TEXAS’S NO WIPES IN THE PIPES CAMPAIGN You may have heard of a spokeswoman who goes by the name of “Patty Potty,” preaching the good word of toilet etiquette in cities across the state of Texas. Armed with a bright pink plunger and styled as a 1950s housewife, Patty Potty aims to educate the public about the dangers of putting objects into the toilet that are not one of the three Ps: pee, poo, and (toilet) paper. She visits classrooms, industry conferences, and district board meetings. The “No Wipes in the Pipes” campaign began in 2014 in an effort to inform the population of the dangers of flushing wipes that are falsely advertised as “flushable.” “People are flushing all kinds of things down the toilet!” Patty points out. “It’s not a trash can, you know! Some paper products and wipes are advertised as ‘flushable’ but they aren’t. Sure, they will flush down, but they won’t flush OUT. Wipes don’t decompose… they get caught up in wastewater treatment plant screens and filters — and that costs money to clear and repair!”1 Those in the wastewater industry are familiar with the cleanup that is associated with products that are incorrectly flushed down … Read More
Florida Braces for Flooding as Downpours Continue
HEAVY RAINFALL, FLOODING, AND THE IMPACT ON COLLECTION AND TREATMENT INFRASTRUCTURE Heavy downpours continued over the weekend, making this summer one of the wettest some parts of Florida have seen in a long time. Last week, drivers needed rescuing from their cars stranded in rising waters in Orange County when more than 4-inches of rain fell. In Miami-Dade, nearly 6-inches fell in one hour, causing flash flooding while flood warnings were issued across most of West, Central and South Florida. What’s different about this type of flash flooding and rainfall and the impact it has on wastewater treatment infrastructure? Most Floridians are familiar with daily summer thunderstorms, but these storms have been lingering longer and dumping heavy rains multiple days in a row. When the ground becomes this saturated with water, it has nowhere to go. “What is most unusual about this pattern is that rain will be an all-day on-and-off rain rather than the once or twice a day severe thunderstorms,” Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said. Showers and storms will be possible in the middle of the night too, which is not typical of summer.” So how does rainfall impact wastewater infrastructure? During periods of severe rainfall such as … Read More
Storm Season Is In Full Swing – Are You Prepared?
The Impact of Hurricane Floods on Wastewater Treatment Plants With two heavy-hitting hurricanes recently battering both Texas and Florida, wastewater treatment plants across the country can learn from what’s happening in these areas to prepare for the potential impact of flooding, storm surges, and other extreme weather on their own systems. In addition to causing billions of dollars of damage from wind and rain, storm surges and flooding from hurricanes Harvey and Irma have wreaked havoc in cities and wastewater treatment plants along the coastlines. In Palm Beach, Florida, crews were out maintaining and repairing lift stations before, during and after the storm in an effort to keep the town up and running.1 In St. Petersburg and Orlando, Florida, 50o,000 gallons of untreated water flowed into streets and homes after Hurricane Irma.2 Pipelines in Florida are typically designed to handle twice the amount of water they are constructed for, but no system can handle the amounts of rain or storm surges from these types of weather events. Meanwhile in Texas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 40 out of 1,219 wastewater treatment plants in the Houston area are out of service due to Hurricane Harvey as of Monday, September 11. … Read More
Utility Maintenance: How Debris Gets Into a Facility
Ever wonder how debris gets into your facility? The United States has between 700,000 and 800,000 miles of underground pipe that ranges from six inches to 240 inches in diameter. This aging infrastructure allows for debris to move through a waste collection system due to cracks and joints in the pipe. Debris can be naturally occurring or litter. Natural occurring debris includes sand and grit; litter includes fats, oils and greases. Litter debris has been discarded into the wastewater by users of the system —commercial or residential. Debris accumulates in structures throughout wastewater collection and treatment systems such as pipes, manholes, lift stations, wet wells, grit chambers, aeration basins, tanks, digesters and other requisite structures. Sand and grit travel through the wastewater collection and treatment systems, ultimately ending up at the wastewater treatment plant. The material increases with aging infrastructure and can be exasperated by significant rainfall. The accumulation of sand and grit in the aeration basin decreases capacity. This means the amount of oxygen is reduced and there is an increased use of energy and labor. Utility Maintenance Matters Debris issues are usually negotiated around until the adverse effects become critical. The longer the debris remains in the structure, the more challenging … Read More
Congratulations to the Florida Rural Water Association!
U.S. Submergent Technologies congratulates the Florida Rural Water Association on their recent recognition of “Association of the Year” by the National Rural Water Association. The award was presented at the NRWA’s annual Tribute to Excellence Awards as part of the WaterPro Conference on Monday, October 6, in Seattle, WA. According to the press release, NRWA director Kent Watson commended the FRWA on their “endeavors to achieve as much as possible with the resources available for their membership, which is over 2,000.” He goes on to say that, “Their Board of Directors, membership and a vast number of programs and services has positioned them to be very effective in their association mission for over 35 years. With a staff of over 25 and a budget of near $3.5 million per year, they offer many services and programs to meet state water industry needs.” Florida also won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Technical Assistance. Congratulations, FRWA team!
