A Challenging Environment Calls for Skillful Pros In Central Florida, a 12 MGD reclamation facility was experiencing a loss of capacity in their north aeration and anoxic basins. These tanks presented a challenge because they were lined with rows of diffusers that circulate oxygen feeding the microorganisms and bacteria residents that break down the waste. This job required experienced professionals to access and remove the built-up material, so the customer called on U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) for a solution. USST has cleaned tanks, pipes, and lift stations on over 400 projects around the United States. Our qualified crews know how to evaluate situations on the ground to get the job done safely and efficiently. “I am proud of our guys for navigating the hard-to-reach environment along the bottom of these tanks and capably removing large amounts of material,” said Eric Pace, Foreman at USST. “Our patented equipment and thorough safety measures allowed us to get into these structures and complete the job safely without any incidents.” At USST, safety is our number one priority, and these structures were vast in size and 20-feet off the ground. By executing a site-specific health and safety plan, our crews implemented confined space entry … Read More
364 Tons of Material Removed from Town’s Wastewater Plant
USST Crew Responds to Changed Conditions Adeptly In rural Northeast Florida, a municipal wastewater treatment plant operating at .4 MGD was reaching critical capacity loss with their surge tank. This large multi-chamber tank, which is essential to the overall health and functionality of daily operations at the plant, required cleaning. U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) was called in to assess the structure and remove the buildup of sand and grit throughout this wastewater tank. “This project was estimated to have 36 tons of material in the tank, but once we got on-site, we were dealing with at least seven feet of material along the bottom of this structure, much more than originally expected,” said Paul Stephenson, Foreman at USST. “Combining our experience and knowledge from cleaning hundreds of wastewater tanks, our crew was able to handle several challenges presented on the ground with accessing and removing the material in the safest and most efficient manner possible.” USST’s versatile Combination3® Truck has a 49-foot extendable boom, which was necessary to reach over the tank’s 20-foot wall, and by extending a 150-foot hose to our truck’s powerful vacuum, the crew reached and disposed of 23 loads of material. In total, 364 tons of … Read More
Case Study: 630-Tons of Sand & Grit Removed from Oxidation Ditches
Florida Sand and Grit Grant Program Covers Restoration Costs PROBLEM: Two oxidation ditches at two wastewater treatment plants serving the City of Mount Dora were due for cleaning, having accumulated a significant amount of sand, grit, and debris over 15-years. This loss of capacity was increasing energy costs and reducing efficiency at these treatment plants. U.S. Submergent Technologies’ (USST) knowledgeable crew was called-in with our versatile Combination3® Truck, able to handle multiple setups to complete these projects. SOLUTION: A large oxidation ditch measuring approximately 50-feet wide by 330-feet in length was the first structure our crew tackled. While this oxidation ditch was in full operation, USST utilized the Combination3® Truck’s downhole pump and 49-foot extendable boom combined with our GritGone Process® to remove approximately 287-tons of sand and grit material. The tank did not have to be drained down or taken offline for our crew to perform the cleaning. The second oxidation ditch measured approximately 40-feet wide by 130-feet in length, and a drain down was necessary to effectively reach the material. Our experienced crew safely executed confined space entry protocols and procedures to clean this structure. RESULTS: In total, approximately 630-tons of material was removed from these two structures … Read More
One Truck, One Tool
23-Foot Deep Lift Station Cleaned While in Operation Tallahassee’s Summerbrooke lift station was due for scheduled maintenance, needing both FOGs on the surface and sand and grit on the bottom removed. While this could have proved to be a challenging situation, the USST crew and equipment was able to restore capacity quickly and efficiently. USST’s Field Supervisor, Paul Del Favero, arrived with a team prepared to remove debris from wet or dry conditions. Our patented Combination3® equipment allows our crew to remove debris from water surface and structure bottom without additional equipment or repositioning. “Our truck is uniquely equipped to solve lift station challenges,” says Denver Stutler, Jr., Co-founder and CEO of USST. “Oftentimes, you don’t know what to expect, and our equipment has the ability to perform like a Swiss Army Knife in the field.” USST utilizes downhole pumping (in submerged or normal flow) or vacuum (in dry or low flow) as required and is equipped to switch between the two methods in any circumstance, with minimal downtime. The USST crew first removed the FOG layer off the top of Tallahassee’s Summerbrooke lift station with the vacuum, and utilized the downhole pump to remove all residual material off the bottom … Read More
20-Foot High Tank Cleaned While in Operation
180-CY Removed in Davie, Florida Capacity was recently restored to the Town of Davie’s WWTP as part of their Capital Improvement Program, a facility which handles an average daily flow of around 3MGD. More than 180-CY of sand and material was removed from Davie’s 20-foot high surge tank while it remained in full operation. Using USST’s extended boom and Combination3® technology, the material removed was immediately ready for disposal. John McGeary has resided as Chief Operator of the Town of Davie’s WWTP for almost five years, and has 38 years’ experience in the wastewater industry. He says “[I was] pleased with the professionalism and the efficiency of the operation. We also liked the initial dryness of debris removed during the process.” With jetter, vacuum and downhole pumping with 49-foot knuckleboom fully integrated on one truck chassis, USST’s Combination3® technology delivers a powerful punch in the submergent cleaning industry. No additional equipment or tools are needed to be brought in, saving time and resources for the client. Paul Del Favero, USST’s Field Supervisor, lead our crew in completing the Davie project efficiently and on schedule. Paul Stephenson, Michael Kisling and Donald Barnes were also part of our hardworking team onsite. … Read More
2,500-Feet of Large Diameter Pipe Cleaned
Access Issues Not An Issue USST is currently working for the City of Orlando removing sand, grit and material from 2,500 feet of 48-inch sanitary sewer pipe near Kirkman Road, leading to the City’s Conserv II Water Reclamation Facility. The City of Orlando’s project manager, Charlie Conklin, P.E., says “I am very happy with their performance on this project, and I’m looking forward to utilizing their services on the next phase of this project and other future projects.” Access issues on the project included hard-to-reach manholes located on the opposite side of Shingle Creek. Access for equipment was also challenging as the crew had to navigate through narrow access points to reach certain areas of the job. These difficulties could have been problematic, however, the USST crew adjusted their approach and utilized our Combination3® technology to easily overcome the obstacles in order to reach the job site and get the work done efficiently and safely. USST’s Combination3® technology engages jetter, vacuum and downhole pumping with 49-foot knuckleboom fully integrated on one truck chassis, creating a powerhouse of equipment in the submergent cleaning industry. No additional equipment or tools are needed to be brought in, saving both time and resources … Read More
90-Tons Removed From WWTP
Facility Remained in Full Operation For more than 5 years, the Avon Park WWTP has been accumulating unwanted sand and grit, a problem that often leads to increased energy costs and reduces plant efficiency. USST’s reliable crew was able to safely and efficiently remove 90-tons of sand and grit from Avon Parks’s headworks and two digesters. With an ADF (average daily flow) of about 850,000 gallons per day and a permitted capacity of 1.5 MGD (millions of gallons per day), this facility sought to restore the capacity of their facility as a preventative maintenance measure. Using our GritGone Process®, the facility was cleaned while all structures remained in full operation and the removed material was paint-filter dry upon disposal. Because of the capabilities of our patented Combination3® technology, the headworks did not require confined space entry, reducing liabilities for both ourselves and the client. USST’s technology also utilizes an interchangeable system of both vacuum and downhole pumping methods, a crucial factor when cleaning structures such as headworks, lift stations, and pump stations. Our vacuum removes matted FOGs from the top of the structure while our downhole pumping system removes debris from the bottom of the structure, all while the facility remains … Read More
Lift Station Maintenance Made Easy
REDUCE THE RISK OF SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOW IN WET WELLS Wet well and lift station maintenance are a frequent source of concern for most wastewater collection systems. Performing regular maintenance can be difficult due to access challenges, costs associated with shutting down pumps, and confined space entry permitting and safety issues. Wastewater systems rely on lift or pump stations to transport collected wastewater to a treatment plant. Lift or pump stations typically include two to three pumps for redundancy — all of which require periodic inspection and maintenance. More often than not, a wastewater facility may only have one operable pump. Additionally, the water elevation in a wet well cannot be lowered in high-flow conditions such as heavy rain periods or during tourist seasons. With one operating pump, traditional maintenance can seem nearly impossible. However, in order to reduce pump run time, reduce energy costs, and prevent debris from accumulating and creating new issues downstream, lift station maintenance is critical. Performing regular lift station maintenance reduces the risk of sanitary sewer overflow (SSO), a scenario where untreated wastewater is discharged from a sewer into the environment before reaching a wastewater treatment facility. SSO can have extremely negative consequences for the … Read More
Facility Remains in Full Operation While Cleaned
Capacity Restored in Charlotte County The Burnt Store Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) treats wastewater from more than 1,200 sewer connections in a southeastern portion of Charlotte County. Acquired by Charlotte County in 2003, the former 0.25 millions of gallons per day (MGD) facility underwent several upgrades, including doubling its treatment capacity to 0.5 MGD, as well as enabling the facility to simultaneously dispose of reject water and excess effluent produced by the plant. USST removed 21-cubic yards of sand and grit from three structures at Charlotte County’s Burnt Store WRF. Thanks to our GritGone Process®, the facility remained in full operation while the debris was removed. John Thompson Jr., Chief Plant Operator at the Burnt Store WRF says, “The project that U.S. Submergent did for us was wonderful. They not only helped with our grant application, but their crews were very accommodating and […] professional.” Accessing particularly tall tanks, like Burnt Store’s 30(+)-foot EQ tank, can be challenging. Luckily, our Combination3® trucks are equipped with a 49-foot knuckle boom crane with telescoping tubes. This eliminated the need for additional equipment on the jobsite, saving the facility valuable time and money. Got hard-to-reach places that need cleaning? Interested in learning … Read More
Debris Removed, Diffusers Unharmed
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