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Wastewater Division

Wastewater Plant Update

Posted: November 13, 2008

Update October 2008: (Click on thumbnails to view pictures larger)

Influent Pump Station (IPS) Most of the work completed during October was inside the wet well of the IPS. The contractor completed installation of a protective liner on the walls of the well to help prevent deterioration of the concrete from the corrosive atmosphere that will exist in the pump station. Also, the concrete crane pad was framed up and poured. Since the IPS pumps are vertical turbine pumps with long shafts down from the motor to the bottom of the pumping element, removal of a pump will require use of a crane. This pad will allow the crane to safely remove these pumps.

Crane Pad Slab

Grit Handling As with the IPS, the internal tank work for the grit processing unit was completed. The channel plates were installed at the top slab over the grit tanks.

Compressed air and water lines which will help remove the non-organic grit material from the wastewater were finished. The sewer collection pipes which bring the wastewater to the plant need routine cleaning. The material removed from the pipes will be trucked to the plant and discharged to the new vactor unloading station. The solid material will be separated from the water for cleaning and disposal at the solid waste landfill.

Grit Tanks

Vactor Station

Oxidation Ditches (OD) The blowers for the OD were delivered and installed.
These units will deliver air to the 2 grids of aeration diffusers in each OD.

These diffusers dissolve air – and therefore oxygen – into the wastewater passing through these tanks. The microscopic organisms (bugs) living there use the oxygen in their metabolic processes to remove the pollution from the wastewater.

OD Blowers

Aeration Diffusers

Secondary Clarifiers Since all of the equipment has been installed in these 3 tanks, the contractor began water testing.

This testing will determine if any fine tuning of the equipment is required.

Discharge piping and final concrete work was completed at the Return Activated Sludge (RAS) pump stations (2 per clarifier). These pumps will send the bugs back from the clarifiers to the OD for them to remove even more pollution.

Secondary Clarifier

RAS Pump Station

Filter/Ultraviolet Disinfection (FUV) Before the water can reach the FUV treatment unit, it’ll go through the Secondary Effluent Equalization Pump Station (SEEPS). The peaks of the flow coming into the plant will be stored in an equalization tank and then pumped by the SEEPS to the FUV. The concrete walls and top slab of the SEEPS were formed and poured.

The SEEPS pumps arrived and are waiting on site to be installed. These pumps are the same style as the IPS pumps.

Flow from the SEEPS will be dosed with a polymer chemical on its way to the FUV. This chemical will enhance solids removal from the water by the filters. A protective coating was applied to the concrete of the chemical handling station.

The water conditioned with polymer will flow to 3 new cloth media filters. The stairs and walkways for the filters were installed. The filters are reading for initial start up in November.

SEEPS Wall Forms

SEEPS Top Slab

SEEPS Pumps

Polymer Station
Filters and Walkways
Cloth Filter Disks

Solids Handling The solid material (sludge) removed from the secondary clarifiers is pumped to 2 new thickening units before being pumped to the existing anaerobic digesters. More of the equipment was installed in these sludge thickening units. The temperature of the digesters must be carefully maintained at 97 deg F; new hot water boilers will accomplish this. Worked progressed on installation of the hot water piping. Once the sludge is processed by the digesters, it’ll be pumped to 1 of 2 existing lagoons for storage until final processing. The second lagoon’s liner was installed in October. Also installed in the other lagoon was the floating aerator unit which will help keep oxygen in the top layer of the sludge thereby controlling odors.

Thickener Equipment

Surface Aerator

Lagoon Liner
Hot Water Boilers/Pipin
Sludge Transfer Pump

Grading As more of the structures have been completed and backfilled, work is starting on grading and installation of sidewalks and other concrete work areas.

Grading East Levy

Contouring Holding Basin
Electric Bldg Sidewalk
Grit Area Concrete Slab

Equipment Start Up/Training A series of equipment testing and initial start up must be completed before treatments can be commissioned and the facility put on line. The contractor worked to start up such equipment as the grit pumps and their appurtenances. The equipment factory representatives started providing on site training for City Operation and Maintenance staff.

Grit Pump Start Up

Training Session

Some of the temporary bulkheads the contractor installed in order to construct and connect new facilities to the existing plant were removed. This will allow these new units to be water tested and eventually come on line.

Bulkhead Removal

Check back again in December to see what happened in November.

Update October 2008: (Click on thumbnails to view pictures larger)

Influent Pump Station (IPS) Most of the work completed during October was inside the wet well of the IPS. The contractor completed installation of a protective liner on the walls of the well to help prevent deterioration of the concrete from the corrosive atmosphere that will exist in the pump station. Also, the concrete crane pad was framed up and poured. Since the IPS pumps are vertical turbine pumps with long shafts down from the motor to the bottom of the pumping element, removal of a pump will require use of a crane. This pad will allow the crane to safely remove these pumps.		Crane Pad Slab

Grit Handling As with the IPS, the internal tank work for the grit processing unit was completed. The channel plates were installed at the top slab over the grit tanks. Compressed air and water lines which will help remove the non-organic grit material from the wastewater were finished. The sewer collection pipes which bring the wastewater to the plant need routine cleaning. The material removed from the pipes will be trucked to the plant and discharged to the new vactor unloading station. The solid material will be separated from the water for cleaning and disposal at the solid waste landfill.		Grit Tanks
		Vactor Station

Oxidation Ditches (OD) The blowers for the OD were delivered and installed. These units will deliver air to the 2 grids of aeration diffusers in each OD. These diffusers dissolve air – and therefore oxygen – into the wastewater passing through these tanks. The microscopic organisms (bugs) living there use the oxygen in their metabolic processes to remove the pollution from the wastewater.		OD Blowers
		Aeration Diffusers

Secondary Clarifiers Since all of the equipment has been installed in these 3 tanks, the contractor began water testing. This testing will determine if any fine tuning of the equipment is required. Discharge piping and final concrete work was completed at the Return Activated Sludge (RAS) pump stations (2 per clarifier). These pumps will send the bugs back from the clarifiers to the OD for them to remove even more pollution.		Secondary Clarifier
		RAS Pump Station

Filter/Ultraviolet Disinfection (FUV) Before the water can reach the FUV treatment unit, it’ll go through the Secondary Effluent Equalization Pump Station (SEEPS). The peaks of the flow coming into the plant will be stored in an equalization tank and then pumped by the SEEPS to the FUV. The concrete walls and top slab of the SEEPS were formed and poured. The SEEPS pumps arrived and are waiting on site to be installed. These pumps are the same style as the IPS pumps. Flow from the SEEPS will be dosed with a polymer chemical on its way to the FUV. This chemical will enhance solids removal from the water by the filters. A protective coating was applied to the concrete of the chemical handling station. The water conditioned with polymer will flow to 3 new cloth media filters. The stairs and walkways for the filters were installed. The filters are reading for initial start up in November.		SEEPS Wall Forms
		SEEPS Top Slab
		SEEPS Pumps
Polymer Station	Filters and Walkways	Cloth Filter Disks

Solids Handling The solid material (sludge) removed from the secondary clarifiers is pumped to 2 new thickening units before being pumped to the existing anaerobic digesters. More of the equipment was installed in these sludge thickening units. The temperature of the digesters must be carefully maintained at 97 deg F; new hot water boilers will accomplish this. Worked progressed on installation of the hot water piping. Once the sludge is processed by the digesters, it’ll be pumped to 1 of 2 existing lagoons for storage until final processing. The second lagoon’s liner was installed in October. Also installed in the other lagoon was the floating aerator unit which will help keep oxygen in the top layer of the sludge thereby controlling odors.		Thickener Equipment
		Surface Aerator
Lagoon Liner	Hot Water Boilers/Pipin	Sludge Transfer Pump

Grading As more of the structures have been completed and backfilled, work is starting on grading and installation of sidewalks and other concrete work areas.		Grading East Levy
Contouring Holding Basin	Electric Bldg Sidewalk	Grit Area Concrete Slab

Equipment Start Up/Training A series of equipment testing and initial start up must be completed before treatments can be commissioned and the facility put on line. The contractor worked to start up such equipment as the grit pumps and their appurtenances. The equipment factory representatives started providing on site training for City Operation and Maintenance staff.		Grit Pump Start Up
		Training Session

Some of the temporary bulkheads the contractor installed in order to construct and connect new facilities to the existing plant were removed. This will allow these new units to be water tested and eventually come on line.		Bulkhead Removal

Check back again in December to see what happened in November.