Tag: water supply

Mar 20
Foaming

INTRODUCTION One of the most persistent, operationally disruptive, and visually alarming challenges engineers and plant operators face in wastewater treatment is uncontrolled foaming. Whether it manifests as a thick, chocolate-brown biological scum rising over the walkways of an aeration basin, or a sudden, violent expansion of gas-entrained sludge breaching the pressure relief valves of an […]

Mar 19
Control Valves for Chemical Systems: Compatibility and Safety Considerations

INTRODUCTION One of the most dangerous and costly mistakes an engineer can make in municipal or industrial water treatment design is treating chemical feed piping like standard water infrastructure. Specifying a generic 316 stainless steel valve for a seemingly routine disinfection or coagulation process frequently results in rapid, catastrophic failure. Dealing with Control Valves for […]

Mar 11
How to Specify Valves – Construction Service for Wastewater Service (Materials Coatings and Standards)

INTRODUCTION In municipal and industrial treatment environments, equipment survivability is dictated heavily by the presence of grit, rags, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and fats, oils, and grease (FOG). For consulting engineers and utility managers, understanding exactly How to Specify Valves – Construction Service for Wastewater Service (Materials Coatings and Standards) is a critical skill that directly […]

Mar 02
Vertical Turbine Seal Failures: Causes

Introduction In municipal water and wastewater applications, the vertical turbine pump (VTP) is the workhorse of high-capacity fluid movement. However, it is also frequently the source of significant maintenance frustration. Industry data suggests that mechanical seals and packing account for over 35% of unscheduled pump repair events. For engineers and plant managers, the challenge is […]

Mar 01
Progressive Cavity Seal Failures: Causes

Introduction For municipal and industrial engineers, few equipment failures are as frustrating—or as messy—as a mechanical seal breach on a progressive cavity (PC) pump. While the stator and rotor are generally viewed as the primary wear components, the shaft seal is frequently the weakest link in the reliability chain. A seal failure in a sludge […]

Feb 26
Retrofit vs Replace: When to Upgrade Propeller Pump in Aging Stations

INTRODUCTION The vast majority of municipal flood control and large-scale raw water intake infrastructure in North America was constructed between the 1950s and 1980s. Today, engineers face a critical ticking clock: massive concrete volute or vertical column axial flow pumps are reaching the end of their second or third lifecycle. The challenge is rarely as […]

Feb 23
Henrico County Water Reclamation Facility Richmond

FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Name: Henrico County Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) Location: 9101 WRF Road, Henrico, VA 23231 Operating Authority: Henrico County Department of Public Utilities (DPU) Design Capacity: 75 MGD (Million Gallons per Day) Current Average Flow: ~45-50 MGD Population Served: ~340,000 residents Service Area: Henrico County, portions of Goochland County, Hanover County, and […]

Feb 21
City Of San Diego North City Water Reclamation Plant

FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Name: North City Water Reclamation Plant (NCWRP) Location: 4949 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, San Diego County, CA 92121 Operating Authority: City of San Diego Public Utilities Department Design Capacity: 52 MGD (Liquid Stream Expansion) Current Average Flow: ~30 MGD (Varies by seasonal demand and Pure Water operations) Population Served: Approx. 800,000 […]

Feb 20
Orange County Sanitation District Treatment Plant

FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Names: Reclamation Plant No. 1 (Fountain Valley) & Treatment Plant No. 2 (Huntington Beach) Location: Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, Orange County, California Operating Authority: Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) Combined Design Capacity: Approx. 372 MGD (Secondary Treatment) Current Average Flow: 185 MGD Population Served: 2.6 million residents Service Area: […]

Feb 11
City Of Norman Wastewater Treatment Plant

The authoritative technical resource for the Norman, Oklahoma wastewater infrastructure. FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Name: Norman Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) Location: Norman, Cleveland County, Oklahoma Operating Authority: Norman Utilities Authority (NUA) Design Capacity: 17.0 MGD (Average Daily Flow) Peak Hydraulic Capacity: 42.5 MGD Current Average Flow: ~11.5 – 13.0 MGD Population Served: ~128,000 residents Service […]