NO DRAIN DOWN REQUIRED TO CLEAN OUT YEARS OF BUILT UP MATERIAL IN CENTRAL FLORIDA WASTEWATER FACILITY An oxidation ditch at a Central Florida Wastewater Treatment Plant was in need of cleaning, having built up a significant amount of sand and grit.  The facility’s treatment process is comprised of a Type 1 Oxidation Ditch operating as a conventional activated sludge treatment facility measuring 320-feet by 70-feet. How U.S. Submergent Technologies removed sand and grit from the tank without performing a drain down USST Foreman, Michael Kisling, led the USST crew through the project from start to finish, utilizing the powerful

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WHY EVERY CITY & COUNTY UTILITY SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR COLLECTION SYSTEM & THE CHALLENGES OF CLEANING LARGE-DIAMETER PIPE Water and wastewater collection and treatment processes are largely out of sight, out of mind. Our society often takes this infrastructure for granted and is largely unaware of what’s happening below their feet, even though every person in this country uses it every day at home or at work. Large-diameter pipe (LDP) is generally treated the same way throughout our industry; we don’t see it regularly, so we assume it is functioning properly. LDP infrastructure is primarily only cleaned or

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39-TONS SAND AND GRIT REMOVAL PERFORMED ON DIGESTER Cleaning sand and grit from a digester at a wastewater treatment plant A digester at a Central Florida Wastewater Treatment Plant was due for cleaning, having built up an accumulation of sand and grit. The structure was cleaned in operation with the aid of funding from Florida’s Sand & Grit Grant Assistance Program. See if your facility is eligible for similar funding by reading more about the program here . Measuring 100-feet in diameter with approximately 18-feet high tank walls, the digester was cleaned using the versatile Combination3® Truck. Due to the

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As you may or may not be aware, Florida has funding available through a grant assistance program for qualifying utilities to remove sand and grit from their facilities. We’ve got answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the Sand & Grit Grant Program below. When did the program start? The program began in 2014 and is administered by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) developed to assist wastewater treatment plants in the removal of sand and grit to increase capacity, reduce energy use, and improve effluent quality. How do I qualify? Your facility must be a public utility

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300-FEET OF BLOCKAGES REMOVED INCLUDING WOOD, LAWN CHAIRS, YARD DEBRIS & MORE After experiencing a series of overflows in a residential area, a West Florida city was looking to clean up a severely blocked stormwater box culvert.  Due to a fluctuating tide schedule creating a surcharged environment, the stormwater structure was cleaned in both wet (high tide) and dry (low tide) conditions. Paul Stephenson, one of USST’s experienced Foremen (read more about Paul here!), led the USST crew on the project, cleaning more than 300-feet.  “Having our Combination3® Truck allowed us to get everything done in one go,” said Paul.

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MASSIVE BUILDUP OF RAGS, DEBRIS, AND EVEN METAL HANDRAILS FROM TWO STRUCTURES Access issues had prevented two splitter box structures at a South Florida wastewater treatment facility from being thoroughly cleaned in years.  A large amount of accumulated rag material had built up over time, and the structure was experiencing significantly reduced capacity. The two structures in question consisted of an Auxiliary Secondary Clarifier Distribution Chamber with dimensions estimated at 30-feet by 45-feet as well as a Secondary Clarifier Distribution Chamber measuring approximately 40-feet by 40-feet.  These two structures function as splitter boxes for a secondary clarifier at the facility

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PREVIOUSLY UNREACHABLE MATERIAL REMOVED FROM PUMP STATION Sand, grit, and other wastewater residuals had accumulated over time in a West Florida lift station, reducing its overall capacity.  As part of a larger rehabilitation and improvement plan, the City of Tampa’s San Carlos Pump Station required cleaning and had a buildup of material deep in the wet well that needed to be removed.  Due to the challenging depth of the material, previous companies had been unable to reach the material with conventional vacuums and equipment. A buildup of material in a wet well such as this has the potential to cause

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U.S. Submergent Technologies cleans sand, grit, and other debris out of wet environments. We’re well known for our success in wastewater treatment facilities, but our Combination3® technology gives us the ability to clean the hard-to-reach places in a variety of submerged conditions.  Our innovative jetter and combined vacuum and downhole system enables the rapid removal of accumulated solids from wet infrastructure while it remains in operation. U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) is able to restore capacity in numerous industries and other systems that can benefit from being cleaned while in service, with no bypass.   Pipes Large-diameter pipe systems can become clogged

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Our wastewater collection and treatment systems remove the biological waste in our water by design. However, other waste — debris such as sand and grit — accumulates in collection and treatment infrastructure, but their systems are not designed to remove this type of material. This type of debris accumulates because most of the wastewater infrastructure is below the earth’s surface. Collection systems are comprised of pipe segments that have joints, seams, gaps, and cracks, which are exacerbated as the pipes shift over time. These gaps allow sand to enter the pipe.  The Damage Done by Grit Sand and grit, unmanaged,

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