Tag: Engineering

Introduction to Submersible Pump Metallurgy One of the most persistent and costly challenges in modern wastewater management is the premature degradation of submersible pumping equipment due to shifting influent chemistry. As water conservation efforts reduce flow rates, wastewater becomes more concentrated. Simultaneously, longer retention times in force mains and collection basins accelerate septicization, leading to […]

Introduction In the water and wastewater industry, there is a distinct and expensive difference between fixing a problem and solving it. A surprising industry statistic suggests that nearly 60% of rotating equipment repairs in municipal utilities are “repeat offenders”—assets that fail repeatedly due to the same underlying issue. Engineers and plant managers often face the […]

Introduction In municipal water and wastewater treatment, the centrifugal pump is the workhorse of the hydraulic process. However, industry data suggests that nearly 40% of rotating equipment failures can be traced back to errors committed during installation and initial startup. For consulting engineers and plant superintendents, the phase between physical installation and operational turnover is […]

Chlorine Disinfection for Water Treatment: Safety and Effectiveness Article Overview Article Type: Informational Primary Goal: Provide municipal water and wastewater engineers and operators a technical, implementation-focused reference on chlorine disinfection that covers how chlorine inactivates pathogens, key performance metrics, design and operational requirements, safety and emergency planning, disinfection by-product management, monitoring strategies, and decision criteria […]

Introduction Chemical coagulation and flocculation represent the single largest operational expense for many surface water treatment plants, often consuming 30-50% of the annual consumables budget. Yet, despite the financial stakes, the specification of control and monitoring equipment for this process often relies on outdated paradigms or brand loyalty rather than rigorous engineering analysis. A critical […]

Introduction One of the most persistent challenges facing municipal engineers today is the accurate monitoring of Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) and stormwater systems under regulatory consent decrees. The engineering challenge is multifaceted: equipment must survive in harsh, rag-prone environments, operate reliably during rapid hydraulic changes, and provide data accurate enough to satisfy environmental agencies. A […]

Introduction The anaerobic digester gallery is arguably the most complex and hazardous environment within a Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF). Engineers are tasked with balancing two volatile forces: the biological/hydraulic requirement to keep sludge moving and heated, and the thermodynamic requirement to safely contain and manage explosive methane gas. A single specification error in either […]

Introduction Clarification remains the ubiquitous workhorse of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, yet the specification of clarifier mechanisms is frequently reduced to a “copy-paste” exercise from previous projects. This oversight often leads to substantial long-term consequences: hydraulic instability, premature drive failure, and chronic solids carryover that threatens permit compliance. In the United States market, two […]

Introduction For municipal and industrial engineers, the failure of a water control gate is rarely a minor operational annoyance; it is a critical vulnerability that can lead to catastrophic flooding, regulatory non-compliance, and significant safety hazards. While pumps often receive the lion’s share of attention in hydraulic modeling, the static and dynamic isolation provided by […]

Introduction One of the most persistent challenges in water and wastewater treatment design is the “black box” mentality regarding filtration. Engineers often focus heavily on media selection—anthracite size, sand uniformity coefficients, or GAC iodine numbers—while underestimating the critical mechanical and hydraulic interfaces that support that media. However, industry data suggests that over 70% of catastrophic […]