Sewer Cleaning application
Common to municipalities around the world is the need to maintain a clean and sanitary environment suitable for humans to live. This responsibility includes providing a system for efficiently moving both wastewater (sewage) and storm water.
A wastewater collection system is typically a network of pipes, manholes, cleanouts, traps, siphons, lift stations and other required structures to collect all the wastewater from an area and transport it to an environmentally safe place such as an treatment plant or disposal system.
Sewer systems can be located above or underground, typically running parallel to streets, housing, commercial and residential structures. This series of pipes and culverts are engineered as gravity flow systems, built on a slight grade to assist material flow. Most sewers are designed to convey material at a velocity of 2 feet (61 cm) per second. When velocity falls below this rate, solids will settle out of the flow to the bottom of the pipe, reduce flow capacity, and eventually cause a stoppage. If the velocity is designed to flow greater than 10 feet (300 cm) per second, solids could separate from the flow during low usage. At high velocities splashing occurs when the water changes directions, releasing odors and accelerating corrosion of concrete structures.
Partial or complete interruption of the flow may result from an obstruction in a sewer. When a stoppage occurs, material will backup and eventually overflow the system up to the point of the blockage. Streets, homes, and businesses can be damaged from the debris. Human health is threatened with unsanitary conditions and the spread of germs and disease.
The objectives of a Sewer Cleaning and Maintenance Program is to operate and maintain the wastewater collection system so it will function and strive toward the following:
- Minimize the number of stoppages per mile of sewer pipe
- Minimize the number of odor complaints
- Minimize the number of lift station failures
- Maintain intended flow in the system
Systems around the world vary in many details. Type of material for the pipe, shape, size and location all differ. Regardless of these variables these systems must be routinely cleaned to ensure safe, consistent movement of the material.
More sewer cleaning application resources:
- Always A Step Ahead
The Collection Facilities Operation and Maintenance Division of the Orange County Sanitation District in Fountain Valley, Calif., holds the enviable position of having only a minor backlog of sewer repairs. That is quite an accomplishment for the third largest regional wastewater agency west of the Mississippi River...read more...
- A Delicate Balance
When you’re located in a remote, pristine region like the Pacific Northwest, self-sufficiency is vital. The city of Port Angeles, on Washington’s North Olympic Peninsula, has set some high bars to meet its water conservation goals...read more...
- All According to Plan
More than half the sewer lines in Great Neck, N.Y., are nearly a century old. But like a spry senior citizen who keeps trim by working out daily, they seem younger than they are...read more...
- Every Day, All Hours
In most places, I&I is a seasonal problem or is driven by rain events. For the Miami-Dade (Fla.) Water and Sewer Department, it’s a continuous issue...read more...
Source: Municipal Sewer and Water