes of water at faster rates. Grit collection improves your plant’s performance by preventing sand and gravel from building up in tanks and channels and wearing out your pumps. With the grit removed from your plant, aeration is maximized and digester tanks aren’t losing space to sand, gravel, coffee grounds, etc.

Lakeside’s Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) is an automated system that processes wastewater treatment in one basin. It mixes, aerates, settles, and removes sludge in one system without foam or scum that’s floating on the surface. Choose SBR or a continuous-feed version known as the CSBR. Benefits include having a smaller system, which is ideal when space is limited. It’s also easy to expand this system.

Older equipment should be replaced before it breaks down. While there is a cost to upgrade, you’ll make more money back by having lower energy costs, less maintenance, and optimal processing of wastewater. Look for equipment with stainless steel components that won’t rust, sealed bearings that require less maintenance, and pumps and mixers that aerate and push wastewater around effectively.

When your residents are saving money in the long run, the cost of upgrading is less alarming. Plus, you don’t want to miss out on current government grants designed to help cities make important upgrades to their sewers and water treatment plants.

Talk to Lakeside Equipment before you face steep fines. Our engineers can go over your current system with you and discuss the most important, cost-effective upgrades to get your plant on the path to meet the changing requirements for things like nitrogen levels, PFAs, and other Clean Water Act limits. You’ll have the insight you need on how to have cleaner water, lower energy bills, and less downtime due to failures.

 Sources:

https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2000/0135/report.pdf

The nation’s wastewater treatment plants treat around 34 billion gallons of wastewater each day. That’s approximately 1.42 billion gallons of water per hour or 23.6 million gallons per minute. Water that flows in from sewers or is trucked in by septage haulers has to be processed to remove inorganic and organic materials and get levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, pathogens, and many other chemicals, metals, and pollutants to safe levels.

While machines do a lot of the work in a water treatment plant, you still have to have people ready to handle unexpected events like machine breakdowns or flooding. Take a look at some of the job duties an operator in a wastewater treatment plant and water treatment facility is tasked with. It often includes:

• Adjusting water pressure and flow rates for repairs, if a water main breaks or a clog occurs.
• Alerting chief operator and maintenance crews to problems with valves, motors, pumps, processing equipment, gauges, meters, and other wastewater equipment. 
• Calibrating lab equipment and preparing the chemical mixtures needed for testing.
• Collecting wastewater samples and running tests on the water quality to ensure the treated water meets permitted limits.
• Inspecting equipment and facilities for problems.
• Keeping floors and buildings free of obstacles and clutter that decrease safety.
• Logging water quality and readings from the equipment.
• Managing hydrant flushing to prevent mineral and sediment build-up in lines.

A lot of this could be automated with the use of AI. Humans make mistakes. No one is perfect, even after training and certification. But, you can improve your wastewater treatment plant’s efficiency and output using artificial intelligence. Take a closer look at the facts and benefits that are gained when using AI in your wastewater treatment plant.

Understanding the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Wastewater Treatment

Artificial intelligence uses computer science and datasets to perform tasks that require a human’s intelligent approach to thinking, evaluating, and problem-solving. AI will use skill sets like speech recognition, analytical skills, decision-making, and visual perception to contemplate and complete tasks. It’s extremely useful in wastewater treatment where precision, timing, and accuracy are essential.

It all stems from a paper written back in the 1950s in which Alan Turing pondered a simple question about whether or not machines were capable of thought. It led to the Turing Test where an interrogator had to decide if a response was generated by a computer or given by a human. This kicked off the advancements AI has seen since then.

Whether wastewater is trucked into a septage pumping station or comes in from the sewer system, the treatment stages are the same, though the requirements for treatment may vary from one location to the next. When a wastewater treatment plant gets a water discharge permit from the EPA, the effluent guidelines are listed in the permit. 

Plants must work to meet or exceed those guidelines by properly completing each stage of wastewater treatment. If you look at the stages of wastewater treatment, it becomes clear where AI can help out.

1. Screening and Pumping

As wastewater enters a treatment plant, it must be screened to remove items like plastics, “flushable” wipes, toys, and other items that will not break down easily. Those items are washed and pressed to remove as much wastewater as possible and then moved to a landfill.

AI can be helpful in this stage by helping to monitor for jams at a septage pump station. AI can closely track the amount of septage a truck is dropping off and the flow rates coming in from sewers and use the real-time information to speed up or slow down pumps to help lower energy costs and prevent costly overflows.

While many cities have shifted away from combined sewer and stormwater systems, there still are cities that have these combined systems. In moments of heavy rain or when the snow melts faster than expected, the influx of stormwater can increase demand for a wastewater treatment plant. It’s not uncommon for plant operators to have to release untreated or partially treated wastewater to the lake or river to prevent flooding. That emergency release can be costly, but AI can help lower the risk of that happening.

2. Grit Removal

Once wastewater has been screened and raked, grit removal is the next stage. Gritty particles like sand, gravel, coffee grounds, and bone fragments are all damaging to equipment. Instead, grit is allowed to settle and then it’s pumped out and removed to landfills. 

The reason grit needs to be removed is that it wears out equipment faster. If you get grit building up in a pump or motor, the continual rubbing and abrasion degrade the components, increasing the need for repairs. One thing AI offers that is important is predictive maintenance. AI can track the usage of different machines and predict when components are starting to wear out. 

Your team can make repairs before the equipment fails. This prevents unexpected downtime, which is essential in wastewater treatment.

3. Primary Settling

While grit removal is technically a settling process, primary settling is the first big move to remove materials from the wastewater. The water enters the clarifiers (large, circular tanks) and sludge (food, toilet paper pulp, and human waste) sinks to the bottom where pumps remove it. Fats, oils, and grease float to the top and form a scum layer that can be skimmed out and removed. The removed sludge and FOGs go to digesters for further processing during activated sludge. 

Chemicals may be added at this stage to start removing phosphorus. AI can help with the dispensing of any chemical additives to ensure that the right amounts are used and avoid lost money through excessive use of these chemicals. Even a splash more than is necessary can drive up costs each month.

4. Aeration and Activated Sludge

The sludge and FOG are introduced to microorganisms that break them down into nitrogen, water, and cell tissue. Treated wastewater goes on to secondary settling.

5. Secondary Settling

Secondary settling involves more clarifiers. This time, aeration helps further separate the activated sludge, which is pumped from the bottom of these circular tanks and returned to the activated sludge process. The clarified wastewater is now almost entirely free of materials. It’s moved to the filtration process.

6. Filtration

Filtration is one of the final steps before water is released to streams, lakes, rivers, or a water treatment plant for reuse. The water is pumped from secondary settling tanks to large filters that capture tiny particles. From time to time, the filters are backwashed, and that water goes to the start of the wastewater treatment stages to prevent any loss of water.

7. Disinfection

Some plants use products like chlorine to kill remaining bacteria. Others rely on chemical-free UV disinfection. Ultraviolet lighting like the sun’s UV rays kills remaining bacteria. If chlorine is used, it must dissipate to acceptable levels before it’s released to bodies of water where it could harm aquatic plants and animals.

8. Oxygenation

Before the water can be released, it has to be properly oxygenated. AI is helpful in the real-time tracking of oxygen levels to ensure the water that’s released is exactly where it needs to be. AI can add oxygen or turn up bubblers to release oxygen if the content is too high.

SCADA systems are often used by wastewater treatment plants today, and SCADA systems have been beneficial in predicting problems and alerting plant operators to take corrective actions. With the use of AI, so much more is possible. 

AI Saves Money

A German wastewater treatment plant incorporated AI sensors and found their energy usage declined by 30%. Artificial intelligence saves money and helps prevent costly errors. Talk to Lakeside Equipment about the possibility of adding AI to your existing computerized controls and the equipment upgrades that help bring your plant to a point where AI is easily incorporated.

It came out in May that the worldwide market for positive displacement pumps is forecasted to reach $11.25 billion in the next seven years. That’s almost double the market’s value in 2019. Why are these pumps high in demand? What’s driving the increased need for this specific type of pump? There are several factors.

It helps to understand what positive displacement pumps are used for. They remove liquids from discharge pipes. They’re useful in many industries including wastewater, food and beverage, oil and gas, mining, etc. If you have liquid or fluid matter that needs to be moved from Point A to Point B, a positive displacement pump is your answer. Take a closer look at how these pumps help in these industries, what you should look for, and how they work.

A Guide to How Positive Displacement Pumps Work

Pumps move liquids or fluid materials from one area to another. There are axial-flow pumps fluids in one direction. Liquids come in passes through an impeller and travel out the other end. A centrifugal pump changes the flow by using a motor and impeller to create energy that pushes fluids along. The final option is a positive displacement pump that captures an amount of fluid and forces it into the discharge pipe. The benefit is the pump handles a constant volume even if the pressure changes.

These pumps are categorized by their mechanisms:

1. Linear-type: Chain or rope pumps
2. Reciprocating-type: Diaphragm, piston, plunger, or radial piston pumps
3. Rotary-type: Gear, hollow disk, rotary vane, screw, or vibratory pumps

A linear-type of positive displacement pump uses a chain or rope and some form of a plate or even bucket to displace liquids. Go back in time to an ox-powered water wheel. Oxen were tethered to the big wheel and walked in circles. That motion moved the wheel, which moved the chain or rope along a pulley or up and down a drilled or dug well to collect water from deep within the well. Back up at the surface, the motion at the top of the pulley system dumped the water into a discharge chute while the buckets made a new path. Today, they’re more likely to have a chain and disc system that fits within a tube or pipe. As the discs are pulled up through the tube or pipe, water is trapped and is drawn upward.

Next up is a reciprocating type. How it works depends on the type. Think of the old-fashioned well pump. People pumped the handle and each upward pull of that handle drew water up to the discharge pipe. There’s also a piston pump that also uses the upward pull or downward thrust to move liquids. A diaphragm pump is the other type of reciprocating pump. An air bladder (diaphragm) moves up to decrease pressure or down to increase pressure. If you have a private well, you have a pressure tank that helps water flow from the well to the different water lines within the home.

The final main type of positive displacement pumps is the rotary type. There are five types of rotary positive replacement pumps: gear, hollow disk, rotary vane, screw, or vibratory. Screw pumps are one of the types of pumps you’ll encounter a lot in water treatment plants, which makes them one of the more familiar types. You can have an open or enclosed screw pump. They work by having a giant screw within a closed or open chute or pipe. The blades of that screw capture the fluid from a lower pool of liquid, and the motion of the turning screw propels it upwards and to the top of that chute or pipe.

Screw pumps are popular in so many industries and settings. It’s worth stopping to talk about them. You have open and closed. Open is in a concrete trough, and enclosed is in a steel tube. For enclosed screw pumps, there are the Type C or Type S. Type C pumps have two flights (screws) that are welded into the rotating tube. Type S works oppositely with a stationary tube.

While the mechanics vary, the goal of any pump is the same. The mechanics draw in the fluid material on one side, move it through to the next with the help of motors or human or animal power. For the most part, you’ll be relying on motors to power these pumps. If energy-efficiency is vital to your water treatment plan, home setting, or business, you should look at solar-powered or wind-powered electricity to run your pump.

Their Role in Different Industries

That’s the breakdown of the different types of positive displacement pumps. How are they used in different industries? Getting back to the increased need for positive displacement pumps in the next seven years, a driving force in this is going to be the need to find new options for energy. Natural gas is in high demand and is just one of several hydrocarbons that are drawn from the earth using positive displacement pumps. Because drilling and fracking require a lot of pressure, piston pumps that handle the high-pressure situation are often used.

As some look for environmentally-friendly ways to heat their homes and businesses, hydrocarbons aren’t the first choice. Solar and wind power are one choice, but there’s one that is gaining popularity. Geothermal energy needs powerful pumps to move the water from below ground into the building.

You can use these pumps in a geothermal system. Geothermal energy takes the natural warmth found within the earth and uses it for home heating. You pull the warmer water from deep within the ground where it releases that warmth into the house and discharges the cooled water in a continuing cycle. In the summer, geothermal energy helps keep the house cool. The surface temperature is warmer than the temperature deep in the earth. The cooler water is drawn into the home to cool the air and discharges the warmer water back in the ground to cool again. A positive displacement pump can help keep that flow of water from the underground to the building from coming to a stop.

In water treatment, these pumps move the wastewater from the sewer lines or septage station to the next steps in the treatment process. Screw pumps are the common option in a waste treatment plant. If solids like fat balls or fecal matter won’t mess up the screw pump. They’ll move to the next steps where the sludge is separated for processing. Sludge eventually ends up in disposal tanks where it can be dried and composted or taken to a landfill. More homes and businesses mean more of a load. To meet the increased load, water treatment plants are upgrading and increasing capacity. They’re adding energy-efficient measures to lower overall costs. This all starts by choosing the right pumps and water treatment equipment.

In a rice paddy or other agricultural settings where irrigation is needed, positive displacement pumps move water from another water source to your fields or rice paddies. In rural settings, a tractor may be attached to a chain using a chain pump. In a large commercial field that grows everything from corn to wheat, irrigation systems need to be efficient and move a lot of water every day. These settings may use screw pumps to move water from a lower pond or water tank to the elevated fields. Liquid manure needs to be pumped into trucks for spreading.

Pumps also serve a need in the food industry. A plant that makes sausage needs a way to pump the mix of ground meat and spices into the machines that fill casings. A viscous mixture like pasta sauce needs to be transferred from the vats where it’s cooked into machinery that jars it. Food grade screw pumps do this without breaking down as the acidic sauce passes through the pumps for hours at a time.

How Do You Shop for a Positive Displacement Pump?

What are your needs? Archimedean screw pumps don’t clog and can move the liquids and solids wastewater treatment plants handle. Screw pumps are used in sludge pumping, effluent lift stations, and stormwater management. They can help drain land or move water from a water source to elevated fields. Screw pumps are used to move grain in an agricultural setting. They’re also helpful in moving liquids around in wineries and breweries. While your budget is important, it’s also important to have a clear vision of what the pump will do. Do you need the pump that can process foods or one that will be exposed to the outside elements?

You also need to have a clear idea of where the pump is going so that you get the right size. An enclosed screw pump takes up less space than an open screw pump. A Type S screw pump may take up more space because it has a pivoting end. The pump needs to keep up with the flow rate without causing a backup. How much space is there? If there are space limitations, you need to choose a pump that is the right size for the space you have.

Maintenance is the third factor to weigh carefully. Motors in a pump need to be lubricated or they’ll seize. Some units are designed to be maintenance-free, others require a little more care. How much staff and/or time do you have for upkeep? Do you want to make sure bearings are lubricated after months or years of use or do you prefer the idea of self-contained lubrication that is always there? A Type E Sealed Bearing requires little to no maintenance, and if re-lubrication ever is needed, it’s not time-consuming as you never have to remove the bearing.

Do you have time to clean the components, or should the pump be designed to prevent clogs or build-up? A clog-free design is one of the factors that make Lakeside Equipment’s screw pumps the best choice when it comes to maintenance and cleaning. Screen rakes also help keep trash from getting to your equipment.

Choose a specialist in water treatment and hydropower equipment. Lakeside Equipment’s expertise dates back to 1928. We make sure your goals are met by talking about your budget, space, and district. If you’re in an area where the population growth is rapid, a design that considers that growth is important. If you’re looking for equipment that cuts electricity costs, we can help there, too. Give us a call to learn more about Lakeside’s positive displacement pumps.

The U.S. Department of Energy found that the annual expenditure on energy used by the nation’s wastewater treatment plants exceeded 30 terawatts. That equates to 30 billion kilowatts. The cost of all that electricity comes to just over $2 billion using average 2020 electricity rates.

Electricity makes up about a quarter to half of a wastewater treatment plant’s budget. To keep costs down, municipal wastewater treatment plant efficiency must be a top priority. Not only does it reduce energy usage, but it also helps make sure a plant is meeting the needs of the growing population. An efficient plant can help reduce downtime from maintenance and repairs with upgraded equipment.

Establish a System for Energy Management

Start by establishing an energy management system. ISO 50001 says that an energy management system is a set of policies and objectives to help manage energy followed by the steps taken to follow through and continually monitor and manage energy use.

You need to understand what uses energy within your plant. Think about office equipment, water treatment equipment, fans, and lighting. Pay close attention to the things that use more electricity than others. Older equipment is going to be less efficient than newer ones. Even little changes like upgrading fluorescent lighting fixtures to LED ones help you start saving money. Consider every part of your plant to start creating a comprehensive blueprint of what’s in your wastewater treatment plant and how much energy it uses.

Leaders within the municipality should create energy-efficiency and cost-cutting goals as they look at everything within the plant. Start coming up with ways to meet those goals and commit to the measures that need to be taken. Do not be unrealistic. It’s hard to make something happen if the odds are already against you. Upgrading all of your aerators, pumps, etc. may be ideal, but if you’re short on money, it’s not realistic. Instead, look at things other plants have done that worked well, get a better understanding into how much those changes would cost, and see if you could make that work for your municipality.

If you plan to reduce electricity consumption by 25%, start looking into the ways you can make that goal happen. You might want to offset how much power you get from the local power plant by adding solar panels to your wastewater treatment plant. Maybe upgrading to newer aerators or pumps will help you reduce energy use by 35%. If that would work, start researching the cost of new pumps versus the savings you’ll gain in the next months and years. Often, upgrades pay for themselves in a year or two.

Equipment Upgrades That Improve Efficiency

There are two ways to approach upgrades. Improve performance and it reduces your operating costs. Something as simple as a new grit removal system can lower costs by allowing for the highest level of aeration and improving the volume in digester tanks, both are essential steps in wastewater treatment.

Automate your plant and you’ll save money. When you have equipment that is automating the process, it lowers power consumption. A process control system monitors the different stages of wastewater treatment and can lower pump and motor speeds. It wastes energy if you have pumps running at full speed at hours when incoming wastewater from sewers and septic haulers is barely flowing.

Wastewater often contains grit. That grit can be sand that’s rinsed off after a day at the beach. Coffee grounds that get rinsed from cups and reusable coffee filters. Small food particles that go through a garbage disposal also can lead to grit. Some wastewater treatment plants see an average of more than 13 cubic feet of grit remaining after treating a million gallons of wastewater. That grit can impact efficiency and cost your plant money in repairs and maintenance. A high-quality grit removal system improves efficiency and reduces wear and tear on parts within wastewater treatment equipment.

Lakeside Equipment specializes in high-efficiency screw pumps. They’re designed to be efficient and lower your electricity costs for the entire life of the screw pump. There are enclosed and open screw pumps. Open screw pumps are designed to be up to 75% efficient. Type C enclosed screw pumps are up to 86% efficient, while Type S enclosed are up to 75% efficient.

Alternative Energy Sources

Look at ways to power your wastewater treatment plant that doesn’t rely solely on grid electricity. What are your options when it comes to renewable energy? Here are the two most common options and their pros and cons.

#1 – Solar Power

Solar power requires panels that are installed either on a roof or on supports on the ground. The panels capture the sun’s rays and convert them to a DC current that’s sent to an inverter where it is converted to AC power. That power is used to power the plant. If any is left over, it’s sent to the grid. Solar power generates on cloudy days but not at the same rate as on a sunny day.

Solar is expensive starting out, but energy-improvement grants and leasing programs may help. Talk to your local electricity company for advice on what programs are available. Some are strictly for residences, but others consider plants and businesses.

Snow covering the panels will temporarily stop production. Some solar companies recommend that you don’t clear the snow, especially if you’re leasing the panels. If you live in a snowy region, you may need to pair solar with your city or town’s grid electricity. This can be one of the biggest downfalls to solar.

In 2019, a 137-kilowatt/hour solar array was installed to provide power to the Sprague Wastewater Treatment Plant in Connecticut. That array is estimated to meet 80% of the plant’s electricity needs. Some of the energy is sold back to the town to help cover the initial cost.

On average, solar panels have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years before their production dwindles. Once they no longer produce, they have to be replaced. Recycling solar panels is still a new process. Components include metal, photovoltaic cells, plastic, glass, and silicon or film that covers the panels. Recycling takes time and training to break down the different components. Few states in the U.S. have policies regarding solar panel recycling. Europe is a leader in solar panel recycling, but it’s expensive to ship them overseas. You have to consider what it will cost to dispose of the panels at the end of their life.

#2 – Wind Power

Windmills or wind turbines have been around for over a century. When the wind blows, it moves the blades. Those blades are attached to a rotor that spins a generator to produce electricity. That electrical current goes to a transformer where it is converted into a voltage that travels through electrical lines to the grid that’s used to power the wastewater treatment plant.

Rhode Island’s Field’s Point Wastewater Treatment Plant paid to have wind turbines installed. The $14 million installation may seem like a lot, but the power generated by the three wind turbines cut the plant’s electricity bill by over $1 million a year.

Wind power is one of the most cost-effective forms of renewable energy, but you need space for the turbines. They can be noisy and not everyone finds them appealing to look at. That can draw complaints from homeowners who live close by. That can make it difficult to get the permits needed. The other drawback is that wind isn’t a constant. A stretch of non-windy days will affect production.

Partner with Lakeside Equipment to discuss, plan, and install equipment upgrades to improve your municipal wastewater plant’s efficiency. Our engineers and sales team have decades of expertise in the best ways to lower energy costs while considering population growth and quality wastewater treatment at the same time.

Municipal wastewater treatment plants take the wastewater from sewers and private septic systems and ensure it is clean and free of contaminants. Once it meets the EPA’s standards, the wastewater is released into bodies of water or returned to the public drinking supply.

Have you ever thought about what led to the creation of the first wastewater treatment plants? From the earliest days, these plants have come a long way thanks to advancements in technology and scientific breakthroughs.

A Historical Look at Wastewater Treatment

Go back in time to Ancient Rome. It had one of the earliest wastewater systems. Rainwater would travel from streets and rooftops to several drainage paths that led to a larger one known as the Cloaca Maxima that traveled right to the Tiber River.

While it was a good way to keep streets from flooding, there was a problem. At first, people threw their waste from windows in homes to the streets for water to wash away. When toilets and bathrooms became common, the piping went to cesspits where wastewater soaked into the ground over time or backed up into gardens and cellars.

In the 1860s, a Frenchman designed a tank that would hold the waste and keep it contained. After 10 years, he found that the solids had broken down and all that was left was a layer of scum and liquids. He patented his invention in 1881, which led to the creation of septic tanks in countries like the U.S., England, and Africa.

In cities and large municipalities, septic tanks weren’t possible due to the lack of space. Instead, piping from cesspools was connected to storm sewers and drains where the waste ended up in the river. This created water pollution and increases cases of bacterial diseases like cholera.

It wasn’t until the late-1800s and early-1900s that cities in the United States and the United Kingdom considered how to stop the water pollution that wastewater was causing. One of the first changes was to create separate wastewater treatment and stormwater run-off systems. The wastewater treatment system used chemicals and biological treatment plans to treat the water before it was released into lakes, streams, and rivers.

The first U.S. public water systems were developed in the late-1700s. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island were leaders by creating delivery companies that would bring water to houses. New York City created wells, but the wells were problematic as they were polluted. Eventually, water was brought into the city from Croton River, which was north of the city.

Pollution in the rivers was another concern as cholera and typhoid were spreading. By the start of the 1900s, there were more than 3,000 public water systems in the U.S. Focus turned to the best ways to keep those water systems from spreading disease. Congress passed a law in 1912 regulating the quality of water. Service drinking Water Standards followed in 1914 and set limits on the number of bacteria allowed in public water. This led to the use of chlorine to disinfect water. Thanks to these measures, waterborne diseases dropped by 100x by the 1940s.

In 1974, Congress enacted the Safe Drinking Water Act, which required public water systems to ensure public water did not exceed any of the contaminants on the EPA’s list. Several different bacteria are on the list, but so are heavy metals, chemicals, and carcinogens.

How Wastewater Treatment Plants Work

The basics of wastewater treatment are that wastewater comes in, foreign objects and solids are removed, the remaining water is aerated and clarified, microorganisms digest any tiny particles of waste/food, and chemical additives kill off anything that’s remaining. UV is the final step and that helps remove chemicals that were added.

You have combined systems that combine sewage with stormwater and bring them into the wastewater treatment plant for treatment. Separate systems are more common. All new wastewater treatment systems are separated from stormwater. Stormwater goes back into streams or rivers, while wastewater goes to a treatment plant for processing.

Primary Wastewater Treatment Steps

As the wastewater reaches the plant from sewers, it may need to be pumped from a lower elevation to a higher one for primary treatment. You have open pumps or enclosed screw pumps that bring the sewage to the settling tanks. Wastewater will pass through screens first and move to a grit chamber to remove contaminants like plastic applicators, plastic wrappers, or grit like coffee grounds.

Grit removal is important for maintaining the life of your equipment. Sand and grit can wear parts down over time. If you remove the grit, you extend the life of your pumps and valves. You also prevent blockages. This helps with aeration and digestion as the treatment process continues.

When wastewater is pumped into the next area of the treatment plant, the pumps need to be able to handle varying flow rates. A sewer may seem higher flow rates in the morning when people are getting ready to go to school and to work and again in the evening when people come home for the day. When people are sleeping, flow rates will slow down.

Secondary Treatments

In the primary clarifier, the sludge settles to the bottom. Liquids (primary effluent) flow to the aeration tank for the fluid to be stirred up and oxygenated. Sludge is pumped out where it will go to be treated and disposed of. It doesn’t get rid of all of the tiny particles of sludge. In aeration tanks, the water is mixed up to create the oxygen that microbes thrive on. Microorganisms are kept alive by the oxygen and will feed on organic materials that remain.

Before moving to a secondary clarifier, some wastewater treatment plants also use filters to help remove impurities. Activated sludge treatment is another option that comes before secondary clarification. Again, the sludge settles and some pumped out, some returns to the aeration tank for a second round, and clear water moves on for tertiary treatments.

Tertiary Treatments

Tertiary treatment may include biological treatment solutions. Disinfectants are added to the water to help kill any remaining contaminants. Just as they used chlorine in the past, it’s still used by many plants to ensure bacteria are killed. The water that remains is then exposed to UV light to help remove the chlorine that’s often used to help disinfect the water. Water is tested to make sure the cleaned water meets EPA standards.

To best manage the biological treatment system, many facilities use a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This helps control and monitor all of the different pieces of equipment within the wastewater treatment plant. It notifies operators of potential issues and allows for remote monitoring. Also, consider adding a Sharp Biological Nutrient Removal (SharpBNR) to your plant. It’s a process control system that makes sure you meet your goals for treatment while also minimizing your energy consumption.

Work With the Pros

Any municipal wastewater district has to work hard to make sure water meets the EPA’s guidelines while also being affordable for the water district’s members. If taxpayers struggle to afford the cost, it can become a problem. You also don’t want to have a plant that’s unable to meet the rising demand as more homes and businesses are built in that district. With a well-designed wastewater treatment plant that considers growth, energy efficiency, and effectiveness, you’ll do well.

It takes a lot of work to clean municipal wastewater. You want to partner with an expert in wastewater treatment equipment and design. Lakeside Equipment has been in the business for close to a century. When you work with us, we assign engineers and other specialists who help you design your plant from the ground up or assist you in making improvements to help you become more efficient and cost-effective. Call us to discuss your project.

A sewage grinder pump grinds the matter in wastewater to help it flow from a low spot to sewer lines. In a commercial setting, such as a restaurant, the grinder pump would work like a garbage disposal to grind up foods and items that go down the drain. The smaller pieces travel through pipes with a lower risk of creating a clog that could damage lines.

A grinder pump system handles things that get flushed down the toilet that shouldn’t be. If you have clients that flush baby wipes even though they do not dissolve, a grinder pump helps prevent clogs. Patrons may not realize that flushing a tampon applicator is terrible news for sewer lines. Your kitchen staff can put food scraps down the sink without causing blockages.

Meanwhile, the pump ensures the wastewater makes it up slopes and from low points. Imagine your restaurant is at the bottom of a hill, but the wastewater district’s pump station is at the top of the incline. If your building has any basement-level kitchens, laundry rooms, or bathrooms, a grinder pump helps process the solid waste with the wastewater. From there, the pump pushes it up and to the sewer lines.

Pumps push the water so that it moves in the right direction and don’t backflow into your sinks, toilets, and drains in the lowest point of your business, costing you hundreds or thousands of dollars to sanitize and clean surfaces.

Tips for Choosing Sewage Grinder Pumps

Choosing the best commercial sewage grinder pumps comes down to your needs. A sewage grinder pump needed in a large building with multiple office spaces will be far different from a pump required in a food processing company. Restaurants, bars, and hotels are other businesses that benefit from commercial sewage grinder pumps. These are the things you need to consider when you start researching your options.

#1 – The Motor’s Horsepower

A commercial sewage grinder pump will be different from a sewage grinder pump you’d use at home. It handles more wastewater, so the pump needs to be equipped to handle the higher capacity. Many residential grinder pumps range from 0.5 HP to 1 HP and have an RPM of around 3,000. A commercial grinder pump has a more powerful motor that’s often 2 HP or higher, and the RPMs usually are in the area of 3,500.

In a building with multiple bathrooms or kitchens, this is important. A pump with less power is more likely to become overwhelmed and need repairs or replacement. You have to make sure you’re installing a pump that can meet your wastewater demands. The right size pump lowers your maintenance and repair costs over time.

#2 – The Grinder’s Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)

Higher RPMs help the pump grind solid materials into a slurry. The faster it does this, the better it is to prevent backups or clogs. If you own a brewery with its own small wastewater treatment plant, you’d need a grinder pump that can handle any grains or hops that make it through filtration.

#3 – The Max Flow Rate

Check the pump’s max flow rate. If your business has upwards of 100 gallons of wastewater each minute, you want a pump that handles that much sewage. You’ll know this by the max flow rate that’s given in terms of gallons per hour. If it can handle 6,340 gallons per hour, it would manage an average of over 100 gallons per minute.

#4 – The Pump’s Construction

How does the pump work? For a commercial sewage grinder pump, you may need a control panel setup. Otherwise, systems use a float to turn the pump on and off when needed.

Check the grinder pump’s discharge design. Most have a vertical pipe that comes out of the top. A vertical design is often ideal. Ensure you have this type over a horizontal discharge requiring a 90-degree pipe section for the wastewater to travel upward.

You also need to look at the type of materials the grinder pump is made from. Many have cast iron bodies with stainless steel cutters to grind the materials into small pieces. You want a clog-free design on the impeller. Look for oil-filled, sealed motors that don’t require a lot of maintenance.

#5 – Head Height

Look at the head height. Head height is the distance (vertically) from the lowest level of the wastewater at the pump to the high point where it exits the building for sewer lines. Sewer lines usually run from the building into the sewers at the lowest level of a building. In some constructions, this means you’re sending water from the top floor to the basement and out of the building to the sewers.

If the head height offers a lift of 20 feet, but your basement or lowest area is 30 feet below the drainpipe, the head height is not sufficient. The pump needs to be powerful enough to push the water up and away from your building. If the head height is lower, the lift will not be as great, so it will struggle to move the wastewater.

Know Your Local and State Codes

A commercial sewage grinder pump system may even be required in your city or district. And it has to follow the rules outlined in city or state legislation. For example, where sewage pumps are necessary for “backwater protection” in a Wisconsin business, the grinder pump has to have opening and discharge piping diameters of no less than 1.25 inches.

It’s up to you to make sure you’re meeting those laws. The best way to ensure you comply is by working with an expert in wastewater equipment and design. Meeting your budget is essential, but it’s not always the best path forward if it means you’ll be fined or shut down for ignoring these codes.

Have You Considered Screw Pumps?

If your company is larger, screw pumps may suit your needs. There are both open and enclosed screw pumps available to help move wastewater up slopes. No matter which you select, they’re designed to avoid the need to grind solids as they do not clog.

Open screw pumps can handle 22 to 40 degrees inclines, and they do not clog, so screens are not needed. A benefit to the open screw pump is that it can handle anywhere from 90 gallons per minute to 55,000 gallons per minute with lifts of up to 50 feet per stage. Maintenance costs are low, too.

You also have enclosed screw pumps where the screw pump is hidden inside a steel tube. Type C enclosed screw pumps move anywhere from 540 to 35,000 gallons per minute at lifts of up to 60 feet. A Type S enclosed screw pump handles up to 10,000 gallons per minute with a lift of up to 30 feet. You can talk to a screw pump expert to learn more about the pros and cons of these systems when compared to your needs.

Lakeside Equipment Corporation has been a leader in water purification equipment and designs for more than 90 years. We’ve been designing screw pump systems since 1969 and have the expertise you need to ensure you meet codes. Call our customer service team at 630-837-5640 to learn more about using screw pumps for your sewage pump needs.

Residential or domestic sewage is the wastewater that leaves a resident’s home or apartment complex. It’s the wastewater from a flushed toilet, washing machine, sink, or dishwasher. While it does need to be treated, it’s generally easier to treat than industrial sewage.

Industrial sewage also contains the wastewater from bathrooms and sinks, but it is harder to clean because it also includes the wastewater from manufacturing processes. For example, a poultry processing plant will have toilets for the staff to use, but there’s also the wastewater from the solutions used to wash the chickens before butchering. It has the wastewater from the butchering process that contains blood, feces, and feather, bone, and skin particles.

According to OSHA, poultry processing plants may use ammonia, chlorine, dry ice, hydrogen peroxide, and/or peracetic acid. That wastewater puts a strain on local wastewater districts, so connecting to sewers may require your plant to treat the wastewater first. If you don’t, you could cause damage to the environment or face fines. To do this, you have to consider the best industrial sewage treatment system for your needs.

What Industries Need Sewage Systems?

Food processing plants are one example of an industry that needs a wastewater sewage system. There are others. Generally, if a business creates large quantities of wastewater, a water treatment system is required. Agriculture, breweries, paper and pulp mills, steel plants, the oil and gas industry, pharmaceuticals, and textiles are examples of other industries that need wastewater treatment systems. Here’s why it’s essential.

• Agriculture – Chemicals like herbicides and pesticides, fecal matter, and the fats and sugars in milk.
• Breweries – Chemicals used for sterilizing processes, the grains and sugars, and water used for rinsing the hops and grains.
• Food Processing – As mentioned earlier, fecal matter, blood, bones, and skin, plus growth hormones and antibiotics.
• Iron/Steel Plants – Oil, cyanide, and ammonia are just a few of the contaminants.
• Paper/Pulp Mills – One ton of paper uses more than 15,000 gallons of water to make, plus there are bleaching agents, acids, hydrocarbons, etc. to consider.
• Pharmaceuticals – Drug waste is mixed into the water.
• Textiles – The clothing industry relies on materials of all colors, so bleach and chemical dyes are in the wastewater from textile plants.

The first step within an industrial wastewater treatment plant is to remove any solids through sludge removal. After that, any grease and oils need to be removed. Organic matter is also removed. At this point, any alkalis and acids are neutralized, and heavy metals are also removed. Chlorine and remaining contaminants are removed through membrane filtration.

It all comes down to the wastewater your company generates. You might need a sewage grinder as part of the process if you have a food processing plant. Other plants may not require it. Working with an expert in industrial wastewater treatment plants is important to ensure you have a system that works effectively, within your budgeted operating costs, and is easy to maintain.

What Are Your Options?

Lakeside Equipment has two package treatment plants if you want an affordable wastewater treatment system that’s ready to go. You have two options: E.A. Aerator Plant or Packaged Extended Aeration Plant.

The Pros and Cons of an E.A. Aerator Plant

To better understand the reasons to choose the E.A. Aerator Plant, it helps to look at what it does and when it’s the best choice. This plant includes a concentric (rings within rings) design with a Closed Loop Reactor in the outer loop and a Spiraflo Clarifier in the inner circle. You can add a second channel for seasonal variations, extra capacity, or more efficient biological nutrients removal.

The Closed Loop Reactor (CLR) aerates the wastewater before it goes into the next ring, where the Spiraflo Clarifier allows the sludge to settle. CLR is done using the Magna Rotor Aerator for fuss-free operation with low maintenance costs. It also is an easy system for workers to operate. The Spiraflo Clarifier offers an optimal hydraulic flow that maximizes performance.

The E.A. Aerator Plant is an in-ground concrete design. A mixture of concrete and steel or just steel are other options.

Pros:

• It offers greater aeration without driving up energy consumption in low-flow conditions.
• It has a space-saving design.
• There’s flexibility in the number of rings in the final design.
• Replacement and service are easy to manage as standard parts are used.

Cons:

• It’s not as effective if flow rates are higher than 0.5 million gallons per day.
• Screening is not part of the system.
• It takes up some space, making it less ideal in a smaller plant.

The Pros and Cons of a Packaged Extended Aeration Plant

Your other option is the Packaged Extended Aeration Plant. It is a pre-engineered system fit within a steel tank that contains screening, diffused aeration, clarification, disinfection, and sludge holding. There is the option of installing it within a concrete structure if that’s preferred.

The Packaged Extended Aeration Plant contains everything in one, making it a powerhouse in a smaller plant. The wastewater is screened to remove items that might otherwise cause clogs. From there, it is aerated and clarified before going through disinfection. All of the sludge goes into a steel chamber for easy removal.

Pros:

• Screening is an integral part of the system.
• The compact steel design is ideal for small plants.
• Easy to install as it’s an all-in-one system.
• It’s optimized for hassle-free operation with minimal staffing.

Cons:

• It’s not practical in larger plants.
• If a concrete structure is preferred, the components are shipped and installed on-site.

What if those are not suitable options for your needs? Consider a custom design. You might need screening as part of a more extensive wastewater treatment system for your factory. You need to have grit removal as a significant part of the process. These pieces of equipment may not be necessary, but you need careful filtration of heavy metals. A custom industrial sewage treatment plant is often the best bet for your business.

Planning Your Design

Your industrial wastewater treatment plant must meet your needs, but there’s much more to it than that. You have to know your district’s regulations. You may be required to complete a wastewater treatability study before taking the first steps.

If you have a poultry processing plant, you’re going to have to account for the biological hazards, fats, and bone fragments. In comparison, a company that cures hides for leather coats needs to consider all chemicals, hairs, sand, and animal fats going into the wastewater.

You have to look at your plant’s energy consumption, too. Your local power plant may not want you to use excessive amounts of energy, which means looking into ways to cut electricity and gas consumption. A wastewater treatment plant that can retain some of the gases for bio-fuel is optimal for your needs. We get it, and we’re happy to help you understand your options.

Lakeside Equipment has a full line of wastewater treatment products for industrial sewage. Our engineers are happy to work with your team to develop the ideal design that matches your budget and goals. We have screw pumps, screens, trash rakes, clarification and filtration, and biological treatment.

Talk to our engineers about your industrial wastewater needs. We’re with you every step of the way, from planning to installation and repairs that become necessary years or decades down the road. Give us a call.