USST Crews Removed Over 10,000 Tons of Material in 2020 U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) has been expanding on our versatility and widening our scope of experience by performing submergent cleaning all over Florida and in parts of Georgia. In 2020, USST removed more than 10,000 tons of material for our customers. Some of the material USST removed includes; sand, grit, sludge, rag, FOG, grout, lime, filter media, and biosolids. “We are proud of our crews’ accomplishments, work completed, and the experiences gained. In 2020, our company stepped further outside the wastewater industry into potable, stormwater, and industrial applications. These valuable experiences expand our depth of knowledge when cleaning wet infrastructure,” said Denver J. Stutler, Jr., CEO at USST. Two examples illustrate the capabilities and versatility of our crews and equipment. In South Florida, crews removed over 400 tons of material to restore capacity and maintain flow for critical wet infrastructure, this project involved a few structures including a digester tank which required confined space entry. When this is required on a project, USST crews take extra care to follow our company’s detailed Confined Space Program. Crew members ensure that the presence of atmospheric hazards are eliminated through proper ventilation and … Read More

In Southern Florida, Over 14 Tons of Material Removed from Salmon Fishery Recently, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) had a chance to use our tools and team to solve problems outside the wastewater industry. A salmon fishery required the removal of waste material from three of their tank structures to restore vital capacity and maintain flow. USST’s powerful Combination3® Truck, a versatile patented piece of equipment, was used to safely and efficiently remove over 14 tons of material from these structures. “The versatility of our Combination3® Truck allows us to access and clean structures outside of typical wastewater treatment facilities,” said Paul Del Favero, Operations Manager at USST. “This is another outstanding example of our approach to solving a customer’s problems – understand the problem, apply the right tools, and get the job done safely with our qualified team.” A challenge on this project is one of the structures, the Chiller Tank, was inside a large building and would typically pose an access issue for waste removal services. However, USST’s crew using its pump while extending a vacuum hose attached to our powerful Combination3® Truck was able to reach the structure and remove all of the material. The need for confined … Read More

U.S. Submergent Technologies’ comprehensive safety operations program sets us apart from other companies. In addition to providing our customers with thorough, personalized safety plans for each jobsite, every member of U.S. Submergent Technologies’ experienced field crew has completed more than 80 hours of safety and compliance training with ongoing on-the-job instruction. Our crews expertly operate our one-of-a-kind patented technology while making safety our top priority.  Why a safety plan matters A U.S. Submergent Technologies’ Health & Safety plan outlines — in detail — how we will approach the project at hand and the safety precautions that we will take while performing the work. A well-thought-out safety plan helps our crews, our customers, and our communities avoid dangerous situations, and just as important, a safety plan outlines the appropriate response in case an unexpected situation arises.  What U.S. Submergent Technologies’ safety plans cover  U.S. Submergent Technologies is committed to instituting and maintaining a comprehensive Health and Safety Program. The goal of our Health & Safety Program is to take the proper steps to prevent loss of life, injury, or property damage to all employees and members of the general public. U.S. Submergent Technologies recognizes that the responsibilities for safety and loss prevention … Read More

We’ve seen it all: sand, grit, sludge, lime buildup, vegetation, and even larger debris such as metal handrails and lawn chairs limiting capacity in pipes and tanks. U.S. Submergent Technologies can remove any type of material (yes, even lawn chairs!) from wet or dry environments in a variety of structures. We use the extremely versatile Combination3® Truck to specialize in removing material from structures such as pipes, tanks, and lift stations while they remain in full operation, and we can also perform work in a drain-down or bypass situation when larger debris is present. A history of removing difficult material from pipes, tanks, and other structures U.S. Submergent Technologies has tackled unique situations, including heavy lime accumulation in a large biological treatment unit, resulting in the removal of 60-tons of lime, sand and grit. We’ve successfully cleaned a tank overrun with 4-foot high vegetation sitting on an 8-foot root system. The U.S. Submergent Technologies’ crew once developed a crane attachment to be used with the Combination3® Truck’s extendable boom to reach and remove difficult rag material — and even a metal handrail — from a splitter box.  Our experienced crew removed wood and lawn chairs from a stormwater box culvert, as … Read More

PREVIOUSLY UNREMOVABLE MATERIAL REMOVED IN EAST FLORIDA Sand, grit, lime, rags, sludge, and other wastewater residuals had accumulated over time in two large East Florida BTU structures, reducing the wastewater treatment plant’s overall capacity. Due to the challenging nature of the material, previous companies had been unable to clean the structure. A buildup of lime sludge was the main issue the facility was facing, and the material was described as having the consistency of “slightly dried out play-doh.” The cost of Sand, grit, lime, rag, and  sludge buildup for wastewater treatment plants A buildup of material in a tank such as this has the potential to cause several issues, including reduced treatment capacity and wear and tear on equipment.  A drain-down and confined space entry was necessary in order to efficiently access the material.  Each of the facility’s above-ground BTU tanks measured at 113-feet by 130-feet, with 17-foot high walls. The Combination3® Truck’s powerful vacuum was used to remove sand, grit, lime, sludge, and rags without any issues.  USST’s vacuum delivers nearly double the CFM of a standard vacuum truck, allowing the crew to remove large amounts of wastewater residuals and complete the job quickly and on schedule.  In total, … Read More

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT? In a word, Gravity! The Combination3® Truck is a unique, ambidextrous tool that allows us to clean pipes, tanks, and a variety of other structures while in operation. It can vacuum using suction and pump using positive pressure, as well as perform jetting. Here, we’re going to examine the differences between traditional technology versus the powerful capabilities of the Combination3® Truck. Let’s take a look at how traditional vacuum technology works Vacuum technology has been around for 50-years and is typically the first tool called upon for cleaning most pipes and tanks. A vacuum uses the flow of air to move debris into the debris box.  In a dry environment, this approach works well. Vacuum technology begins to be less effective with the presence of water. As the amount of water increases, the effectiveness of removing debris such as sand and grit becomes less effective. This is because water is lighter than the debris to be removed. As a result of this natural consequence of gravity, the debris box fills with water. Essentially, the vacuum moves the lighter material first. This is especially true for large diameter pipes. As pipe diameter increases, the flow of water … Read More

NITROGEN PURGE PERFORMED ON TANK TO LOWER EXPLOSION HAZARD PRIOR TO CLEANING Sludge and other wastewater residuals had accumulated over time in a Southeast Florida digestor, reducing its treatment capacity. Measuring 65-feet in diameter with 36-feet high walls, the tank was in need of cleaning which contained levels of methane due to the treatment process. Methane buildup in wastewater tanks requires additional safety protocols Methane buildup in wastewater tanks occurs naturally due to the treatment process and has the potential to be hazardous. A drain down of the digestor was necessary before work could commence. To create a safer environment for crew members and reduce the risk, a nitrogen purge was performed to displace the methane found in the tank. Because confined space entry was needed to access and remove material, USST crew took extra care to monitor air quality levels, maintain proper ventilation, and check gas meters. “We take care to follow all safety and compliance procedures when entering a confined space,” said Charles Harrington, USST Foreman. “We got in there safely and were able to remove large amounts of material quickly.” How U.S. Submergent Technologies removed 360 tons of sludge from a covered digester The Combination3® Truck’s powerful … Read More