ONE TRUCK, MULTIPLE SETUPS USED TO REMOVE MATERIAL, NO CONFINED SPACE ENTRY REQUIRED FOGs, sand, grit, and rag material had accumulated over time in a Central Florida lift station, reducing its overall capacity.  A buildup of material in a wet well such as this has the potential to cause several issues, including increased pump run times and wear and tear on equipment.  USST was able to perform sand and grit removal from this 20-foot deep lift station in operation very quickly.  Typically, multiple pieces of equipment would be needed to tackle this challenging issue.  Fortunately, USST’s Combination3® truck is more

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SAY HELLO TO BOBBY KEYES, a key member of USST’s team for almost four years who was recently promoted to one of our Foreman positions.  With a background in construction for most of his career, Bobby moved to Florida from New Hampshire in 1988 to get away from the cold and has lived in the peaceful town of Osteen with his family and horses for the past 20-years.  He enjoys tackling new challenges every day, can recite the theme song to Gilligan’s Island at a moment’s notice, and never passes up a snack of Oreo cookies and milk.  Read on

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74-TONS OF SAND AND GRIT REMOVAL PERFORMED UNDER CHALLENGING CONDITIONS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA Access issues had prevented a covered splitter box at a Central Florida wastewater treatment facility from being cleaned.  A large amount of accumulated sand and grit had built up over time, and the structure was experiencing reduced capacity. So how was this splitter box cleaned while in service? A splitter box serves to separate influent flow to various structures such as aeration basins or oxidation ditches and can be hard to shut down or bypass flow in order to perform regular maintenance.  “Cleaning a structure while in

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AWARD WINNERS & BEST TASTING WATER CONTEST RESULTS Another FRWA Conference has come to a close.  This was USST’s 6th year attending the conference, and we enjoyed visiting with customers and friends who stopped by our booth, as well as checking out the Best Tasting Water Contest and industry awards.  If you couldn’t make it, please feel free to reach out with any questions you have or issues you may need to address.  We’re happy to discuss your facility’s needs, help solve a problem, or even chat about your favorite sports team.  Contact us here. See you at next year’s 2020

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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

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15-YEARS OF BUILT UP MATERIAL REMOVED IN MOUNT DORA, WHILE IN OPERATION Two structures at the Mount Dora Wastewater Treatment Plant were overdue for cleaning, having built up a significant amount of sand and grit as well as other debris over the last 15-years.  USST crew mobilized to the site armed with the versatile Combination3® Truck, well-prepared to handle the multiple setups needed to complete the project. A large oxidation ditch measuring approximately 50-feet wide by 330-feet in length was the first structure the crew tackled.  While the structure was in full operation, USST utilized the Combination3® Truck’s downhole pump

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HOW 32-TONS OF SAND AND GRIT REMOVAL WAS PERFORMED IN SURCHARGED CONDITIONS U.S. Submergent Technologies (USST) recently performed sand and grit removal services for Miami-Dade’s Department of Transportation and Public Works on a 110-foot section of 60-inch surcharged stormwater pipe which was experiencing reduced capacity due to a buildup of sand. Aaron Hood, one of USST’s veteran Field Supervisors, lead the USST crew through the Miami-Dade project from start to finish, beginning with a pre-cleaning inspection, the removal of sand, and wrapping up with a post-cleaning inspection to confirm the work performed.  To prepare for the cleaning, an inspection was

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22-CUBIC YARDS OF SAND REMOVAL PERFORMED IN CENTRAL FL A Central Florida utility was experiencing reduced capacity in a splitter box due to a significant buildup of sand and grit.  Wastewater treatment facilities typically employ a splitter box to separate influent flow to various structures such as aeration basins or clarifiers.  This Central Florida splitter box had a visible level of sand above the water line that needed to be cleaned, and the structure measured approximately 40-feet by 25-feet.  The utility was also unable to divert flow or take the structure offline, adding another level of complexity to the project.

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2019 OPS CHALLENGE REGIONAL RESULTS If you were to speak to any member of the six teams competing in this year’s Ops Challenge at the 2019 Florida Water Resources Conference, chances are you’d hear them say how thankful they are to be a part of the challenge and the great camaraderie the event fosters.  With two newcomers and a few veteran teams participating in the event’s 27th year, there was plenty of competitive spirit to go around, and we’ve got the 2019 Ops Challenge results. Known as the “Olympics of the Wastewater Industry,” the Ops Challenge follows teams of four

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