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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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SediVision Provides Complete Visibility of Sand and Grit Accumulation Over the years at U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) we have cleaned hundreds of wastewater tanks for local utilities. This experience has identified a persistent issue for our customers, which is not having an accurate estimate of the material in their tanks due to a lack of visibility. Because it is impossible to see through extremely turbid water and draining down wastewater tanks is frequently not an option. In our industry, we often find ourselves asking – What happens if there is more material in the tank than estimated? At USST, we

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SediVisionTM allows you to see the conditions beneath dark water due to excessive turbidity in your tanks Given most wastewater infrastructure is out of sight, it often can be out of mind unless it becomes an emergency. Because the water in these structures is highly turbid, it can be difficult to see what is beneath the water stealing your valuable capacity. To help managers responsible for the maintenance of critical wet infrastructure, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) developed a remarkable decision-making tool designed especially for wastewater conditions called SediVisionTM. SediVisionTM allows for complete visibility where there has never been any, under

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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

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Over 4,800 Feet of Large Diameter Pipe Cleaned and Inspected While in Operation In Central Florida, U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) cleaned and inspected over 1,900 linear feet of 36” pipe and 2,800 linear feet of 48” pipe. Our patented and versatile Combination3® Truck allowed USST to clean these large diameter pipes while they remained in service, with no need for bypass or shutdown. During the 2020 rainy season, pipe systems were put to the test with additional flows from rainfall. This stretch of pipe was along a major thoroughfare and could not be taken out of service which presented unique

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