5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 1/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 2/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 3/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 4/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 5/52 wsomag.com January/February 2012 5
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 6/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 7/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 8/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 9/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 10/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 11/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 12/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 13/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 14/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 15/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 16/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 17/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 18/52
18 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR
Public-private partners
Realizing the size of the challenge, and aware the city was under
orders from regulators to remedy the backwash water issues, Gray sought
advice and attended a state drinking water conference in Columbus, Ind.It was a productive trip because he heard a presentation by Tom Hogan of
Johnson Controls on performance contracting.
Ultimately, Johnson Controls and the city agreed to work together on
the city’s issues, using performance contracting to fund the improve-
ments. “We started talking to Chuck,” recalls Hogan. “We looked at the
water loss, the old metering system, the booster stations, the boil orders,
and the negative publicity. Mount Vernon had become famous for proj-
ects that didn’t work.
“It was a paradigm shift for us because normally, we hadn’t worked
with communities with less than 10,000 population. But it turned out tobe a good working relationship.” Out of those discussions came a three-
phase project, in which performance contracting provided the funding in
most cases. Johnson Controls acted as a project manager, bidding design
and execution out to engineering firms and contractors.
Meters first
In the first phase, at a cost of $1.94 million, Mount Vernon and John-
son Controls collaborated to replace the city’s entire system of 2,375
meters, install an automatic meter reading (AMR) system, and design
and install a new north booster station. “Meters are your cash register,”
says Gray. “We had every type of
meter there is in the ground, and
we were losing money. Now we’re
able to spot leaks and inform cus-
tomers before they get a big bill.
It’s been a boon to customer
service.”
The AMR system is saving
even more money. “Before, we had
two guys spending 14 days each
going around the system taking
readings,” Gray says. “Now, one
guy can do it in a day and a half.
We’re using a Master Meter Dia-
Before the improvements at
the Mount Vernon Water TreatmentPlant, the city was losing jobs —
not because of the economy, but
because it couldn’t guarantee
developers a reliable source of
good water. “This is a good loca-
tion,” says water superintendent
Chuck Gray. “We’re right on the
river, have good rail service, and
are only 15 miles from Evansville.”
Still, he says, the city had to turndevelopers away because of the
problematic water system. “We had
one development that would have
resulted in 2,000 jobs,” Gray says.
“But we had to tell them ‘no.’”
It’s different now. A new ethanol
plant is purchasing 25-30 million
gallons of water from his plant each
month. “We are working with our
development people,” Gray says.“When clean water is a deciding
factor, we’re in the running now.”
WATER AND
DEVELOPMENT
LEFT: Chuck Gray at the Trident Microfloc (Siemens) unit control panel. ABOVE: Gray checks the effluent turbidity readout on a Hach turbidimeter.
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 19/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 20/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 21/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 22/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 23/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 24/52
24 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR
Best-tasting waterThe product at Palm Coast is also a winner. The utility has received
accolades for its great-tasting water, beating six utilities in northeastern
Florida in 2011 to win the Florida Section of the American Water Works
Association Best Tasting Drinking Water award. They also won this award
in 2007 and 2009.
Each competing utility collects a gallon of water within 24 hours of
the tasting. Engineers and utility operators act as judges, and the winner
receives a trophy. So, what makes Palm Coast’s water the best tasting?
“That’s a secret,” says Hogan. “We all take pride in performing our
day-to-day activities. The Top Ops team gets all the glory when they win,
but while they’re away, the rest of our operators are working diligently to
make good-quality water.” Hogan also credits the high-quality water
from the aquifers, and the lime softening and nanofiltration processes.
“At 33 years, our lime plant may be old, but you don’t see that many out
there that look as good as ours, no matter how old they are,” he says.
One philosophy Twenty-five staff members and three water plants, along with four
water-quality technicians, meet quality specifications for water that serves
77,000 people over 140 square miles. The source water is a confined surficial
aquifer with 39 wells and the Upper Floridan Aquifer, with eight wells.
Each plant has a chief operator in charge of the overall facility and the
well field, and a lead operator who
assists and is in charge of all shift
operations. A maintenance tech-
nician floats between all threeplants. There is a also a lead water-
quality technician.
Hogan’s management style em-
powers his staff and allows them
to excel. “I am lucky to have three
highly competent chief operators,
and I give them a lot of latitude,”
he says. “They have taken owner-
ship of their facilities, and they do
an absolutely phenomenal job of
running their plants.”
Hogan conducts monthly water-
quality meetings attended by the
chief operators, the water-quality
Besides placing in the top three
of the American Water Works
Association Top Ops competition
every year since 2005, the Palm
Coast Public Works Utility Division
has earned an impressive number
of other awards.
The utility has won the Florida
Department of Environmental
Protection (FDEP) Plant Operations
Excellence Award 19 times since
1979, the AWWA Most Outstanding
Plant Award three times, the
Southeast Desalting Association
Plant Excellence Award three times,
and the Florida Section of the
American Water Works Association
Best Tasting Drinking Water award
three times.
They also won the American
Membrane Technology Association
(AMTA) National Membrane facility
award in 2009. Water operations
manager Jim Hogan won the
Southeast Desalting Association
Operator of the Year Award in 2005,
and chief operator Peter Roussell
won that award in 2009.
HIGHLY DECORATED
Palm Coast Water Treatment Plant Operation staff includes, from left, maintenance technician Kevin Hollingsworth, trainee Allen White, operator III Tom Martens,trainee Edward Frankie, chief operator Donald Holcomb, lead operator Michael Morris, utility systems manager Jim Hogan, chief operator Peter Roussell, chiefoperator Fred Greiner, lead operator Ryan Bellerive, and operator III Grant Newlin.
“Droughts are seemingly an annual occurrence,
and then we get torrential rain during the
summer rainy season. The drought in 2011 was
particularly bad.”
JIM HOGAN
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 25/52
wsomag.com January/Feb ruary 2012 25
lead technician, and an environmental specialist, who handles all envi-
ronmental compliance issues. Hogan is also in charge of water distribu-
tion system quality, and holds a monthly meeting with those staff members.
Safety training is a priority, and Roussell leads that effort. “We havea training syllabus and we get everyone together at least monthly to
review topics like hazardous chemicals and heat stress,” he says. “We have
a good safety record.”
Three quality plantsThe team oversees high-performing facilities. Plant #1 was built in
1979 with a capacity of 2 mgd, and expanded in 1982 to 6 mgd. It uses con-
ventional lime softening and filtration, along with aluminum chlorhy-
drate coagulant. Storage capacity at the site is 3.5 million gallons and
includes a 2.5-million-gallon ground storage tank.In 2010, the plant began using ammonium sulfate in the chloramine
disinfection process, as it is safer than anhydrous ammonia or ammo-
nium hydroxide. The plant also installed a sulfuric acid feed system for
pH control. This eliminated “cementing” of the filters caused by calcium
carbonate scale. The following year, the plant installed a PAX active mix-
ing system (PAX Water Technologies) for one of two elevated tanks to
enhance water quality by eliminating thermal stratification. Plant #1
draws water from 31 wells.
Plant #2 was commissioned in July 1992 with an initial capacity of
2 mgd. It uses a nanofiltration membrane process to soften the water. New
membranes installed as part of an upgrade in 2004 had larger capacity to
allow more permeate flux. Plant capacity is now 6.384 mgd.
Since there was sand in the raw water, the plant’s pretreatment system
was modified with sand separators, extending the life of the prefilters and
membranes. The chemical feed system was modified to inject sulfuric acid
at the concentrate discharge rather than at the feed. This lengthened fil-
ter runs by reducing calcium sulfate formation and cut costs for prefilter
replacement and sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide feed.
“After the improvements, it’s estimated that the facility saved about
$100,000 in the first year alone,” says Hogan. Storage capacity at the plant
is 2 million gallons, and the plant draws water from eight wells.
Plant #3 was commissioned in June 2008 as a nanofiltration facility
with two 1.125 mgd treatment skids. Rated at 3 mgd, the plant is expand-
able to 9 mgd. The facility started with eight wells. Work began in 2010
on 12 more to add source water production and allow rotation of the exist-
ing wells to eliminate over-pumping.
PREPARING FOR COMPETITION
The Top Ops Water Buoys from the City of Palm Coast have placed
in the top three of the American Water Works Association Top Ops
competition every year since 2005. How do they do it?
With “hard work, dedication and perseverance,” says Jim Hogan,
team coach and utility systems manager. Since they started competing
in 2004, the team has practiced for the competition every day during
lunch hour. “We practice all year long,” says Peter Roussell, chief
operator at Water Plant #3. “We don’t take any breaks.”
Besides Hogan and Roussell, the team includes Fred Greiner,
captain and chief operator at Water Plant #3, and Tom Martens,
operator 3 at Water Plant #2. Since they all work at different locations,
they practice at Water Plant #1, the city’s most centrally located plant.
They use all the study guides the Top Ops committee recommends, and
from which the competition’s questions are taken.These questions cover a broad range of topics, including science,
chemistry, hydraulics, water distribution, public health, sanitation, plant
operation, maintenance and process control. “You’d think we’d get tired
of studying,” says Hogan, “but we all get along really well and we try to
keep practices short so we don’t get burned out.”
Team members also write their own questions. “We have a bank of
questions we put together to grill each other during study sessions,” says
Hogan. “After doing this for a while, we have a pretty good idea of the
type and flavor of the questions they will ask.”
Hogan stresses that while the team is a competitive bunch and likes
to win, they also recognize the importance of good sportsmanship. “The
way you win and lose is important,” he says. “When we lose, we try to do
it graciously. We realize that you have to put it all in perspective.”
“ We all take pride in
performing our day-to-day activities. The Top Ops
team gets all the glory when
they win, but while they’re
away, the rest of our operators
are working diligently to make
good-quality water.”
JIM HOGAN
Jim Hogan, utility systems manager who oversees the entire operation of thewater division, is shown with degasification equipment manufactured by
Met-Pro Environmental Air Solutions. Hogan has worked for the Palm CoastUtility Division for 31 years.
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 26/52
26 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR
Water recovery The operators’ major challenge is dealing with droughts for much of
the year (a rainy season begins in June). “Droughts are seemingly an
annual occurrence, and then we get torrential rain during the summer
rainy season,” says Hogan. “The drought in 2011 was particularly bad.”
During a drought, the staff closely monitors the well water levels.
When the level in a well drops, the output of that well is reduced and it is
rested as much as possible. The goal is to keep the overall groundwater
level as high as possible to help prevent saltwater intrusion — from the
brackish aquifer below, and laterally from the Atlantic Ocean.
Water insecurity led the utility to implement a water recovery pro-gram at Plant #1 and Plant #3, and a plan is in place to implement zero
liquid discharge at Plant #2. “For so long, people have taken water for
granted,” says Hogan. “The droughts in Florida continually stress the
resource, and we have to manage that and protect our water sources the
best way we can.”
Dan Tomlinson, the utility’s retired Top Ops coach, came up with the
idea to produce more water while eliminating waste by taking concen-
trate from the membrane softening process at Plant #3 and blending it
with raw water from Plant #1 before it is fed to the lime softener. By
doing this, the plant could recover Plant #3’s drinking water byproduct
rather than discharge it to surface water.
The city met with the Florida Department of Environmental Protec-
tion (FDEP) to discuss the permitting feasibility and to promote the
idea; the department suggested a pilot study, which showed that the fin-
ished water produced from the blended raw water met all the primary and
secondary drinking water requirements.
Recovering Plant #3’s byproduct as drinking water at Plant #1 also
supplements, and effectively reduces, groundwater pumping. FDEP granted
a clearance for the idea, and Plant #3 started diverting the concentrate
flow to Plant #1 in April 2011.
ABOVE: The Palm Coast Top Ops team has been competing since 2004.RIGHT: Operator III Grant Newlin checks the calibration for the Pulsafeederammonium sulfate metering pumps.
“This is the only utility I have worked for. I started as a trainee and worked my way up.
I love the education part of it and seeing how my job positively affects the environment ”
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 27/52
wsomag.com January/Feb ruary 2012 27
Big savings“The project is a huge success,” says Hogan. “We have eliminated con-
centrate discharged into the intracoastal waterway, and consequently, we are recovering about 115 million gallons of water a year that would
have been wasted. When combined with the 1.2 mgd to be recovered from
Plant #2, this results in 1.5 mgd of water recovered.”
Plant #1 is recovering the filter backwash by bringing the settled
supernatant recovered from each backwash back to the headworks for
treatment. The plant loses about 2 percent of the total water produced
through evaporation and water contained in the wasted sludge. The
sludge is used by local contractors, who mix it with equal parts of sand
and shell to create a road base material.
Plant #2 is developing a method to also recover all of its concentrate water and reuse it as source water. The plan is to treat the concentrate
with on-site lime softening and ultrafiltration. Bench scale laboratory
tests and two pilot tests were conducted in 2010-2011 to prove the new
process.
The project is now in the design stage, and the zero liquid discharge
(ZLD) facility is scheduled to be online by May 1, 2013. “This project,
along with innovative technology, represents an important step toward
environmental sustainability and good water resource management,”
says Hogan.
By eliminating the concentrate discharge and recovering the lime-
softened and ultrafiltered supernatant, the plant will effectively recover
100 percent of the water. It will enable postponement of additional
groundwater wells and will recover 1.2 mgd of water that otherwise would
have been wasted.
“ZLD was one of three alter-
natives that were short-listed and
looked at closely for recovering
concentrate water,” says Hogan.
“The other two, constructed wet-
lands and an exfiltration trench, both proved economically unfeasible.
Fred Greiner was instrumental in running the pilot for the ZLD projectand developing the full-scale treatment.”
Labor of loveIt’s clear that the Palm Coast team members love what they do. “I
especially like the fact that we stay proactive in public education,” says
Roussell. He enjoys the Job Functioning Program, where students who
will soon join the workforce take part in hands-on activities at the plants.
“We let them take samples, run tests in the lab, and document the
results,” says Roussell. “We believe public education is key, to give stu-
dents an idea of where their water comes from.” Says Greiner, “This is theonly utility I have worked for. I started as a trainee and worked my way
up. I love the education part of it, and seeing how my job positively affects
the environment.”
Operator III Tom Martens enjoys the job’s variety: “It’s not the same
old thing every day. I might have a problem at the well or the plant itself.
Plus, the technology is constantly changing. They give you the tools and
the help to stay ahead of it.”
Hogan loves his job of 31 years for the challenge and for working with
the chief operators and developing careers. “I have tried to instill a sense
of quality and excellence in my chief operators and staff, and it’s gratify-
ing to see them continue this with their people,” he says. “I’ll be retiring
in a few years and will definitely miss working with them, but I’m very
confident that they will carry on the winning tradition.” wso
MORE INFO:
Cummins Power Generation763/574-5000
www.cummins.com
Eaton877/386-2273
www.eaton.com
Koch Membrane Systems, Inc.888/677-5624
www.kochmembrane.com
Met-Pro Environmental Air Solutions
800/621-0734 www.mpeas.com
PAX Water Technologies866/729-6493
www.paxwater.com
(See ad page 21)
Pulsafeeder, Inc., A Unit of IDEX Corp.585/292-8000
www.pulsafeeder.com
Lead operator Ryan Bellerive logs data into a maintenance record for a 1,000 kW Cummins emergency generator.
I love the education part of it, and seeing how my job positively affects the environment.
FRED GREINER
WINNINGTHEM OVER
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 28/52
28 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR
W
hen the Municipal Water District of Orange County (Calif.)
wants to spread the word about water conservation and
quality, it can count on some of its youngest customers forinspiration.
For more than 25 years, the district has sponsored an annual poster
and slogan contest for elementary school students, attracting hundreds of
entries each spring from children who have apparently heeded lessons
offered through the district’s Water Education School Program.
The district’s 2011 contest
attracted more than 800 entries,
and the judges selected 15 poster winners and 15 slogan winners,
including one grand prize winner
in each of two age divisions.
With a poster announcing “It’s
Time to Realize the Need to Be
Water Wise,” Deven Nagel of La
Veta Elementary School in Orange
won an iPad as the grand prize
winner in grades 4-6. In grades
1-3, Iris Lee of Canyon View Ele-mentary in Irvine won the grand
prize of two season passes to Dis-
neyland for her poster: “Water Is
Important for Every One … Save
Water.”
Multiple rewards
In addition to trophies and
certificates, the winning entries
are framed and returned to the 30 winners at the annual awards program held at the Discovery Science
Center in Santa Ana. Winners also receive a custom T-shirt with an image
of their entry. There is a new theme for each year’s contest, and recently
that has come from the past year’s winning slogan.
For 2012, organizers have been considering some big changes, includ-
ing adding a digital arts division for junior high or senior high students.
“We thought that would be a way to modernize the contest and capture
the interest of older students,” says Jessica Ouwerkerk, the district’s pub-
lic affairs specialist.
The district lies in the nation’s most populated metropolitan area,
where the need to protect and conserve water resources has long been
critical. That’s why education has been a top priority for nearly 40 years.
“It’s one of the oldest water education programs in the nation,” says
Ouwerkerk. “We have such a big population in Southern California and
YoungConservationists
Municipal Water District of Orange County poster/slogan contest lets students
speak out on important water issues
BY PETE LITTERSKI
Grant Jaffe, a student at WestmontElementary in Westminster, Calif., iscongratulated by Ricki the Raindropafter the 2009 Water ConservationPoster and Slogan Contest awards.
Susie Kang, a student at Foothill Ranch Elementary in Foothill Ranch, Calif., is joined by her brother while receiving congratulations from Ricki the Raindropafter the 2010 Education Poster and Slogan Contest awards ceremony.
The district’s 2011 Education Poster and Slogan Contest produced thesewinners. From left, poster by Brandon Lee, grade 1, Los Coyotes Elementary inLa Palma; grand prize winner for grades 1-3 by Iris Lee, grade 2, Canyon ViewElementary in Irvine; and grand prize winner for grades 4-6 by Deven Nagel,grade 4, La Veta Elementary in Orange.
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 29/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 30/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 31/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 32/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 33/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 34/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 35/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 36/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 37/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 38/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 39/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 40/52“In the past, users had to keep a thick book on the bench with instructions for all
the chemical methods. Now the instrument provides that in electronic form.”
KATY GUTHRIE
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 41/52
wsomag.com January/Feb ruary 2012 41
on the packaging, telling exactly how to do the test. The reagents are inte-
grated into the packaging. The vials are barcoded, so that to pull up the
correct test method, you simply put the vial into the DR 3900 spectropho-
tometer. The first scan of that barcode identifies the method, so that theinstrument pulls up the correct wavelengths and automatically performs
the reading without the need to use a blank.
wso: Does the DR 3900 itself help guide users through the proce-
dure for each test?
Guthrie: Yes. The device is simple to use, with a color display and
intuitive touch-screen user interface and a built-in help guide. In the past,
users had to keep a thick book on the bench with instructions for all the
chemical methods. Now the instrument provides that in electronic form.
MacDonald: Rather than describe the tests in a way that sounds likesomething written by and for a Ph.D. chemist, it provides simple instruc-
tions with a picture, making it crystal clear what steps to perform for each
test. Most of the methods take just a handful of steps, and all the chemis-
try is pre-packaged, making it very easy to perform the analysis.
wso: Just for example, how exactly would the instrument guide
the user through a specific test?
Guthrie: The user touches an on-screen information icon — the let-
ter “i” with a circle around it. That brings up a pictogram and instruc-
tions for the first step, such as ‘Fill the sample cell to the line with thesample.’ Touching an arrow brings up the next step. Every individual step
of the procedure is shown and described in this way.
wso: How does this system help assure accuracy?
MacDonald: The instrument performs a tenfold measurement by
rotating the vial, and the average of those readings is displayed on the
screen. The result is that the user gets a consistent average value, despite
any flaws in the glassware, or any smudges or fingerprints. The instru-
ment contains an algorithm that rejects any readings that are outliers and
still gives an accurate average reading. In addition, the packaging is
color-coded so there is a low probability of the user making a mistake.
wso: Are there other advantages to this approach to chemistry?
MacDonald: The TNTplus chemistry is in our green or environ-
mentally friendly portfolio. It reduces exposure to the chemicals. The
vials use DosiCaps that are easier to use than powder pillows or liquid
reagents. There’s no spill risk, no safety risk, and no risk of contamina-
tion because the reagents are completely contained within the vial cap.
The system uses very small-scale wet chemistry – at most about a mil-liliter of sample, and microliters of reagents in most cases. That reduces
the waste generated by doing the tests. The packaging is also more eco-
friendly, using recyclable cardboard instead of foam.
wso: How would you describe the range of chemistries available
for testing in water treatment plant labs?
MacDonald: The spectrophotometer is made specifically for water
analysis, and with TNTplus chemistry there are about 200 methods that
can be used. The tests cover parameters for every step from source water
to finished water.Last June we received approval from the U.S. EPA for the TNTplus
method for nitrate, a development that has real value. Until now, there
wasn’t a particularly easy way of doing this test. Nitrate testing has been
done using ion chromatography or the cadmium reduction method. Most
plants were sending this test to an outside lab and paying $25 to $35 a test.
Now they have a way to do it in-house on their own time in a matter of
minutes, and at substantial savings.
wso: How does the RFID technology work within this system?
Guthrie: The spectrophotometer includes an RFID module, and
there is an RFID tag on each box of chemistry that includes two key
pieces of information. First is a certificate of analysis. The user simply
holds the box of chemistry up to the instrument, and the certificate comes
up on screen and can be printed out.
The second item on the RFID tag is the calibration factors. Tradition-
ally, if there was a change in the chemistry raw material that would cause
the calibration curve in the instrument to change, the user would have to
update the software, which meant going to a website, downloading thesoftware to a USB stick, and uploading it to the instrument.
Now, when they insert the barcoded vial, the instrument tells them if
they need to update the calibration factors. If so, they simply put the box
from the chemistry next to the RFID module, and the instrument auto-
matically uploads the new calibration factors.
wso: How does this system improve the tracking of samples and
test results?
Guthrie: The TNTplus chemistry uses a 2-D matrix barcode that can
contain more information than a traditional barcode such as we see at the
grocery store. For each reagent, it includes the lot number and the expi-
ration date. So when using the chemistry, with the spectrophotometer, the
instrument tells if you are using expired chemistry.
All the chemistry information is logged along with the measurement,
so that it is completely traceable. In case questions about the result arise
later, you can always trace that measurement back to the lot number and
expiration date of the chemistry.
There is also an optional accessory called the LOC 100 locator that
lets users track samples from collection to measurement. This system
uses RFID operator key tags, RFID sample location tags, and stickyRFID tags on the sample bottles.
The sample collector goes to a sample point, scans his or her operator
tag by holding it up to the locator device, scans the sample location tag,
and transmits the information to the bottle tag. Now the bottle tag con-
tains the operator ID and the sample location, date and time. Back at the
lab, the bottles are held in front of the RFID module on the spectropho-
tometer, and all the information from the bottle tag is transferred to the
instrument.
So in the end, that data is all tracked with the measurement. It pro-
vides a high level of trust in the results. There is essentially an electronictrail from beginning to end. wso
“The spectrophotometer is made specifically
for water analysis, and with TNTplus chemistry
there are about 200 methods that can be used.
The tests cover parameters for every step from
source water to finished water.”
DAVE MACDONALD
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 42/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 43/52
INDUSTRY
NEWS
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 44/52
44 WATER SYSTEM OPERATOR
AM-Liner Joins NORDIPIPE GroupAM-Liner East Inc. is the newest member
of the NORDIPIPE licensee family. The North-
ern-Virginia-based company is the fourth
licensee of NORDIPIPE, a trenchless technol-
ogy for the rehabilitation of water mains.
Haaker’s Thomas Helps with Water Project
Dave Thomas, Haaker Equipment Co. sales
representative for Elgin street sweepers and
Vactor sewer cleaners and hydroexcavators in
La Verne, Calif., has traveled to Rwanda the
past three years to help the Clean Water Initia-
tive of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,
Calif. Thomas and his colleagues have brought
water purification systems to three hospitals in
western Rwanda and are working to drill deep
wells for more than 100 villages. His next proj-
ect is to bring fresh water to a high school in the
African nation of Malawi.
Garney Construction
Acquires Weaver,Names CEOGarney Holding Co.
acquired Weaver General
Construction of Englewood,
Colo. Weaver specializes in
the construction of water
and wastewater facilities with an emphasis in
construction-management based delivery. Gar-
ney, which specializes in the construction of
water and wastewater pipelines, treatmentfacilities, pumping stations, water storage
tanks and industrial projects, also named
Michael Heitmann president and chief operat-
ing officer. He will oversee strategic planning
and business development from the company’sKansas City, Mo., headquarters.
Severn Trent NamesSales Director,Manager
Severn Trent Services
named John Dyson North
American sales director for
its Water Purification groupand Enric Cardoner as gen-
eral manager for its Water
Purification group in
Europe, serviced from
offices in the United King-
dom, Italy and Spain.
Dyson will be responsible
for overseeing the munici-
pal and industrial sales
channels, partners and pro-cesses that the company offers
to the water and wastewater markets in the
United States and Canada. He brings 20 years
experience in technical sales and management
to his position.
Itron, Tantalus Form PartnershipItron Inc. and Tantalus Systems Corp. have
partnered to deliver smart metering and smart
grid benefits to electric and multi-service pub-
lic utilities. The collaboration combines Itron’s
SENTINEL and CENTRON electricity meters
as well as its gas and water ERT modules with
Tantalus’ communications network, TUNet.
Sterlitech Among Fastest Growing
Washington BusinessesSterlitech Corp., manufacturer and distrib-
utor of laboratory filtration equipment, was rec-
ognized by Puget Sound Business Journal as one
of the 100 fastest growing private companies in
Washington state, ranking 83rd overall.
DC Water Receives WERF Award for Excellence
DC Water received the Water EnvironmentResearch Foundation (WERF) Award for
excellence and innovation for its biosolids pro-
gram that will cut greenhouse gas emission,
produce more energy and create higher quality
biosolids. The award recognizes organizationsthat have made improvements to wastewater
and stormwater collection, storage or treatment
operations, facilities or processes by applying
WERF research.
Arkema Partners withRMB Products
Arkema Inc., producer of fine-powder prod-
ucts for water treatment and water desalina-tion, partnered with RMB Products Inc.,
producer of large-scale coatings for steel piping
and in the fabrication and plastic lining/coat-
ing of large metal structures.
American Water ReceivesEPA Award
American Water Works Company Inc. received
a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2011WaterSense Excellence Award, presented in
recognition of the company’s role as a lead
partner with the EPA in the agency’s We’re for
Water consumer education campaign.
Wooster CSOReceivesBreakthrough
AwardDr. Paul Edmiston,
CSO and co-founder
of ABSMaterials Inc.,
received the Popular
Mechanics 2011 Break-
through Award in
Materials Science for
his invention of Osorb glass materials to treat
and clean water. The award recognizes advances
across all areas of science and technology
development.
Analytical Technology ReceivesFramework Agreement
Analytical Technology Inc., manufacturer
and supplier of electrochemical sensors to the
United Kingdom and Europe, received a frame-
work agreement to supply and install 500bufferless chlorine monitoring systems to York-
shire Water, which continually monitors water
from its 59 treatment plants with samples taken
from 363 reservoirs where treated water is
NEWS
Enric Cardoner
John Dyson
Michael Heitmann
Dave Thomas (second from left) and a colleaguefrom Saddleback Church with local volunteers in
Kibuye, Rwanda.
Dr. Paul Edmiston
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 45/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 46/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 47/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 48/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 49/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 50/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 51/52
5/12/2018 January/February 2012 Issue - slidepdf.com
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/januaryfebruary-2012-issue 52/52
Top Related