CLEANING UP AFTER HURRICANE IRMA IN NORTH FLORIDA More than a year after Hurricane Irma came ashore, a city in northern Florida was still experiencing aftereffects of the storm throughout several of their facilities. A buildup of sand and grit in multiple lift stations was causing reduced efficiency throughout their collection system and needed to be removed in order to restore capacity. Paul Del Favero, Field Supervisor for U.S. Submergent Technologies® (USST), mobilized the USST crew to begin work on cleaning eight lift stations throughout several of facilities. The wells were approximately 20-feet deep and were cleaned using USST’s Combination3® truck. “We successfully removed material from eight lift stations in just six days,” said Paul. “Each wet well had a buildup of sand and grit, and we removed rags as well. Our equipment allows us to be extremely efficient in removing material without having to bypass pump, and crew members were able to avoid confined space entry.” In addition to valuable capacity being restored, the sand and grit removed was paint-filter dry and was disposed of offsite using USST’s GritGone Process®. All facilities remained online throughout the cleaning process, saving both time and energy for the client. Whether you are … Read More
GrowFL Announces 50 Florida Companies to Watch
Leader in Submergent Cleaning Selected as Top Second Stage Honoree (Sarasota, Florida, September 24, 2018) – U.S. Submergent Technologies® (USST), a premier service provider specializing in submergent cleaning of hard-to-reach environments, is among GrowFL’s Companies to Watch for 2018, having been selected from a group of more than 500 nominees. An innovator in the waste removal industry, USST is the only company in its category to be recognized. “We are thrilled and humbled to have been selected as a Florida Company to Watch and it is a privilege to share this honor with 49 prestigious companies,” said USST’s CEO, Denver Stutler, Jr. “Our unique, patented Combination3® truck is the only one of its kind, coupled with our entire USST team, we stand ready to solve problems for our customers by restoring the capacity of wet infrastructure.” The statewide competition aims to recognize second-stage companies who show steady growth in both revenue and employee counts, innovation in leadership and technology, demonstrate community support, have a strong corporate culture, and other factors. Total economic impact of the finalists collectively represented $339 million in 2017 revenue and 1,750 employees across 31 cities in 18 different industries. “These stand-out companies are all led by … Read More
Sand Gone, Capacity Restored
38-Tons Removed in Sebring, FL, Facilities Remain Online Two facilities in The City of Sebring, Florida were experiencing reduced capacity due to a buildup of sand and grit. Paul Stephenson of U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) mobilized the USST crew to Sebring and was able to efficiently clean all affected structures. “Cleaning in submerged conditions is no problem for the USST crew,” said Paul. “Our Combination3® truck outfitted with extended boom, downhole pump, and jetter allows us to be extremely efficient in removing material without having to drain down the tank or require confined space entry.” “We can save a client valuable time and resources by not having to drain down tanks in order to remove material,” said Denver Stutler, Jr., CEO of USST. “Our equipment is extremely efficient in submerged and surcharged conditions, and tank height is almost never an issue for us.” A lack of an onsite water supply added complexity to the project, but the crew was able to successfully navigate the issue. Approximately 24-tons of sand and grit material was removed from an aeration basin at the Country Club of Sebring Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), as well as nearly 14-tons removed from two SBR basins at the … Read More
The Value of Restoring Capacity
A Cost-Savings Opportunity for Wastewater Treatment & Collection Facilities You’ve heard it before and most likely experienced it firsthand – the buildup of sand and grit in wastewater treatment infrastructure resulting in reduced treatment volume and increased energy usage. The questions to ask are, do you have a sand and grit problem, and how do you know? If you can’t see it, it must not exist! The water at a wastewater treatment plant is often too murky to see through, and sand and grit might or not might not be present. If it is present, there is value in restoring capacity. Determining whether or not there is an issue can be the real challenge. Over time, sand seeps into pipes and lift stations and is eventually transported to wastewater treatment infrastructure. Since the water in tanks at facilities are not see-through, accumulated sand at the bottom of tanks remains unseen and unnoticed until the associated problems have become acute and require immediate attention. Often, the first solution to restoring capacity is to build a new tank instead of cleaning existing tanks. Consider instead the value of restoring capacity versus replacing capacity by cleaning; when the sand is removed, capacity is restored … Read More
72-Tons Sand and Grit Removed While Plant Remained in Operation
The City of Lake Wales Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) was due for maintenance on a large Oxidation Ditch and experiencing reduced plant capacity. The facility’s treatment process is comprised of a Type 1 Oxidation Ditch operating as a conventional activated sludge treatment facility, and had built up a significant amount of sand and grit material, and needed to be cleaned while it remained in operation. U.S. Submergent Technologies’ (USST) Paul Stephenson arrived with a team to the Lake Wales site prepared to remove material from submerged conditions. “Using our unique Combination3® truck and GritGone Process®, we were able to efficiently remove about 72-tons of sand and grit while the plant remained in full operation,” said Paul. “I knew our reliable equipment and exceptional crew would be able to get the job done quickly and on schedule.” The Combination3® truck’s extended boom, downhole pump, and jetter was utilized to safely remove sand and grit from the oxidation ditch. No confined space entry was needed to complete the job, making it safer for the onsite crew and limiting costs for the client. “When our solution reduces or eliminates the need for confined space entry and gets the job done, everybody wins,” says … Read More
96-CY Removed from Two Structures
Crew Gets Creative to Remove Vegetation in Manatee County USST recently completed work for Manatee County Utilities, who needed two tank structures cleaned at multiple facilities in order to restore valuable capacity. The sludge holding tank at the North Water Reclamation Facility in Palmetto, Florida was overrun with cattails and rags. At initial glance, it looked like a simple job of removing the 4-f00t high vegetation off the top. However, once the project was underway, an 8-foot root system with rag material woven throughout was discovered underwater. USST’s unique Combination3® trucks are equipped with a 49-foot extendable boom, along with vacuum, downhole pump and jetter. “We used our 49-foot extended boom with hydraulic claw to remove the vegetation from the holding tank while it remained in operation,” says USST’s Field Supervisor, Paul Del Favero, who has been with the company since 2015. Lead by Paul, the USST crew removed almost 60-CY of material from the structure and the project was completed on schedule. Meanwhile, a FOG tank at the Southeast Regional WWTP in Bradenton, Florida was also in need of cleaning. We talked with Manatee’s Utilities Plant Maintenance Supervisor, Donny Adams regarding the FOG tank project, who has been … Read More
80-Cubic Yards of Sand and Grit Removal from Lift Station
Challenging Confined Space Entry in Anastasia Island Anastasia Island’s Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) was experiencing reduced pumping capacity due to accumulated solids in their influent lift station, a facility with a permitted capacity of 4.95MGD. Due to the challenging nature of the 35-foot deep structure, Anastasia Island’s wet well hadn’t been cleaned in several years, resulting in the accumulation of a significant amount of material. “The pump station consists of four Gorman-Rupp self-priming solids handling centrifugal pumps,” explained James Overton, P.E., at the St. Johns County Utility Department (SJCUD). “Due to grit and rags that accumulated, one pump was completely out of service and the pumping capacity of a second pump was greatly reduced and beginning to clog on a regular basis. SJCUD was concerned about losing another pump and needed to take action.” With the help of USST’s Combination3® truck and equipment, the USST crew removed 80-CY of material from the wet well via confined space entry. Due to high levels of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) gas, USST crew members were extremely cautious when entering the wet well during the project. “We follow all safety and compliance procedures when entering a confined space, taking extra care when high levels of … 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
