Over 55 Tons of Material Removed From Municipal Wastewater Plant

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USST’s Crew Navigates Tight Spaces and Difficult Access A municipal wastewater treatment plant in Central Florida required regular maintenance on their aeration basin, digester, and headworks to remove built-up sludge, sand, grit, and rag material.  U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) was called in to tackle the job using our powerful and versatile Combination3® Truck and knowledgeable crew. “This was our third time back to this facility for regular maintenance,” said Paul Del Favero, Operations Manager at USST.  “Our company track record of safety on the job site and our crews’ ability to understand and overcome problems on the ground are all contributing factors to our outstanding reputation in this industry.” USST’s crew mobilized to the site, bringing with them a powerhouse of knowledge and equipment.  Our Combination3® Truck is outfitted with a 49-foot extendable boom, downhole pump, and jetter.  The facility’s headworks structure was 25-feet high and because of the extended reach of our Combination3® Truck, the crew was able to safely access the material and remove it expeditiously. In total, just over 55 tons of material were removed from the facility and disposed of off-site.  The closed-loop cleaning system of the Combination3® Truck translated to odor and noise control for the facility … Read More

Case Study: 402-Tons of Material Removed from Oxidation Ditch While in Operation

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Florida Sand and Grit Grant Program Aides in Restoration Costs PROBLEM: An oxidation ditch at the Lake Wales Wastewater Treatment Plant had accumulated over the course of a few years a large amount of sand and grit material. This accrued material was causing a loss of capacity, a decrease in flow, and the plant was not functioning efficiently. The facility’s treatment process is comprised of a Type 1 Oxidation Ditch operating as a conventional activated sludge treatment facility measuring 320-feet by 70-feet. U.S. Submergent Technologies’ (USST) knowledgeable and experienced crew was called in to clean this large structure while it remained online. SOLUTION: USST’s powerful and versatile Combination3® Truck can clean in wet or dry conditions with no need to drain down or alter treatment flow. Using our 49-foot extendable boom, downhole pump, and outriggers to compensate for a slope against the wall of this structure, crews were able to reach and safely remove the material using the GritGone® Process. This process involves separating sand and grit from the slurry for disposal while the water is returned to the oxidation ditch for treatment. RESULTS: In total, approximately 402-tons of material was removed from the oxidation ditch, the equivalent of 141 fully … Read More

Develop Your Maintenance Program With Confidence

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Complete Visibility Leads to Better Stewardship One of the biggest challenges facing America’s wastewater infrastructure is it’s often out of sight, which means there is a high probability it’s also out of mind. Unlike potholes, which cannot be ignored, the condition of our wastewater tanks is not as obvious. In our business, the first step to understanding a problem is being able to see the problem. Since the water in wastewater tanks is turbid or dark water, it’s impossible to see how much and where material has accumulated. Proprietary and confidential. Do not distribute.© 2021 U.S. Submergent Techologies, LLC. All rights reserved. The solution, provided by U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) is SediVisionTM, a remarkable decision-making tool designed for complete visibility in wastewater tanks. Knowledge gained from SediVisionTM helps managers responsible for the maintenance of critical wet infrastructure allocate precious resources, develop a maintenance program based on accurate data, and target cleaning efforts for an efficient maintenance process. With SediVisionTM, you can avoid setbacks in the scope of work, schedule, budget, and change orders by knowing precisely how much and where the material is in your wastewater tanks. This information is also beneficial in evaluating wastewater treatment plant efficiencies like energy use, water quality, and chemical … Read More

A Business Built on Problem Solving

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USST Rises to Resolve a Variety of Challenges At U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) problem-solving skills and processes are critical components of running a successful business. We have been refining these skills over time through constant training, practice, and learning so we can address problems that have a greater degree of complexity. As our experience and reputation have grown, so has the degree of difficulty in the problems our customers face. Recently, a customer in Southwest Florida had a digester that had gone septic. The microorganisms inside this structure died off and were no longer breaking down organic material. This situation had become an emergency and within hours of being on-site, USST’s Operations Manager, Paul Del Favero had performed an assessment and mobilized sealed roll-off boxes and tanker trucks to begin removing the dead sludge or dark water. “Our capacity to understand the situation, organize, and respond quickly is what sets USST apart from anyone else in this business,” said Paul Del Favero. “We transported 45,000 gallons of dark water per day from the facility until the job was complete. The ability to coordinate hauling and disposal of this material was nothing short of impressive.” Having experts and well-trained crews in … Read More

20 Tons of Material Removed From Northwest Florida Wastewater Facility

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Challenging Structure Cleaned Safely by USST Crew A wastewater treatment facility in Northwest Florida had a structure that was particularly difficult to access and was full of FOG, sand, grit, and rag material. Their influent trough and effluent channel were suffering from a loss of capacity due to build-up. U.S. Submergent Technologies’ (USST) experienced and well-trained crew was called in to remove this stubborn material. “Due to flow issues, our crew worked at night to resolve this challenging situation. The structure was 30-feet tall and once you are up there, the material was 25-feet down. Safety is the single key factor with any job we perform, and I value our knowledgeable crew members for implementing the utmost precautions and safety measures to get this job done right,” said Paul Del Favero, Operations Manager at USST. USST crews go above and beyond whenever confined space entry is required and follow our company’s detailed Confined Space Program. Crew members ensure that the presence of any atmospheric hazards are eliminated through explosion-proof ventilation, constant monitoring of air quality, and the use of intrinsically safe lighting. Learn more about the culture of safety at USST by clicking here. The USST crew utilized a Davit Arm … Read More

Cleaning a Wastewater Tank – How Much Will It Cost?

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Plan Your Maintenance with Confidence Using SediVision U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) understands the cost of cleaning a wastewater tank is directly associated with the amount of material and the difficulty required to reach and remove it. Given the importance of how much cleaning a tank will cost, accurately estimating the amount of material in the tank is just as vital. In our industry, we often run into the question – How much will it cost to clean this tank? Well, that depends on a few factors such as the amount of the material, the type of material, where the material is located, and the work required to reach and remove it. If a tank cannot be drained down to provide a visual assessment, then an estimate of quantity must be used. Probing is often used to estimate how much material is in the tank. However, typically only certain points can be probed, and these areas may not be representative, resulting in a significant under or over estimate. USST has developed a more accurate means to determine how much and where material is in a wastewater tank. SediVisionTM is a state-of-the-art decision-making tool that maps the distribution and volume of material under turbid water in a … Read More

1 Year Later – Impacts of COVID on the Wastewater Industry

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It has been a year since our lives were impacted by a global pandemic. Who would have thought we would live through something like this? The coronavirus created a crisis unprecedented in our lifetimes. COVID has personally and professionally challenged each of us to adjust our lives and adapt to new norms in our society. Words like personal protective equipment, social distancing, contact tracing, and essential workers became part of our vocabulary, and the way we conduct business has changed. COVID-19, Changes in the Wastewater Industry & Beyond In March 2020 life seemed to come to a halt and that is no different in the wastewater cleaning industry. Many stopped meeting face-to-face, offices closed, and remote interfacing became the standard. Local governments became cautious on spending and this included infrastructure maintenance. When the pandemic first hit, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) found that our reputation and customer relationships built over the years were vital components in carrying us through the lockdown as essential service providers. Now that we have arrived at the one-year anniversary of this pandemic, we want to look back and share lessons learned.  We asked our team about their experiences from the past year, in the field and … Read More

60 Tons of Material Removed from Coastal Treatment Plant

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USST Focuses on Problem Areas to Restore Plant Capacity A coastal wastewater treatment plant in North Florida was experiencing a loss of capacity and a decrease in flow due to sand and grit accumulation in their structures. U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) was called in to assess the situation. Our knowledgeable and experienced team probed the facility and discovered a buildup of sand and grit in the aeration train, effluent channel, and anoxic tank structures. “Due to location, coastal water treatment facilities absorb year-round activity from people doing yard work and going to the beach. When that happens, fine silty sand ends up in the drainage system causing tremendous capacity loss for treatment facilities,” noted Paul Del Favero, Operations Manager at USST. “I am proud of our crew members for assessing the situation, finding the problem areas, and restoring flow to this facility safely and efficiently. Our cleaning efforts have resulted in healthier water returning to the ecosystem.” Using USST’s Combination3® technology and GritGone Process®, crews removed 60 tons of paint filter dry material from three structures. Our patented Combination3® truck is more than just a simple vacuum truck; it has a jetter, vacuum, downhole pump, and 49-foot extended knuckle boom fully integrated on one … Read More

Over 22 Tons of Material Removed from 52 Feet Below Grade

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A Hazardous Challenge Met by USST Crews and Equipment In an urban area of Central Florida, two wet wells had filled up rapidly with rag, FOG, and sand and grit material. These structures serve as master lift stations for a city, (commercial and residential areas) keeping wastewater moving 52 feet below grade to the wastewater treatment facility. U.S. Submergent Technologies’ (USST) equipment was able to remove this stubborn material from the depth required and our crews came in to meet this challenge head-on, safely, and efficiently. “This is the deepest wet well we have cleaned and might be the deepest in Florida,” said Paul Del Favero, Operations Manager at USST. “I applaud our team and their continued emphasis on safely getting the job done.” Safety is the most important thing at USST, and a deep well is one of the most dangerous structures to clean in our industry. Our crews undergo competent person confined space entry training and possess hundreds of hours of experience for this type of job. USST also factors in precautions such as fall protection, atmospheric monitoring, explosion-proof ventilation, OSHA-10 training, and intrinsically safe lighting. Additionally, our patented and versatile equipment can handle removing a wide range … Read More

SediVision Gets To Work Saving Customer Thousands of Dollars

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Eliminates the Guesswork of Material in Wastewater Tanks In Southeast Florida, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) was able to provide visibility to managers of a wastewater treatment facility regarding their oxidation ditch and potential loss of capacity. The visibility was provided by USST using SediVisionTM, an exclusive tool that allows for complete visibility of sand and grit accumulation in wastewater tanks. In our industry, draining down a wastewater tank can be logistically difficult. Because the water is highly turbid, handheld rods are typically used to probe around the tank edges to determine the quantity of material. This is an unreliable means to estimate how much material is spread throughout the tank. For this customer, not knowing exactly how much material was in the tank created uncertainty, which typically leads to higher costs. Uncertainty is the Achilles’ heel of our industry; uncertainty of the type, volume, and location of the material. For this project, uncertainty might have delayed much-needed maintenance on the oxidation ditch indefinitely. However, by utilizing our SediVisionTM technology, USST was able to provide greater certainty in the volume of material and present a solid work plan that was much more affordable for the customer. Because SediVisionTM allowed for targeted … Read More