Operating a wastewater treatment facility comes with its share of challenges. These plants are large, complicated and costly, but having a knowledgeable team can make all the difference.
Even though it may seem like some issues are too large or too many to handle, there are steps you can take to reduce some of the pressure. Read on for six of the most common operational problems in wastewater treatment plants and what you can do to alleviate them.
At O&M Solutions, we know how difficult it can be to keep up with wastewater facility operations and maintenance – that’s why we do the work for you. If you want to learn more about how O&M Solutions can serve your needs, visit our website: www.oandmsolutions.com
Energy Consumption
According to the US Department of Energy, municipal wastewater treatment plants spend up to $2 billion in electricity a year. This equates to about 25% to 40% of the facility’s budget. Aerobic biological treatment uses the most energy in a plant due to the aeration system. This system essentially adds oxygen to the water so that oxygen-feeding bacteria can stay alive to continue treating the water.
One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to reduce energy usage in wastewater treatment plants is to clean the diffuser in the aeration system so that the bubbles become smaller. This increases efficiency and lowers energy consumption.
For this same reason, it’s important to keep the mechanics of the plant as clean as possible. Just like the aeration system, a more efficient plant will result in less energy usage and lower overall costs.
Limited Staff
Businesses everywhere are experiencing staff shortages. But, what a wastewater treatment facility really needs is trained staff. This is even harder to find. If you can’t seem to locate reliable, adequately trained staff, outsourcing might be the best option for you.
If you have never outsourced wastewater facility maintenance and operation before, you may have some questions. Take a look at our blog to get all of these questions answered: What is Wastewater Service? When you hire professional wastewater plant service, like O&M Solutions, you can feel at ease and focus your time on other important tasks.
Sludge Control
The reuse and disposal of sludge is both costly and strictly regulated. The best way to minimize problems associated with managing sludge is to reduce the total amount of sludge. There are a few different techniques used to control sludge:
Hydrothermal oxidation
Microbial predation
Cell lysis
Once you have reduced the total sludge in your wastewater plant, you can reduce costs associated with the reuse or disposal of the matter. If you’re not sure how to reduce sludge or you want to contact an expert, be sure to call the wastewater service professionals at O&M Solutions.
Physical Footprint
Wastewater treatment plants take up a lot of space. This often means these plants have to encroach into rural communities and in some cases, older buildings have to be demolished to make room for new plants. Typically, what makes wastewater treatment facilities so large is the activated sludge system.
According to Water World, there are new technologies being implemented that can replace the activated sludge process in a much more compact system. This technology is called an advanced bio-filtration system. It works by using both aerobic and anaerobic breakdown of waste materials, while also feeding aggressive bacteria that works to quickly consume solids.
This is not the only solution to finding more compact alternatives to the alternative sludge process. Contact your local wastewater facilities operation and maintenance team to see how else you can reduce the physical footprint of your plant.
Monitoring
One of the biggest issues that can come from having a medium to large staff at a wastewater treatment plant is miscommunication. These facilities require frequent maintenance and testing. But, if staff are not communicating what is being done around the plant, then mistakes can be made.
Fortunately, there is a variety of software that can be used to ensure that staff are communicating properly and documenting their tests, monitoring and maintenance. When this software is implemented, staff can provide updates and input data to make day-to-day operations go by a little smoother. Additionally, over time, you can aggregate this data to look at larger trends within the plant.
Tri-State Area Wastewater Treatment Maintenance
Sometimes the best way to mitigate wastewater treatment plant operation problems is by finding someone else to fix the problems for you. At O&M Solutions, we have years of experience working in both the private and public sector to assist in the operation and maintenance of plants.
Whether you want to reduce your energy usage or simply need a team to maintain your wastewater system, we have got your back. Choose the experts at O&M Solutions to solve all of your wastewater treatment plant problems.
Give us a call at (732) 965-5764 or contact us online.