How old is America’s wastewater infrastructure?

Much of the country’s infrastructure was built in the 30 years after World War II. Although age is a key indicator of a system’s health, equally important is the way the system has been maintained. A well-maintained system can operate effectively for a significant period of time.

All products have a life cycle – the clothes you wear, the desk you’re working on, the chair you’re sitting in – everything. The same is true for the nation’s infrastructure, and each of its components:

 

Components & Life Cycles

Collections: 80-100 Years

Treatment Plants (Concrete Structure): 50 Years

Treatment Plant Mechanical/Electrical Equipment: 15-20 Years

Force Mains: 25 Years

Pump Stations (Concrete Structure): 50 Years

Pump Stations (Mechanical/Electrical Equipment): 15 Years

Interceptors: 90-100 Years

 

What is the state of the Union?

Among the many challenges facing our water and wastewater systems are:

• Large Capital Investment
• Aging Workforce
• Lack of New Skilled Workers Entering the Marketplace
• Increased Regulation
• Disengaged Public
• Interdependence on the Energy Sector

Estimates of national investment needs range from $300 Billion to $2 Trillion over the next 20 years.

Today’s population is benefiting from the investments made by past generations. Looking forward, the EPA is promoting practices that encourage utilities to address existing needs so that future generations will not be left to rebuild a crumbling infrastructure. This is referred to as “Sustainable Infrastructure”.

The Four Pillars of Sustainable Infrastructure are better management, efficient water use, full-cost pricing of water and a watershed approach to protection. The EPA believes this will help utilities to operate more sustainably now and in the future.

 

MultiTrode Can Help!

Our technologically advanced products have been developed with system efficiency and easy interface in mind. With the push of a button, our smart pump controllers will help you:

• Promote effective utility management
• Minimize operations cost
• Facilitate effective asset management
• Improve maintenance and capital investment planning
• Reduce energy cost & CO2 emissions
• Increase system-wide efficiency

Learn more about the innovative Level Sensing Probe and intuitive MultiSmart Pump Station Manager. Read more…

Industry efficiency, environmental, Level Sensing, MultiSmart, probe, Pump Controller

We’ve been working with Flovac for quite a while. Our relationship started off with them using our older controller - the MT2PC (actually a pair of MT2PCs) for their vacuum pump stations. They’ve now standardized on the MultiSmart Pump Station Manager and there’s a News item on the main MultiTrode website.

There’s a great 3 minute video about how vacuum pumping works on their home page, www.flovac.com

John Radinoff, the Flovac Managing Director, explained to me why vacuum pumping is gaining ground: ”These systems are used in areas difficult to sewer using traditional technologies. Ideally suited for areas with high water table, rocky sites or flat ground, the system has proven to be extremely economical in such topography. 
Eliminating infiltration and exfiltration, vacuum sewerage is highly regarded by many EPA’s around the world and has proven to be the sewerage technology with the lowest carbon footprint. This is the reason why it is the naturally preferred choice of sewerage in high profile sustainable projects like Masdar in the UAE.”

It’s clear that gravity sewer is really expensive when you have  a high water table, rocky terrain or very low density housing.

There’s a good Wikipedia article about vaccum pumping.

Pressure sewer technology covers a similar list of advantages over gravity sewer.

For MultiSmart, the Flovac application is a 4-pump 2-well configuration. The “wells” are independent. On one side we are measuring the vacuum pressure and based on that starting and stopping the pair of vacuum pumps. On the liquid side, we are measuring the liquid level in the well and starting and stopping the wastewater pumps. Read more…

General News environmental, user interface, vacuum pumping