florida water resources journal - november 2015

News and Features18 WEF HQ Newsletter—Myron Bachman24 WEF Addresses Stormwater Issues52 Technology Spotlight54 News Beat

Technical Articles4 Reverse Osmosis Post-Treatment Stabilization Utilizing Liquid Lime—Vaile

Feemster and Jim Smith20 Responding to a New Year’s Day Water Treatment Crisis for a Surface Water—

Joseph Downey 28 Strategies for Improving Water Quality of Florida Keys Beaches: A Case Study—

Ofer Wainberg, Juan Barreto, Maria Arguelles, Maria Ruiz, Alessia Juan, Qidi Sun, Andres Halfen,and Sung Hee Joo

44 City of Sunrise Achieves Alternate Raw Water Supply With Existing SourceInfrastructure—Chris Reinbold, Giovanni Batista, and Jim Dolan

Education and Training10 FSAWWA Fall Conference25 FWEA Collection Systems27 TREEO Center Training40 CEU Challenge47 FWPCOA Training Calendar

Columns26 Certification Boulevard—Roy Pelletier34 FSAWWA Speaking Out—Mark Lehigh38 FWEA Focus—Raynetta Curry Marshall42 Legal Briefs—Gerald Buhr50 C Factor—Thomas King

Departments55 New Products56 Service Directories59 Classifieds62 Display Advertiser Index

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Volume 67 November 2015 Number 11

ON THE COVER: The Hillsboro Beach WaterTreatment Plant includes a lime silo (far left), aspiractor unit (cone-shaped structure), and agravity filter (far right). The filter has beenremoved from service. (photo: Michael Gardner)

Florida Water Resources Journal • November 2015 3

4 November 2015 • Florida Water Resources Journal

The Dauphin Island Water & Sewer Author-ity (Authority), in Dauphin Island, Ala.,owns and operates a reverse osmosis (RO)

drinking water treatment facility that first came on-line in May 2010. The facility serves Dauphine Is-land’s 1,200 permanent residents, and a seasonaltourist population of more than 20,000. The barrierisland is located off the coast of the state, approxi-mately 30 mi south of Mobile. The facility treatswater from a sand aquifer that is about 700 ft belowthe ground’s surface. The water is relatively goodquality and only requires treatment for chlorides inthe 1,700-parts-per-mil (ppm) range. The facilitycurrently operates at a recovery rate of 75 to 80 per-cent (depending on the season) and can supply aproduction of up to 1.2 mil gal per day (mgd).

The RO treatment of brackish water purifiesand significantly changes the mineral compositionof the water. Pure water is considered a reactivechemical, and water containing little to no hard-ness is often found to be aggressive towards distri-bution system components. Consequently,poststabilization of RO-treated water is requiredprior to storage and distribution.

The Authority re-evaluated its post-treatmentand stabilization treatment after failing a lead cor-rosion sample soon after the plant was commis-sioned. It looked at four primary options forimproving its poststabilization treatment:� Chemical addition: minerals other than lime or

calcite� Blending with a water containing high mineral

content� Carbon dioxide (CO2) addition, followed by cal-

cite or dolomite dissolution� CO2 addition, followed by lime (slurry) dosing

Each of these four methods was reviewed anda cost evaluation for implementing each option was

prepared. The evaluation narrowed the prospectivetreatment alternatives to two possible secondaryoptions of the primary CO2 /lime (slurry) dosingoption. The Authority pilot-tested the two selectedmethods and then selected the most advantageousoption for poststabilization at its water treatmentfacility.

The Authority commissioned a new RO treat-ment facility in May 2011. From start-up, the facil-ity has experienced problems with corrosive waterand meeting the Alabama Department of Envi-ronmental Management (ADEM) requirementsfor lead levels. The Authority initially implementeda corrosion control program, held over from a pre-vious iron removal plant, by treating the plant ef-fluent with a proprietary blendedzinc-orthophosphate. In August 2011, the Author-ity failed the ADEM lead sample limits; in January2012, it implemented a new corrosion control planthat included changing the corrosion inhibitor toa blended orthopolyphosphate and increasing thecorrosion inhibitor dosage. The new plan also in-cluded extensive testing at the water plant and inthe system. The sampling plan and performancemonitoring program included corrosion testcoupons located at various locations in the Au-thority’s service area, frequent water sampling, andtrending of historical data.

In September 2013, the Authority again failedthe ADEM lead exceedance level. Since that time,Constantine Engineering has worked with the Au-thority’s operators to develop, evaluate, and imple-ment alternative water treatment processes thatprovide stable finish water chemistry and eliminatethe permit violations.

Study Objectives

The RO process removes dissolved solids from

feed water, including calcium and bicarbonate/car-bonate ions. The resulting RO permeate will typi-cally have low levels of calcium hardness andalkalinity and is “stabilized” to protect distributionpipelines, pump stations, and storage tanks. TheAuthority has attempted to provide stabilizationwith proprietary blended phosphates and pH ad-justments using sodium hydroxide. This approachhas provided adequate poststabilized water; how-ever, the lead corrosion continues to bump the ex-ceedance level and a new approach should beimplemented.

The chemical stability of potable water is typ-ically determined by three parameters:� pH buffering capacity or alkalinity� Tendency of the water to precipitate calcium car-

bonate or scaling potential� Concentration of soluble calcium ions in the

water

The pH is relevant in the finished water, but itis dependent on the values of the three parameterslisted. Several calculated indices are used in thewater industry for water stability control to deter-mine the scaling tendency of calcium carbonate.The most commonly accepted indices are calciumcarbonate scaling potential (CCSP), Ryznar Stabil-ity Index (RSI), and Langelier Saturation Index(LSI).

The targeted post-treatment water quality ob-jectives are as follows:� 40<alkalinity<80 mg/L as calcium carbonate

(mg/L as CaCO3)� LSI>0� 50<calcium (Ca)<120mg/L as CaCO3

� 8.0<pH<8.5

The goal for the Authority was to increase al-kalinity from the current level of 10 mg/L to above40 mg/l and increase the LSI from the current -3.5

Reverse Osmosis Post-Treatment Stabilization Utilizing Liquid Lime

Vaile Feemster and Jim Smith

Vaile Feemster is general manager withDauphin Island Water & Sewer Authority inDauphin Island, Ala., and Jim Smith, P.E., isproject manager with ConstantineEngineering in Fort, Payne, Ala.

F W R J

Continued on page 6

Table 1. Common Chemicals that Add Carbonate or Shift Carbonate Species


to a positive number between 0 and 1. This can beaccomplished by post-treatment remineralization.

Generally, post-treatment remineralizationcan be achieved by four treatment processes:� Chemical addition: minerals other than lime or

calcite� Blending with a water containing high mineral

content� Carbon dioxide (CO2) addition, followed by cal-

cite or dolomite dissolution� CO2 addition, followed by lime (slurry) dosing

Treatment Options

Chemical AdditionsChemicals, such as sodium bicarbonate, cal-

cium sulfate, or calcium chloride, can be used, butthere are challenges associated with chemical cost,storage, and dosing. The addition of chemicals alsointroduces additional minerals in the finish water.In the case of calcium chloride, the resulting per-meate chloride levels would increase to 110 to 180mg/L above the current levels, which would putchloride levels close to or above the U.S. Environ-mental Protection Agency (EPA) maximum con-taminant level ( MCL) of 250 mg/L . Due to theseundesirable results and challenges, chemical addi-tions were not considered for post-treatment andthey were eliminated from further consideration.

BlendingAt the Authority, blending with low saline feed

water from existing shallow wells is a cost-effective

option; however, undesirable constituents in theblend water, such as color-causing agents and dis-solved organic matter, prevent this option, whichwas eliminated early in discussions with the Au-thority’s operators due to associated undesirable ef-fects and operation issues.

Calcite ContactorAcidification of permeate by the addition of

CO2 that is followed by upflow calcite (limestone)contacting is recognized in Europe and theCaribbean to be a suitable method of post-treat-ment of RO permeate. Although the process is usedat plants in south Florida and Texas, the design cri-teria used to develop these systems are not well es-tablished in other parts of the United States.

Dissolution of calcite is a dynamic process,which may be enhanced or inhibited, dependingon the contactor design and influent water quality.Constantine consulted with Tonka Water Treat-ment (Tonka) for its expertise in designing and op-erating calcite filters for the U.S. military.

Calcite design factors include loading rate, cal-cite particle size and purity, contactor bed height,and bed porosity. Influent water quality parame-ters that affect calcite dissolution include influentcalcite saturation level, pH, temperature, ionicstrength, and feed water impurities. A calcite con-tactor was included in the cost comparison, but waseliminated from discussion due to site constraintsand the capital cost of the system.

Lime Feed SystemsAs discussed earlier, the alkalinity of water can

be increased by a variety of chemicals that are com-

mon at water treatment plants. The challenge withalkalinity is to find a chemical that can shift the car-bonate species, add more carbonate to the system,and remain cost effective. All of these goals cannotbe accomplished with one chemical, so treatmentrequires the use of multiple chemicals that can addcarbonate to the system, and the chemical that canshift the carbonate species toward carbonate ion.

Table 1 shows the most common water treat-ment plant chemicals that add carbonate or shiftthe carbonate species. The approach to the chal-lenge of adding alkalinity is to use two of the chem-icals (one from each column) with the lowest costssimultaneously.

An advanced lime feed system utilizes dis-solved CO2 dosing systems to provide the carbon-ate. These systems dissolve CO2 into a carrier watersolution to be added to the process stream. Whencarbon dioxide solution is added to water withmoderate pH changes, the required reaction time isapproximately two minutes. The Authority is for-tunate to have source water that has ampleamounts of naturally occurring CO2 dissolved intothe raw water, which eliminated the need for a CO2

feed system, thereby saving approximately $75,000to $150,000 in capital costs.

There are three options for feeding lime at theDauphin Island Water Treatment Plant (WTP):� Quicklime slaking � Hydrated lime solution� Bulk-delivered hydrated lime solution

The main differences between hydrated limeand quicklime are their reactivity, feed/dosing pro-cedures, and chemical composition. Hydrated limeand quicklime are both calcium compounds. In itshydrated state, calcium is called calcium hydroxide,and in its pure state, it is called calcium oxide, orquicklime. Calcium oxide, the “natural” state of cal-cium that comes out directly from the mine, has aheavy density (65lb/ft³) and is more reactive thanhydrated lime.

Hydrated lime is the result of adding water topowdered quicklime, putting it in a kiln or oven,and then hydrating/pulverizing it with water. Theresulting lime has a density of 35lb/ft³, and is calledcalcium hydroxide because it has been hydrated.

It is necessary for quicklime to be slaked in acontrolled environment because it can create heatthat reaches up to 120°F. Calcium hydroxide, or hy-drated lime, is already neutralized, so it will not un-dergo oxidation and can be used with water, for pHcontrol, lime slurry addition, and lime slurry mixes.

Quicklime’s hydrophobic reaction withwater requires a lime slaker to be used in theprocess. The quicklime is generally received inpebbles of about one-quarter to one-eighth of anin., or in powder form (<300µ). The slaking of thepebble lime and powdered quicklime has to be en-gineered in respect to their exothermic reactions.

Continued from page 6


The lime slaker mixes quicklime with water to cre-ate calcium hydroxide in a solution, which iscalled lime slurry. Slakers are good for high-vol-ume consumption or high demand of calcium.However, at the Authority’s WTP, where a smalleror medium lime solution is needed, hydrated limeis more efficient because the equipment requiredto use the hydrated lime is simpler and does notneed to be designed to handle an exothermic re-action. In this case, the powder can be fed withscrew conveyors, or manually dumped directlyinto the slurry tank equipped with a slurry mixer;water is then added to create the required limeslurry concentration. The lime slurry is dosed tothe permeate using peristaltic hose pumps.

Bulk liquid lime is simply hydrated lime thathas been mixed into a slurry off-site at a chemi-cal plant where the process is closely monitoredand precisely controlled to provide a stable, con-sistent product delivered to the water plant.

Pilot Testing

Bulk-Delivered Liquid LimeCal-Flo bulk-delivered liquid lime supplied

by Burnett Lime Company Inc., which waspilot-tested in October 2013. Burnett Lime sup-plied a complete liquid lime feed system that in-cluded a bulk storage tank, feed pumps, mixers,and a programmable logic control (PLC) con-trol system. The Cal-Flo system consists of thefollowing major items:� 16,000-gal lime slurry tank � Feed pump building� Feed pumps� Control panel and instrumentation� Tank mixer

The Cal-Flo system capital cost for equip-ment and installation is estimated to be

$330,000, and the yearly operating cost is esti-mated to be $12,000.

Cal-Flo presented an option to purchase aused system that was approximately $100,000less than the cost of a new system, stating that itwould provide a warranty and support the usedsystem as if it were sold as new.

There could be some potential cost savingsby designing and implementing a system otherthan that presented in the Cal-Flo proposal. TheAuthority can purchase an exterior tank andmixer and utilize a transfer pump-to-pump liq-uid lime to the existing chemical feed room; anew day tank and mixer would be required,along with an additional chemical feed pump.It’s estimated that the cost for this used liquidbulk lime alternate system would be $115,000,which would be a savings of $100,000 over anew system. A major disadvantage is that theCal-Flo feed system is patented, and dosing itsproduct with alternate equipment would elimi-nate the operation guarantee from Burnett Limefor the performance of the system.

The Cal-Flo system pilot-tested very welland the operators found it to be easy to operateand maintain. When the system was running,the water quality was easy to maintain, pH wasstable, and alkalinity was easily adjusted bychanging the lime dosing rate (Tables 2 and 3).The following shows the pros and cons of thesystem, both subjective and quantitative:

Pros ConsPrecise application Higher operation

costLow maintenance Requires large

bulk tankNo dust Single supplierNonhazardousPredictable resultsDissolves on contact

Table 2. Reverse Osmosis Permeate Post-Lime Dosage

Table 3. Finished Water

Hydrated Lime Bag Delivery

Continued on page 8


On-Site Liquid Lime Mixing

Liquid lime can be produced on-site at thewater treatment facility by mixing hydrated limeand water to the required concentration per-centage. For the Authority, dry hydrated limewould be delivered to the WTP on pallets with50-lb bags; the product is delivered in 45 bagsper 48-in. x 40-in. pallets. The operator wouldmix the product by manually dumping the bagsof lime into a mixing tank and adding the ap-propriate amount of water to create a 30 percentsolution. The lime solution would be fed to theRO permeate with a hose pump.

This system would be best operated in a sep-arate building from the existing WTP due to theheavy amount of dust that is created from fillingthe mixing tank. The new building would need anarea for lime pallet storage, an area for the mixingtank, and a protected area for the control panel.Some of the recommended building amenities,and their pros and cons, would include:� 16-ft x 24-ft brick-and-siding building to

match the WTP building� Space for lime pallet storage� Loading dock for pallet offloading� Separate PLC panel room to protect the con-

trol system from dust� Roll-up doors for easy ingress/egress of

equipment and pallets

� Mixing tank with ergonomic height for drylime filling by operators

Pros ConsLower operating cost DustyNo bulk tank Increased opera-

tor attentionNonhazardous Clumping and

cloggingDissolves on contact Varying consis-

tencyMultiple suppliers Turbidity

Plant operators have pilot-tested the on-sitelime mixing method and the results are extremelygood. The biggest drawbacks mentioned by oper-ators are the dusty environment created by empty-ing the bags of lime and stabilizing the pH. The pHmay have been difficult to stabilize due to inconsis-tent mixing with the pilot mixer and tank; this canbe improved with a full-scale system. It should benoted that operators did not experience any tur-bidity spikes or clogging during the pilot study.

The abundant amount of CO2 in the rawwater reacts to dissolve the lime almost instanta-neously after injection. Another drawback thatshould be noted is the higher feed rate that wasrequired to achieve the same water quality im-provements. This problem could be from thesame issues that caused the inconsistent pH sta-bilization. This disparity in the solution feed ratebetween liquid bulk and on-site mixed lime

brings the operating cost closer than it would beif the dosage were equal. From the pilot studydata, the estimated operating cost for the on-sitemixed liquid lime is approximately $9,000, whichis about 25 percent less than liquid bulk lime.

Because the CO2 is naturally occurring, itshould be noted that the operators have no controlover the CO2 concentration. While the concentra-tion remains at its current level, there is plenty ofCO2 to react with the lime; however, if the CO2 con-centration should drop in the future, a supple-mental CO2 system would be required. The CO2

levels have been high since start-up of the well in2011, so the likelihood of a change should be small.

Pilot Study Conclusions

The pilot study tested two liquid lime feedoptions as stabilization treatment for finishedwater at the water plant. The study results showthat both options were able to sufficiently raise al-kalinity and pH, and thereby stabilizing the ROpermeate to achieve the water quality targets. TheRO permeate treated with liquid lime, both mixedand bulk, delivered yielded alkalinity and hard-ness at levels above the target 40 mg/L as CaCO3

and an LSI above -0.3. No visible turbidity was ob-served during the tests of either product and noincrease in chlorine gas was required for properchlorine (Cl2) residual. Operators had no prob-lems meeting the pH, hardness, and alkalinity tar-get levels; adjustments could be made to matchany pH level desired. The mixed liquid lime didfluctuate more than the bulk product and somefactors that could cause this include inadequate

On-Site Lime Mixing and Dosing System

Table 4. Equipment Capital Cost Comparison

Table 5. Operation and Maintenance Cost Comparison



mixing, inaccurate measuring the dry product, orwater and/or changing consistency (i.e., changingpercent solids in the mix tank). The quality of drylime delivered to the site can fluctuate where bulkdelivered liquid lime is produced in a factory, withprecise formulation and quality control.

Operators have continued to work withCarus Chemicals to select the appropriate cor-rosion inhibitor and dosage. Carus recom-mended targeting a pH of 8.0-8.2 and ahardness of 25-35 mg/L, and continuing to pro-vide a 1 ppm phosphate residual in the system.

The pilot study shows that both the bulkpurchase liquid and the dry mix on-site productwill work to stabilize finish water at the Author-ity’s WTP. Tables 4 and 5 provide a cost compari-son for installing and operating each system.

Capital and Operation and Maintenance Cost Comparison

The conceptual capital cost in Table 4 isbased on equipment budget quotes and esti-mated installation cost by a contractor provid-ing a sealed bid. There may be some cost savingsfor separating portions of the constructionand/or self-performing portions of the project.

The operation and maintenance (O&M)cost comparison in Table 5 is based on the pilot-study lime consumption and only takes into ac-count lime usage; it was assumed for thiscomparison that power cost and equipmentmaintenance cost differences should be negligi-ble. Prior to the new system, the WTP used ap-proximately $3,000 per year of sodium hydroxidesolution that will no longer be required; thisamount can be deducted from the cost shown onthe table to achieve a net O&M value.

The 20-year present-worth analysis inTable 6 is based upon the capital and O&M costspresented in Tables 4 and 5.

Improvement Summary

The pilot study confirmed that liquid limeis the best solution for properly stabilizing theRO permeate water and eliminating the leadpermit limit excursions.

In January 2014, Burnett Lime proposed arefurbished lime feed system. A site visit wasconducted to assess the condition of the pro-posed equipment and to allow Authority per-sonnel to inquire about O&M procedures. Fromthe site-visit findings and the results of the pilotstudy, the Authority’s board selected BurnettLime to provide the refurbished Cal-Flo limefeed equipment. This equipment was commis-sioned in June 2014.

The Authority continues the sampling andmonitoring program put into place in 2012. The

continuation of this program includes the fol-lowing:1. Achieving a 1 mg/L of total phosphate resid-

ual in the distribution system. 2. Coupon testing in the service area and at the

WTP. Coupon samples should be pulled for test-ing quarterly. Quarterly samples should indicatecorrosion rates not greater than 10 mils/yr, witha target of 5 mils/yr or less. Coupons should in-clude mild steel, copper, and lead.

3. The sampling and performance monitoringprogram. This program provides historicaldata that can be used to adjust chemical rates,change chemical types, and alert departmentpersonnel to changes in water quality withinthe distribution system; samples were takenweekly for the first quarter and monthlythereafter. Samples are taken from the samelocations each time (at coupon testing sites).The following tests are recorded:� Alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3)

� pH� Hardness (mg/L as CaCO3)� Temperature� TDS� Iron� Polyphosphates and orthophosphates� Lead and copper

The sampling and performance monitoringhas shown that the original goals are being met,and the plant operators have flexibility to adjustwater quality to suit their specific treatmentgoals. Figure 1 shows the pH and alkalinity priorto and after the lime system was placed on-line.

The targeted post-treatment water qualityobjectives are as follows:� 40<alkalinity<80 mg/L as calcium carbonate

(mg/L as CaCO3)� LSI>0� 50<calcium (Ca)<120mg/L as CaCO3

� 8.0<pH<8.5 ��

Table 6. 20-Year Present-Worth Analysis

Figure 1. Lime Dosage Impact on pH and Alkalinity

Myron Bachman

Air permitting isa challenging part ofinstalling a combinedheat and power(CHP) system. A newfact sheet, “Air Qual-ity Permitting,” out-

lines the requirements and processes thatutility managers will likely encounter in the airpermitting process, as well as available re-sources.

The fact sheet, which can be viewed ath t t p : / / w w w. w r r f d a t a . o r g / Ai r Pe r m i t -tingFS/WEFAirPermittingFactSheet2015.html, was produced by the Bioenergy TechnologySubcommittee CHP Task Force of the WaterEnvironment Federation Residuals andBiosolids Committee.

Challenges of Differing Requirements and Terms

One of the reasons that air permitting isa challenge is that there is little consistency inhow to accomplish it or what will be required.In addition, the federal Clean Air Act is oneof the most complicated components of theCode of Federal Regulations. Each state is al-lowed discretion for air quality in its jurisdic-tion, as long as its regulations are as stringentas the federal ones.

Some states have promulgated regulationsthat are substantially more stringent than thefederal standards. Also, some states have notonly passed such stringent state programs, buthave also divided themselves into subdivisions,each with different requirements. An exampleof this is California, which is divided into 35air districts, each of which has its own regula-tions. Such requirements are different enoughfrom each other that they are often unrecog-nizable as having come from the same state.

In addition, terminology can vary amongagencies. To some, the initial permit is a “per-mit to construct,” for others an “authority toconstruct,” and for still others, it’s an “ap-proval order.” Some agencies use the term“volatile organic compounds” (VOCs) to de-scribe the organic gases that act as precursorsto ozone formation in the atmosphere, whileother agencies call them “nonmethane hydro-carbons” (NMHCs), or also “precursor or-ganic compounds” (POCs).

Innumerable examples of terminologyconfusion exist. The fact sheet uses terms thatare most commonly encountered across theUnited States.

Fulfilling Requirements

Air quality requirements can be dividedinto three categories: administrative, per-formance standards, and permitting. Each isindependently applicable, and an exemptionfrom one is not necessarily an exemptionfrom all.

At a high level, the process of acquiringan air permit is nearly the same in all juris-dictions. Generally, after a permit applicationis prepared and submitted, it is reviewed bythe permitting agency, and in some cases, itrequires review by the public. The permit iseither granted or denied. In many jurisdic-tions, a temporary permit is granted that au-thorizes construction. After construction iscomplete and the facility is assured to func-tion as permitted, a final permit is issued.

Involve Regulators Early in the Process

An important consideration when be-ginning the permitting process is a permittingstrategy. This strategy should consider all as-pects of the permitting process and is de-scribed in the fact sheet. One of the most

important elements, however, is agency inter-action. The ultimate goals of agency interac-tion are to make the permitting process moveas smoothly as possible and to minimize thenumber of requirements imposed on the per-mit. It is important to consider what oppor-tunities are available for agency interaction,the specific goals of each interaction, and howto approach the agency, both generally andspecifically, at each interaction.

Note: The information provided in this article isdesigned to be educational. It is not intended toprovide any type of professional advice includ-ing, without limitation, legal, accounting, orengineering. Your use of the information pro-vided here is voluntary and should be based onyour own evaluation and analysis of its accu-racy, appropriateness for your use, and any po-tential risks of using the information. The WaterEnvironment Federation (WEF), author andpublisher of this article, assumes no liability ofany kind with respect to the accuracy or com-pleteness of the contents and specifically dis-claims any implied warranties ofmerchantability or fitness of use for a particularpurpose. Any references included are providedfor informational purposes only and do not con-stitute endorsement of any sources.

Myron Bachman is a plant superintendent atthe North Davis Sewer District in Syracuse,Utah. He can be reached at [email protected]. ��


WEF Fact Sheet Summarizes Air Quality Permit Pitfalls, Resources


Decatur Utilities in Decatur, Ala., ownsand operates a potable water treatmentfacility that uses the Tennessee River as

its sole source of raw water. The utility producesan average of 28 mil gal per day (mgd) to serveapproximately 30,000 customers in all portionsof the city of Decatur, and routinely provideswater to the city of Hartselle, Northeast MorganCounty Water District, and Limestone County.The town of Trinity and West Morgan EastLawrence Water District have the capability tobuy water from Decatur Utilities upon request.

The water treatment plant (WTP) has thepermitted capacity to treat 68 mgd of raw water.Chemical treatment consists of using sodium per-manganate for oxidation, fluoride to promote den-tal health, polyaluminum chloride for coagulation,lime for pH adjustment, polyorthophosphate forstabilization, and chlorine for disinfection. Thereare four in-ground water storage tanks and six el-evated storage tanks that provide a combined ca-pacity of approximately 24 mil gal of water.

Treatment Status Preceding the Event

The WTP had been operated as a tradi-tional treatment facility since the 1930s. Tradi-tional treatment included raw waterchlorination, coagulation, sedimentation, filtra-tion, prelime, postlime, and chlorine disinfec-tion. In 2009, the utility committed to

upgrading chemical processes in order to reducedisinfection byproducts (DBPs). Because theprimary concern in Decatur was tri-halomethanes (THMs), chemical treatment up-grades included the following strategies:� Reduce or eliminate raw water chlorination� Use permanganate as raw water oxidant� Reduce or eliminate lime feed to keep pH low� Use an alternate coagulant to aluminum sul-

fate (alum) that will work well withoutprechlorination and prelime

� Incorporate postphosphate to allow the de-pressed finished water pH

The utility conducted full-scale pilot testingof sodium permanganate as the primary rawwater oxidant and polyaluminum chloride (PACl)as the coagulant in October 2009, and made theswitch from alum to PACl in March 2010. Thechange to PACl, along with the use of sodium per-manganate, was directly related to anticipatingcompliance with the Alabama Department of En-vironmental Management/U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (ADEM/EPA) DisinfectionByproducts (DBP) Stage 2 Rule, which became ef-fective Jan. 1, 2012. The pilot testing of PACl, inconjunction with sodium permanganate, loweredDBP levels on average by 50 percent on finishedwater leaving the WTP and 10 to 40 percent acrossthe distribution system, as compared to DBP val-ues using alum and chlorine.

Description of Event

On Jan. 2, 2011, following a rain storm ofapproximately 4.8 in. over two days, the WTPrecorded elevated raw water turbidities as highas 68 nephelometric turbidity units (ntu). Rawwater temperature also significantly droppeddue to extremely cold-air temperature duringthe same period. The WTP was feeding PACl inthe range of 30-40 mg/L at the beginning andduring the first few hours of the increased rawwater turbidity event. At approximately 9 p.m.,the WTP lost its filtering capabilities in all 40 fil-ters due to high-filtered turbidities (>0.3 ntu)and high settled water turbidities (>16.0 ntu). Atthis point, the WTP ceased pumping finishedpotable water into its distribution system due tohigh-filter turbidities above 0.30 ntu in order toavoid violating its ADEM water supply permit.

The utility also evaluated the option ofpumping noncompliant potable water into thedistribution system, but strongly believed thisoption was a last resort, as it would have causedconsiderable issues for the water system’s cus-tomers. This option would have also created an

Responding to a New Year’s Day Water Treatment Crisis for a Surface Water

Joseph Downey

Joseph Downey Jr., P.E., is vice presidentwith Constantine Engineering Inc. in FortPayne, Ala.

F W R J

Figure 1. Decatur Utilities Water Treatment Plant Figure 2. Water Characteristics During Crisis Event


additional burden on the distribution system,pumping stations, and water storage tanks dueto the need to flush the entire system with com-pliant potable water. The utility eventually re-solved the treatment problem during the nightof January 3 by increasing the coagulant (PACl)dosage rate to a feed range of 85 to 105mg/L. The utility resumed water distribution onthe morning of January 4, which required ap-proximately 12 hours to refill the water storagetanks before system pressure was restored.

Figure 2 shows the raw and settled watercharacteristics during the event. It was notedthat the utility experienced a similar raw waterevent in December 2010, just one month priorto the January 2011 event, but that winter stormdid not affect treatability. Therefore, the follow-ing questions were developed to try to under-stand why the first winter storm did not affecttreatability, yet the second event greatly affectedtreatability:� Did the two storms wash out different water-

sheds?� Was there a difference in water quality chem-

istry?� Did the water temperature cause problems?� Was there a difference in total organic carbon

(TOC) between the storm flows?� Were there differences in particle-size distri-

bution or particle surface chemistry betweenthe storm flows?

� Is PACl the right coagulant?� Did raw water chlorination and perman-

ganate help or hurt?

After-Event Response

Immediately following the crisis event, theboard of directors for the utility commissioneda comprehensive study to review the cause of thetreatability problems and to also determine ifthe management staff properly communicatedduring the crisis. The study included the fol-lowing components:� Review raw water data and plant data� Review operator records and treatment tests

during the crisis� Perform bench-scale treatability tests to sim-

ulate the raw water conditions during the cri-sis and evaluate chemical treatment strategies

� Develop treatment protocols for similar fu-ture events

� Develop management protocols to commu-nicate and make decisions during similar fu-ture crisis events

The comprehensive study was started inMarch 2011 and completed by July 2011 using re-search tasks performed by Constantine Engi-neering, HDR Engineering, and Auburn

University. Based on the findings and recom-mendations from the comprehensive study, theutility developed specific treatment protocols thathave been implemented to avert future crises. Al-though similar water quality issues have occurredin the winters of 2012 through 2015, the standardoperating procedures (SOPs) for treatment haveallowed the WTP to continuously produce excel-lent finished water quality.

Comprehensive Treatability Study

The most significant effort during thetreatability study was to perform extensive simu-lation research in a laboratory, attempting to sim-ulate the raw water conditions during thetreatment crisis and assess various factors that af-fected treatability, as well as strategies to improvetreatability. This research was completed atAuburn University, with the following objectives:� Analyze the river water� Test turbidity removal with 23 sediment/soil

samples� Explore the natural organic matter (NOM)

effect on turbidity removal� Examine influence of temperature on tur-

bidity removal� Test combined influences of NOM and tem-

perature� Examine influence of iron and manganese on

turbidity removal� Probe effects of chlorine and sodium per-

manganate (NaMnO4)� Test turbidity removal at different dosages

� Compare performance of alternate coagulants

The raw water simulation was constructedby simply collecting various sediment samplesin the watershed immediately adjacent to theWTP intake, then extracting NOM/TOC, as wellas inorganic characteristics, that represented theTennessee River water quality. The “synthetic”raw water samples were then adjusted for fac-tors that included temperature, pH, iron/man-ganese content, and NOM/TOC content. Alltreatability tests during the research were con-ducted using standard jar testing apparatus,with mixing and settling characteristics thatsimulated the WTP characteristics. Hundreds oflaboratory trials were completed, which revealedvery valuable information as follows:� This evaluation assumed that the best simu-

lated fit to represent the peak effluent tur-bidity during the January incident wasachieved using native NOM at 6.14 mg/L andtemperature at 7oC.

� Turbidity removal by PACl is significantlyimpacted by the amount of NOM.

� Lower temperature slows coagulation reac-tions, but is not as significant as other factors.

� The impact of iron and manganese on tur-bidity removal using PACl is negligible.

� The impact of pH and alkalinity on turbidityremoval using PACl is negligible.

� Increasing PACl dosage as necessary shouldbe the first action during future similar shockloading.

Continued on page 22


� Addition of chlorine and permanganate willfurther enhance the removal and shouldlower the coagulant demand.

� PACl outperformed the other two conventionalcoagulants, alum and ferric chloride (FeCl), forturbidity removal and TOC removal in the sim-ulated water.

� TOC and color can serve as “early warning”parameters in raw water.

� Frequent TOC and color monitoring ishighly recommended.

Figures 3 through 7 demonstrate a few ofthe significant trial results.

Water Treatment Plant StandardOperating Procedure Changes

Following the results of the treatability

study, the utility implemented the followinggoals and changes to the management protocoland SOPs at the WTP:� Equipment was added to provide on-line

monitoring of raw water TOC, preflocculantchlorine (Cl) and manganese (Mn) residuals,and finished water THMs.

� Operators are conducting regular jar testsand will increase the frequency of testing asraw water quality changes. All tests and op-erating decisions are now documented.

� An emergency response plan was developedto establish better protocol for communica-tion among WTP operators, the WTP super-intendent, and management duringsignificant variations in plant performance,as well as emergency situations such as equip-ment failures.

� Water quality parameters were developed toidentify “early warning” signs to help opera-

tors anticipate water quality changes that willrequire plant chemical changes.

In the four years since implementing thesechanges, the WTP has experienced at least foursignificant events in which raw water qualityrapidly changed with regard to turbidity, tem-perature, and TOC. With the new SOPs in place,operators easily managed chemical feed deci-sions and were able to successfully producehigh-quality treated water throughout these po-tentially critical events.

Furthermore, the utility has been successfulat achieving the original objective of changingwater treatment chemicals and treatment strat-egy: reduce DBPs through existing treatmenttechnology without the need for expensive al-ternate technology to achieve compliance withStage 2 DBP requirements. Distribution systemDBPs have consistently remained 20 to 40 per-

Figure 3. Effects of Low Temperature and Increasing NaturalOrganic Matter on Turbidity Removal

Figure 4. Low Temperature Turbidity Removal with Addition of Chlorine (Cl) and Manganese (Mn)

Figure 5. Low Temperature Total Organic Carbon Removal withAddition of Chlorine (Cl) and Manganese (Mn)

Figure 6. Turbidity Removal With Alternate Coagulants



cent lower than previous results using alum as atraditional coagulant. Wholesale water cus-tomers are also able to meet their own DBP re-quirements because of lower TOC in theDecatur water.

Summary and Conclusions

Understanding raw water quality and therelated chemistry effects can greatly assist WTPoperators during routine days, as well as on crit-ical days. The utility used the bad experience ofa crisis to better understand raw water charac-teristics, improve treatability, develop betterSOPs, and develop an emergency response plan.

For the Tennessee River raw water, the util-ity has determined the following useful treat-ment strategies:� PACl appears to outperform other coagulant

options with regard to turbidity removal,TOC/NOM removal, and DBP control.

� TOC/DOM greatly affects coagulant dosagerequirements for turbidity removal.

� Water temperature slows the chemical reac-tion, but is not a significant factor.

� Prechlorine and permanganate can assistPACl in the removal of turbidity and TOC.

� Using PACl as the coagulant, followed by fin-ished water conditioning with polyphos-phate, has provided successful compliancewith Stage 2 DBP requirements.

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges the en-gineering and management staff at Decatur

Utilities: Ray Hardin, general manager; TomCleveland, plants and engineering manager; andHagler Wiley, water plant superintendent. Thecomprehensive treatability study was performedunder the management of Peter D’Adamo,Ph.D., with HDR Engineering, and laboratoryresearch was completed under the direction ofDon Zhao, Ph.D., with Auburn University De-partment of Environmental Engineering. ��

Figure 7.TotalOrganicCarbonRemovalWithAlternateCoagulants

New Organization Created

The Water Environment Federation(WEF) has established the WEF StormwaterInstitute, a new venture to address the growingissue of stormwater and urban runoff. The in-stitute will be housed within WEF to leveragethe organization’s existing leadership, breadthof membership, and varied partnerships withfederal, state, and local entities responsible formanaging stormwater issues.

“WEF has been a leader on clean watersolutions for many years and has already es-tablished itself as an authority on urbanrunoff issues,” said George Hawkins, chief ex-ecutive officer and general manager of theDistrict of Columbia Water and Sewer Au-thority. “The expertise and engagement ofWEF’s membership will allow the StormwaterInstitute to chart a new course toward ahealthier and more sustainable stormwatersystem, not only in North America, butworldwide.”

Bill Gaffi, general manager of CleanWater Services, an organization that providesenvironmentally sensitive management ofwater resources, added that “innovation is keyto sustainable watersheds and communities,and better access to innovation puts a sus-tainable future within the grasp of more com-munities and can also help to inform policymakers. The institute can play a powerful role

in this regard, a role that would be smiledupon by both Mother Nature and ratepayers.”

The new institute will serve as a center forexcellence and a resource for stormwater practi-tioners and regulator communities. Stormwateris the only growing source of water pollution inmany watersheds throughout North America.As urban areas grow and more severe weatheroccurs, the issue of stormwater managementwill only increase in importance.

“With increasing severe-weather eventsand limited budgets, innovation in stormwatermanagement and financing is becoming in-creasingly vital to communities everywhere,”said Ed McCormick, former WEF president.“The WEF Stormwater Institute has been cre-ated in direct response to a gap in the water re-

source recovery sector and will offer centralstormwater leadership, information, and advo-cacy. With more than 36,000 members acrossthe globe, we are thrilled to have WEF apply itsunique strengths to tackle these vital issues andprovide effective and efficient solutions to thethousands of water communities that it serves.The Federation is very excited about connectingstormwater professionals from both our mem-ber associations and the many regionalstormwater organizations that exist.”

The growing issue of stormwater pollu-tion, coupled with regulatory pressure, has cre-ated a need for national leadership that theinstitute aims to provide. The institute willhave a strong initial focus on the developmentof technical tools, professional training, andnetworking opportunities for stormwater prac-titioners. Many existing stormwater initiativeswithin WEF will be brought under the um-brella of the new organization, and new pro-grams in key areas, such as green infrastructuretraining, will be developed.

The commitment to the institute will in-clude dedicated full-time professional staff, aswell as significant funding for collaborativeprojects.

Report Available

A new comprehensive report from WEFdetails the challenges, opportunities, and path-

WEF Addresses Stormwater Issues


ways to improving the nation’s stormwatersystems. The release of “Rainfall to Results:The Future of Stormwater” was recently an-nounced at WEFTEC 2015 in Chicago, whichcoincided with the official launch of the WEFStormwater Institute.

The growing issue of stormwater pollu-tion, coupled with regulatory pressure, is driv-ing the need for innovative approaches,training, technology solutions, and progressivefinancing. The report includes the insights oftop stormwater experts from across the UnitedStates who examined the challenges, opportu-nities, and best practices that will lead to amore resilient and effective stormwater sector.

According to the report, collaborative ac-tion across all disciplines within the stormwa-ter community will be required to achieve theenvisioned future in which all stormwater willbe managed through an optimized mix of af-fordable and sustainable green, gray, and nat-ural infrastructure. Six critical objectives areidentified to achieve this goal:� Work at the watershed scale. All communi-

ties will have integrated, watershed-scale as-sessments of water resources needs andchallenges.

� Transform stormwater governance. Commu-nities will catalyze further formation ofstormwater utilities and regulations tostimulate stormwater control innovationand performance improvement by focusingon program outcomes.

� Support innovation and best practices. Abroad suite of verified stormwater controlsand best practices will support confidentplanning and maintenance.

� Manage assets and resources. Stormwatersystems will be maintained through robustasset management programs and supportedby innovative information technology.

� Close the funding gap. Communities willalign stormwater management efforts withbroader community goals to garner fund-ing options and have access to innovativefinancing opportunities.

� Engage the community. Customers and thepublic will understand and value the con-tribution stormwater management makesto flood risk reduction, clean and safewater, climate resiliency, and other benefits.

“Improving stormwater management willbe key to facing uncertain climate patterns andextreme weather events,” said Mike Beezhold,senior planner at CDM and chair of WEF’sStormwater Committee. “We need to integratestormwater into broader regional and com-munity planning and ensure we are managingstormwater in a sustainable way.”

For more information and to download thereport, go to www.wefstormwaterinstitute.org.��


1. What is the term used to define themaximum amount of any substancesallowed in water that may have an adverseeffect on human health?

a. Secondary contaminant level (SCL)b. Maximum contaminant level (MCL)c. Federal contaminate levels (FCL)d. Federal contaminate counts (FCC)

2. What is a commonly used chemical tocontrol algae in raw water reservoirs?

a. Copper oxideb. Copper hydroxidec. Copper chlorided. Copper sulfate

3. What is the term used to describe acondition where oxygen is not present?

a. Anaerobicb. Aerobicc. Anoxicd. Unaerobic

4. If a finished water sample has atemperature of 85oF, what is theconversion to oC?

a. 17oCb. 61oCc. 29oCd. 45oC

5. What is the process that mixes coagulantchemicals with raw water?

a. Flocculationb. Flash mixingc. Sedimentationd. Recarbonation

6. What is indicated in a jar test if 80 percentof the flocculation settles within one totwo minutes after mixing has stopped?

a. There is not enough coagulant.b. The flocculation is too heavy.c. Polymer dosage should be increased.d. Alkalinity is beyond the solubility limit.

7. What is the process by which smallersolids particles are gradually broughttogether to form larger solids particles?

a. Sedimentationb. Flash mixingc. Flocculationd. Clarification

8. What should always be in place whenmoving a chlorine cylinder?

a. Regulatorb. Valve coverc. Rotometerd. Valve wrench

9. What is the maximum gas feed rate thatcan be withdrawn from a 150-lb cylinderof chlorine?

a. 20 to 30 lb/dayb. 30 to 40 lb/dayc. 80 to 100 lb/dayd. 150 lb/day

10. What chemical in lime softening istypically used in the removal ofnoncarbonated hardness?

a. Sulfuric acidb. Carbon oxidec. Soda ashd. Calcium sulfate

Thanks to Scott Ruland, water andwastewater manager with City of Deltona,

for providing these questions.

Answers on page 62

Readers are welcome to submitquestions or exercises on water or wastewater treatment plantoperations for publication inCertification Boulevard. Sendyour question (with the answer) or your exercise (with the solution) by email to:[email protected], or by mail to:

Roy PelletierWastewater Project Consultant

City of Orlando Public Works DepartmentEnvironmental Services

Wastewater Division5100 L.B. McLeod Road

Orlando, FL 32811407-716-2971

Certification Boulevard

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Roy Pelletier



The Florida Keys, situated at the south-ernmost point of the continentalUnited States and located in Monroe

County, consist of 1700 islands, with an areaof 355.6 km2 and a population of 76,351(Florida Department of Environmental Pro-tection [FDEP], 2012). The Keys feature themost extensive living coral reef in the U.S.,making it one of the most biodiverse environ-ments in the nation, thereby protected by theMarine Sanctuary and Protection Act (FDEP,2012).

The Keys attracted a total of 4.5 millionvisitors in 2013 (Long, 2014). However, in gen-eral, the Keys have been highly susceptible towastewater pollution. Lying at an elevation ofonly 4 ft above sea level, and with its revenuebased on tourism, any pollution could bringdetrimental effects to the environment, andthe consequential public health issues coulddamage the economy of the area.

Formerly, Monroe County did not pos-sess the kind of wastewater treatment systemsobserved in other similar counties, or any-where in the state of Florida. Recently, how-ever, 23,000 private on-site systems and 246

small wastewater treatment plants were oper-ating in the region (Monroe County SanitaryWastewater Master Plan [MCSWMP], 2000).Among them, only a small portion of septicsystems—around 15,200—and aerobic treat-ment units (ATU)—about 640—were permit-ted to operate (MCSWMP, 2000). Effluentconcentrations of 20 mg/L nitrogen (N) and 5mg/L phosphorus (P) were released by the sys-tems (MCSWMP, 2000). The issues surround-ing the Keys have brought urgent attention tothe call for the development of a wastewatertreatment master plan by Monroe County,which could enable the general system to bothmodernize and reduce pollution levels by cen-tralizing operations to more adequate waste-water treatment facilities (MCSWMP, 2000).

While several beaches have certain ameni-ties (bathrooms and showers) connected tothe wastewater management services at theirlocations, and are aided in the extraction ofcontaminants from beaches, there are still sev-eral beaches that have not been equipped withsuch modernized systems. Other issues, suchas a lack of appropriate stormwater manage-ment, blockage of seawater circulation at all

shores, and dog waste runoff, have also con-tributed to a significant impact on the waterquality of beaches in the Keys and the overallcoastal environment. Significant contamina-tion in Keys beaches continues to be present,as is indicated by data reported since 2000 onexcessive levels of enterococci and fecal col-iform, which are some of the main indicatorsof health risks from contact with recreationalwaters (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency[EPA], 2012).

While the data shown in Figure 1 indicatea decreasing trend in most beaches until 2011,increasing levels of enterococci appear after-

Strategies for Improving Water Quality of Florida Keys Beaches: A Case Study

Ofer Wainberg, Juan Barreto, Maria Arguelles, Maria Ruiz, Alessia Juan, Qidi Sun, Andres Halfen, and Sung Hee Joo

Ofer Wainberg, Juan Barreto, MariaArguelles, Maria Ruiz, Alessia Juan, QidiSun, and Andres Halfen are undergraduatestudents, and Sung Hee Joo is assistantprofessor of environmental engineering, withthe department of civil, architectural, andenvironmental engineering at the Universityof Miami in Coral Gables.

F W R J

Figure 1. Enterococci Levels from 2000 to 2013 at Sixteen Beaches in the Florida Keys


wards, suggesting that existing systems andpolicies to eliminate contamination of thebeaches may not be suitable for resolving pres-ent-day issues, and consequently, would re-quire further revision and/or development toremedy current pollution levels. Beaches areconsidered to be safe if enterococci concen-tration levels are between 0 and 35 colony-forming units (CFU)/100 ml, and moderate ifconcentrations are between 36 and 104CFU/100 ml, while poor quality is reported ifthe levels exceed 104 CFU/100 ml (Solo-Gabriele, 2015; USEPA, 2015).

This article presents possible issues caus-ing the recent increasing trends of enterococciin most beaches of the Keys, discusses currentapproaches and methods to remedy such is-sues, and suggests recommendations for pro-tecting a healthy ocean environment.

Issues and Factors Affecting Beach Water Quality

There are various issues and factors thatcould affect the poor quality of ocean water,including the basic amenities available at thebeaches, generated waste, stormwater, circula-tion, and increasing numbers of visitors.

First, several public beaches in MonroeCounty offer basic amenities to visitors, suchas bathrooms, showers, and trash cans (MC-SWMP, 2000). Waste generated by theseamenities needs to be disposed in a proper andenvironmentally sound manner, such asthrough connections to sewer systems, septictanks, or even compost disposal. Some of thesewer systems operated throughout the Keysare found to be inappropriate, contaminatingthe shorelines in the county (MCSWMP,2000). Proper sewer systems need to be devel-oped, since the water is later discharged intothe ocean, injected into wells deep into theearth, or reused for irrigation or industrialpurposes.

The primary cause of the source contam-ination arises from the various uses of septictanks in beachside facilities. For instance, thesystems operate by diluting wastewater, mix-ing it with underlying groundwater, and per-forming a variation of primary treatments,such as gravitational forces and sedimenta-tion. Effluents from the tanks are then releasedunderground, discharging contaminatedwastewater into groundwater, which is a sig-nificant issue for the Keys due to proximity ofthe groundwater table to the surface. Thetreatment efficiency of such a septic tank/soilabsorption drain system is just 50 percent,compared to the 90 percent efficiency ofwastewater treatment plants (MCSWMP,

2000). Since the effluents pass through the sys-tem without being treated, toxic organic andinorganic chemicals, bacteria, and viruses arereleased into the groundwater system.

The composting system present in CocoPlum Beach also causes seawater contamina-tion because water used through aerobic de-composition is left untreated (MCSWMP,2000). Considering the current bathroom fa-cilities at many beaches, composts of feces andother human waste could result in significantpollution of beach sand, and even groundwa-ter and seawater.

Policies that allow for the presence of petsin some of the beaches also result in water pol-lution issues. For instance, four beaches alongthe Keys (Coco Plum Beach, Higgs Beach, Si-monton Beach, and Sombrero Beach) cur-rently allow visitors to bring pets. Since thesepets and their waste contribute significantly tosource water pollution on beaches, stricter,more specific policies would be required to re-duce contamination. Studies have indicatedthat approximately 20 percent of the bacteriain water can be attributed to dogs (USEPA,2001).

Pet waste causes higher levels of pollutionthan human waste; when left on the sand andgrass, it is washed into the water without anytreatment (USEPA, 2001). Organic materialsconsume oxygen and release ammonia,thereby creating a harmful habitat for wildlifeand the surrounding environment. Such ex-cessive nutrients allow algae to grow signifi-cantly, thereby deteriorating water quality. Thebiggest indicators of marine environmentalpollution (enterococci and fecal coliform)come mainly from dog waste (USA TODAY,2002). More stringent policies on this waste,such as more clearly outlined steps for disposaland stricter consequences for improper dis-posal, could aid in preventing such waste dis-posal issues. Cleanup stations that includedisposal bags for owners to use and an educa-tional sign about how to protect the environ-ment, as well as covered trash can facilitiesnearby, could help to prevent pollution issues.

The amount of rainfall each year in southFlorida (54 in./year), as compared to the na-tional average (30 in./year), also demands theinstallation of stormwater drainage systemsthroughout the region (USEPA, 2015). This isespecially vital due to the main concern thatrunoff causes significant pollution. Ifstormwater runoff is not properly managed, itcan result in adverse impacts, not only to pub-lic health, but also to the marine ecosystem.Excess sediments causing high levels of tur-bidity can reduce and shut down sunlight,therefore inhibiting plant growth in an ecosys-

tem that already has a fragile balance. Among the sixteen beaches studied, two

of them (Higgs Beach and South Beach) havestormwater outfall pipes that discharge waterinto the ocean with untreated pollutants, whileother beaches (Bahia Honda Bayside andCurry Hammock Park) have stormwater re-tention areas (SRA) to manage stormwaterrunoff (MCSWMP, 2000). These SRAs maynot be as effective as previously believed, sincethe water is still not properly treated, and often(especially when heavy stormwater occurs) thesystem is likely to overflow, resulting in con-taminated water flowing to the shoreline. Cur-rent issues with eight of the beachesinvestigated in this study indicate that these donot yet have a system in place to manage andcontrol stormwater in order to avoid pollu-tion.

Two of the beaches in Monroe County(Higgs Beach and South Beach) have beensubjected to the highest percent exceedance inboth enterococci and fecal coliform (MC-SWMP, 2000). Apart from the issues alreadynoted in this case study, both beaches also pos-sess physical barriers, which to some extentprevent seashore currents from flowing freely,therefore entrapping the water contents on thebeach. This has caused the potential for block-age of the flow of shoreline currents and en-trapment of the microbes and pollutants thatthe water carries within the beach area. Whileshores could be cleared naturally by currentsintroducing and extracting microorganisms tothe location, having these physical barriersmay actually prevent such extraction; there-fore, pollution regularly increases.

Increasing population growth, correlatedwith heavy tourism in the Keys, also adds tobeach pollution. Other possible pollutionsources include open defecation and otherwaste from a prevalent homeless population.Four beaches (South Beach, Smathers Beach,Simonton Beach, and Higgs Beach) are theonly ones that have a frequent number ofhomeless inhabitants (MCSWMP, 2000).

Current Approaches for Controlling Beach

Water Pollution

Several control measures could improvebeach-water quality from current pollution is-sues. Facilities that concentrate on the waste-water generated in the bathrooms of MonroeCounty’s beaches consist of compost, septictanks, and a connection to sewer systems(MCSWMP, 2000). The septic tanks are usedto provide temporary storage and partial



treatment of black and grey waters. However,these systems are significantly unstable and,many times, inefficient in the treatment ofwastewater due to the potential risk ofgroundwater contamination from leakage andelevated hydraulic conductivity of sand.

The data from Monroe County show thatonly three out of the sixteen beaches (CurryHammock Park, Founder's Park Beach, and Is-lamorada Public Library Beach) still use septictanks to treat bathroom waste, and CurryHammock Park presents the most significantenvironmental concerns (MCSWMP, 2000).The most improvement observed in beachbathroom facilities are seen in the connectionsto the sewer systems, where sewers direct thewastewater away from the beaches to the treat-ment plants, thereby receiving proper treat-ment of wastewater. Ten out of the sixteenbeaches have such a sanitary sewer line con-necting their bathrooms to the treatmentplant; therefore, suitable control and/or mod-ification of sewer systems in all beaches couldeliminate further pollution.

For reducing waste generated by pets,policies to restrict dog waste disposal to cov-ered trash cans have shown to be effective (asseen at Coco Plum Beach, Sombrero Beach,Higgs Beach, Curry Hammock Beach, Ft.Zachary Taylor State Park, Smathers Beach,and South Beach). These results can be com-

pared to Simonton Beach, where having un-covered trash cans may result in increasinglevels of enterococci and fecal coliform in thebeach water (MCSWMP, 2000).

In Monroe County there are two beaches(Higgs Beach and John Pennekamp StatePark) where stormwater is managed by stormdrains; however, at Higgs Beach, the stormwa-ter is discharged by outfall pipes onto thebeach (MCSWMP, 2000). Great improvementswere implemented by the storm drain systemsfound at other beaches (Keysnews, 2014).Smathers Beach has three stormwater injec-tion wells to manage stormwater, while HarryHarris County Park manages stormwaterthrough natural percolation (MCSWMP,2000). These two systems work by draining thewater below the ground surface (USEPA,2013).

There are also water treatment plants inplace that reduce the amount of contaminantsin stormwater before it is discharged into theocean, which could control a significant levelof pollution. Accumulation of microbes andpolluting substances due to the placement ofpiers or underground barriers appears not tohave been as much of a detrimental issue aspreviously believed, and these structureswould need to undergo significant modifica-tions in order to assess the accumulation issue.To a certain extent, limiting the number of vis-itors to the beaches could be another solution,

since the quantity of pollution generated byhumans and their canine companions is pro-portional to the increase in the number ofbeach users.

Conclusion

Factors discussed in this case study haveshown considerable impacts on the overallcontamination of shore water. Furthermore,the maximum permissible/recommendedconcentrations of enterococci and fecal col-iform have reached unsafe levels. The excessivelevels have the potential to endanger marineecosystems, posing threats to beach users. Thesixteen beaches illustrated in this study wereanalyzed in terms of the main issues and cur-rent approaches to remedy the increasing pol-lution. However, all of the studied beacheshave some exceedance of the recommended2.5 percent value (the percentage of samplesthat exceed the single maximum safety level of104 CFU/100mL, resulting in poor qualitywater), as shown in Figure 2 (EPA, 2015).

Given the current level of beach pollu-tion, assessing different control measures orapproaches could be valued for improving theoverall seawater quality. Analyzing the mostpolluted beaches (Coco Plum Beach, SouthBeach, and Higgs Beach), the overlapping is-sues are the most indicative of a pollutionproblem. In other words, using Coco Plum asan example, the beach not only uses a compostsystem for its restrooms, but also allows dogvisitors (even though it still provides an excel-lent level of waste-reduction resources),meaning that the pollution issue is com-pounded by many things. Moreover, there isno stormwater drainage system in place(FDEP, 2012). These combined factors maycontribute to the total percent exceedance over7 percent.

Higgs Beach is another beach that allowsdogs without suitable resources provided andsuffers from a high exceedance percentage.Restroom facilities are connected to the sewersystem, and when there is a circulation prob-lem, the pollution accumulates. The aggrega-tion of these issues could be named as thecontributing factors as to why Higgs Beach hasa total percent exceedance over 13 percent.South Beach, the final highly impacted beach,is connected to the sewer system and also hasseawalls in the water. The beach is also an ap-proved dog beach that does not have a cleanupstation with disposal bags for people to use toclean up the waste from their pets. The totalexceedance for South Beach is over 12 percent(EPA, 2015), which can be attributed to thecombination of these issues.Figure 2. Percent Exceedance of Pollution Indicators for Studied Beaches from 2000 to 2013



Recommendations

All beaches should be equipped, in place,with compost disposal, septic tanks, and con-nections to centralized water treatment sys-tems. To improve water quality, it is critical toconsider “technological” variations of thewastewater management at the differentbeaches, and improvements should be priori-tized in the sequence in which they most ur-gently need to occur. In addition to the morestrict regulation and policy changes to ac-commodate current possible solutions to theissues, continued assessment and regularmonitoring of water quality need to be con-sidered, along with other factors, such as eco-nomic feasibility.

Existing wastewater treatment facilitiesare located at different distances from thebeaches, which will require considering a cost-effective way to transport wastewater. Ideally,all beach facilities need to be connected tocentralized systems where the treatment oc-curs at a maximum level. If this is not feasi-ble, a mobile wastewater package systemcould be considered. Package plants are smallversions of water treatment plants where dif-ferent processes occur, and they could be eas-ily operated and effective in handling variableflows and organic loading (USEPA, 2000).

Government policies could also con-tribute to alleviating the pollution level—inparticular, the burden of high bacteria in thewater due to animal waste. For example, meth-ods and steps that the local government of theKeys could take include updating the beach fa-cilities, setting specific dog beach hours thatwould limit the amount of waste being left,updating the trash can structures, and collect-ing the trash more often. Restricting the dogbeach hours is a method many other beacheshave taken, such as in Hollywood. Policiescould also be implemented to limit the num-ber of visitors to certain beaches.

Pollution caused by stormwater alsoneeds be well controlled. As such, the first stepis developing drainage systems that wouldtransport the untreated water away from theshoreline. Although Higgs Beach, for instance,has a storm drain system in place, it is recom-mended to redirect the runoff to a wastewatertreatment plant before it is discharged into theocean. Another control option could be to im-plement small wastewater treatment packagefacilities for pretreatment prior to beingtransported to the primary treatment plants.The current drainage system needs to be re-developed in a way that ensures channels arelocated between beach trash cans and the sea,



due to the inevitable seepage of contaminantsfrom the trash cans.

The structures located at Higgs Beach andSouth Beach in Key West pose an issue withthe littoral/shoreline circulation, pollutingocean water from accumulated contaminantsnear the shore with bacteria such as fecal col-iform. Possible approaches could involve re-moving such structures and allowing for thefree circulation of water along the shores ofthe Keys. Doing so could prevent accumula-tion of the contaminants, although it may notbe the most appropriate measure; the struc-tures may also provide other kinds of benefits,such as sand retainment to avoid shore erosion(Higginbotham, 2015).

Replacing existing structures with jettiesplaced parallel to the shore could not onlyprevent erosion; they could also avoid accu-mulation of the contaminants. Implementingparallel jetties has been done previously atthe beaches of Tel Aviv, Israel, although it wasfor the main purpose of sand retainment(Figure 3). Nevertheless, these structures en-trap sand particles that are carried in cur-rents and settle them near the shore, but stillallow shoreline currents to flow almost com-pletely freely.

References

1. Florida Department of EnvironmentalProtection (FDEP, 2012). Florida Keys

National Marine Sanctuary and Associ-ated Aquatic Preserves.http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/sites/keys/ (accessed on April 10, 2015).

2. Higginbotham, T. (2015)http://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/docs/pdf/acade-mic/papers/Higginbotham_William_Tom.pdf (accessed on April 11, 2015).

3. Keysnews (2014). Study shows improve-ment of beach water.http://keysnews.com/node/59484 (ac-cessed on April 8, 2015).

4. Long, D. (2014). Key West and MonroeCounty Demographics and Economy.http://www.keywestchamber.org/up-loads/4/6/5/2/46520599/demographics.pdfics.pdf (accessed on April 10, 2015).

5. Monroe County Sanitary WastewaterMaster Plan (MCSWMP, 2000).http://www.monroeCounty-fl.gov/Docu-mentCenter/Home/View/1117 (accessedApril 10, 2015).

6. Solo-Gabriele, H. (2015). Data Collectedin Monroe County on Enterococci andFecal Coliform Levels (personal commu-nication).

7. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA, 2012). Fecal Bacteriahttp://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/monito-ing/vms511.cfm. (accessed on April 10,2015).

8. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA, 2015). Questions and Answers:New England Beach Monitoring and No-tification Program.http://www.epa.gov/region1/eco/beaches/qa.html (accessed on April 10, 2015).

9. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA, 2001). Source Water ProtectionPractices Bulletin: Managing Pet andWildlife Waste to Prevent Contaminationof Drinking Water.http://www.epa.gov/safewater/sourcewa-ter/pubs/fs_swpp_petwaste.pdf (accessedon April 10, 2015).

10. USA TODAY (2002). Dog waste posesthreat to water. http://usatoday30.usato-day.com/news/science/2002-06-07-dog-usat.htm (accessed on April 10, 2015).

11. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA, 2000) Wastewater TechnologyFact Sheet Package Plants.http://water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/upload/2002_06_28_mtb_package_plant.pdf(accessed on April 10, 2015).

12. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA, 2013). Storm Water DrainageWells. http://water.epa.gov/type/ground-water/uic/class5/types_stormwater.cfm(accessed on April 10, 2015). ��

Summary of Issues, Current Control Measures, and Recommendations

Figure 3. Tel Aviv Beaches

with Jetties



It’s time to start gettingexcited about theFSAWWA Fall Confer-

ence. I want to take this opportunity to highlightsome interesting, entertaining, and new events,as well as the technical program and committeeactivities, for this year’s conference. I believe wehave something for everyone—with value builtin throughout the conference schedule.

With more than 1,300 attendees expected,and over 180 exhibitors, this conference is shapingup to be one of the biggest and best gatherings ofwater professionals in the state.

Opening General Session

Our keynote speaker this year will be ChadPregracke, founder and president of LivingLands & Waters. Chad began with a crusade to

clean up the Mississippi River, which has nowevolved into a cultural movement that has re-sulted in the removal of over 8 million poundsof garbage from America’s rivers.

Come to the opening session on Monday af-ternoon, November 30, and be inspired by Chadand his enthusiasm. I’m definitely going to be there.

Incoming Chair’s Reception and Barbecue Challenge

The second annual Incoming Chair’s Re-ception and Barbeque Challenge will be onMonday, November 30, at 6:30 p.m. This year’sevent promises to be bigger and better than lastyear. We have 10 teams competing for awards inchicken, pork, ribs, and brisket, as well as overall“grand champion.” Last year’s defending cham-pion, Haskell, will have its hands full competingagainst challengers from Garney Construction,Stanley Hydraulic Tools, Orange County Utili-ties, Peace River Manasota Regional Water Sup-ply Authority, HDR, Hillsborough CountyUtilities, GHD Engineers, and Insituform.

Come on out and help us welcome Kim Ku-nihiro as the new FSAWWA chair, watch someBBQ masters at work, and enjoy some great foodwith your fellow conference attendees andFSAWWA members .

Florida 2030 Water Summit

The seventh annual Florida 2030 WaterSummit is back and as strong as ever, with plans torebrand and re-energizethe event at this confer-ence. I look forward tobeing a part of this verysuccessful program andmoving it forward. TheFL2030 is looking topartner this year withsome additional stake-holders to discussstatewide topics on con-servation, funding, and climate. The summit al-ways brings in some of the best speakers toaddress key topics that are of interest to water

Mark LehighChair, FSAWWA

It’s Right Around The Corner:FSAWWA FALL CONFERENCE

– November 29-December 3 –

FSAWWA SPEAKING OUT

Above: Much dexterity is needed to win the Backhoe Rodeo.

At left: Conferencegoers attending the Backhoe Rodeo.

Florida 2030 Water Summit logo.


stakeholders throughout Florida. I can’t wait tosee the lineup this year.

Operators and Maintenance Council Activities

The Operators and Maintenance CouncilScholarship Committee is proud to announcethree operator scholarship winners for 2015: � Larry George Edmonds, Florida Gateway College� John Holdman, Florida Gateway College� Jacqueline Torres, Florida Gateway College

If you are not aware of the scholarships of-fered specifically for operators, make sure youcheck out our home page at www.fsawwa.org.

The Palm Coast Water Buoys were the first-place winners of the Top Ops competition heldearlier this year at the Florida Water ResourcesConference. The competition allows team mem-bers to show their knowledge of system opera-tions. Come join the Top Ops BrainstormingCommittee meeting on Tuesday, December 1, at11 a.m., and get in on the fun.

There will also be a council meeting on Mon-day, November 30, at 9 a.m. Operators and main-tenance members will discuss training, awards,scholarships, and ideas to bring value to both ofthese critical trades in our industry.

Competitions

If you are not already a competitor in theseevents, then be sure to come out and watch someof the most skilled and knowledgeable profes-sionals show off their talents. It’s impressive!

“Best of the Best” People’s Choice Water Tast-ing Contest – Make sure you are part of the au-dience at this event so you can taste the water ofall of the regions from across the state and getyour vote in. Water stations will be located in theexhibit hall starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, De-

Meter Madness means a bucket of parts and a race against the clock.

Some of the trash collected from rivers by members of Living Lands & Waters.

A conference attendee samples water from one of the regions for the water taste test.

Last year’s Barbeque Challenge winners from Haskell display their trophies.



cember 1. Be sure to visit the hall and cast yourvote to determine who has the best-tasting waterin Florida.

Ductile Iron Pipe Tapping Competition –This competition is always fun to watch. It’s fastand furious!

Backhoe Rodeo – If you want to be aston-ished at the skill level of some of the backhoeoperators out there, be sure to check this out. Itwill leave you amazed.

Fun Tap Competition – They call this the“fun” tap competition. I’m sure these teams arehaving fun, but it’s all about the competition—and they want to win.

Meter Madness – In this competition, partic-ipants receive a bucket of meter parts for a spe-cific water meter as they race against the clock tore-assemble it in working order.

Young Professionals/Students Contests Water Bowl – This is a “Jeopardy”-like com-

petition for students from Florida universities.Teams compete against each other to see who cananswer the most questions correctly in the leastamount of time.

"Fresh Ideas" Poster Session – This effort ofthe Young Professionals Committee encouragesYP participation in the technical program at theconference through presentation of a poster. Thecompetition is open to any student or YP with lessthan three years of work experience. Any postertopic related to the water industry is encouraged.

Rates and Finance Committee Activities

The chair of the committee, Tony Hairston,and Robert Ryall, vice chair, have put together a

Conference attendees view some of the poster presentations. More posters, more attendees.

Tapping Contest team members working together.

Tapping the pipe.



much-needed conference workshop on ratesand finance that is a must for all utilities need-ing to keep up to date on infrastructure fundingoptions. The workshop will be held on Monday,November 30, from 9 to 11 a.m.

John Shearer, with Shearer Consulting,will be moderating the workshop and plans togive an update on committee activities. Thescheduled speakers and topics for the work-shop are:� Tommy Holmes, legislative director, AWWA -

WIFIA and Developments in the State Re-volving Fund (SRF)

� Shanin Speas-Frost, Florida Department ofEnvironmental Protection - SRF DrinkingWater New Rule Development

� Don Berryhill, The Berryhill Group - Infra-structure and Capital Funding

� July Santamaria, RBC Capital Markets - Mu-nicipal Market Update

� Ed de la Parte, de la Parte & Gilbert, P.A. -Legal Update on Tiered Water Rates

There will also be a Rates and FinanceCommittee meeting on Monday November 30,at 1 p.m., and anyone can attend.

And Let’s Not Forget the Really Fun Stuff!

What would any conference be without agreat Poker Tournament? Come out on Mondayat 9:30 p.m. and try your luck.

Be sure to also check out the Golf Tourna-ment on Thursday, December 3. This year it will

be at Falcon’s Fire Golf Club, which is one of thefinest golf courses in all of Orlando and a greatway to end your conference experience.

I am really looking forward to this year’sconference and the opportunity to meet newpeople, learn new things, discover new products,and help move the section forward. Come joinme! ��

Water Bowl teams show their water-industry knowledge.

PS Form 3526: Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation(Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685)

(1) Publication Title: Florida Water Resources Journal. (2) Publication Number 0896-1794. (3) Filing Date: 09/30/15. (4) Issue Frequency: Monthly. (5) No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. (6) Annual SubscriptionPrice: $6/members, $24/non-members. (7) Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 1402 Emerald Lakes Dr., Clermont, FL 34711. Contact Person: Michael Delaney. Telephone: 352-241-6006. (8)Complete Mailing address of Headquarters or General Business Office: 1402 Emerald Lakes Dr., Clermont, FL 34711. (9) Publisher: Florida Water Resources Journal, Inc. 1402 Emerald Lakes Dr., Clermont, FL 34711.Editor: Rick Harmon, 1402 Emerald Lakes Dr., Clermont, FL 34711. Managing Editor: Michael Delaney. (10) Owner: Florida Water Resources Journal, Inc. 1402 Emerald Lakes Dr., Clermont, FL 34711. Stockhold-ers: (33 1/3% each) Florida Water and Pollution Control Operators Association, P.O. Box 109602, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410-9602; Florida Section/American Water Works Association, 769 Allendale Rd., KeyBiscayne, FL 33149; Florida Water Environment Association, 4350 W. Cypress St. #600, Tampa, FL 33607. (11) Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or Moreof Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None. (12) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status of federal income tax purposes: Has not changed duringpreceding 12 months. (13) Publication Name: Florida Water Resources Journal. (14) Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: October 2015.

(16) This Statement of Ownership will be printed in the November 2015 issue of this publication. (17) Signature and Title Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner. I certify that all information furnished on thisform is true and complete: I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (includingfines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including multiple damages and civil penalties). Date: 9/30/15

(15) Extent and Nature of Circulation

a. Total No. of Copies (Net Press Run)

b. Paid and/or Requested Circulation

(1) Sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors

and counter sales (not mailed)

(2) Paid or requested Mail Subscriptions

(Include advertisers proof copies/exchange copies)

c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Sum of 15b(1) and 15b(2)

d. Free distribution by Mail (Samples, complimentary, and other free)

e. Free Distribution Outside the Mail (carriers or other means)

f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15f)

g. Copies Not Distributed

h. Total (Sum of 15g and 15g)

i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (15c/15gx100)

Average No. Copies Each Issue During

Preceding 12 Months

7,201

0

7,125

7,125

0

07,125

76

7,201

98.94%

Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

7,246

0

7,169

7,169

0

0

7,169

77

7,246

98.93%


At the end of September I attended theWater Environment Federation Tech-nical Exhibition and Conference

(WEFTEC) in Chicago. It was a great event!In addition to the excellent technical pro-gram, the conference provided attendees with

information on new industry initiatives.While I was there, I made sure to see ourFlorida teams compete in the Student DesignCompetition (SDC) and in the OperationsChallenge. It was quite impressive to witnessthe talent and dedication exhibited from allof the participants—they did Florida proud!

Florida Gulf Coast University and theUniversity of South Florida placed second andthird, respectively, in the SDC. Way to go!While our two Operations Challenge teams,Methane Madness from the City of St. Cloudand True Grit from Gainesville Regional Util-ity, didn’t fare quite as well, they representedFlorida with distinction and we should be

very proud of them. Congratulations to all ofthe teams!

Lisa Prieto, the FWEA president-elect, at-tended the Annual Leadership Day atWEFTEC. Leadership Day provides an op-portunity to give updates on WEF initiativesto representatives from WEF’s member asso-ciations (MAs). It also provides a means forMA leaders to interact and engage in topics ofmutual interest. A couple of takeaways fromLeadership Day were the Leaders InnovationForum for Technology (LIFT) program andan update on the progress WEF has made inthe stormwater arena.

The LIFT program is a combined effortbetween WEF and the Water EnvironmentResearch Foundation (WERF) and was cre-ated to accelerate innovation through collab-oration. Out of the LIFT program, WEF hascreated LIFT Link, which is an online plat-form to discover, connect, and collaboratewith industry professionals, such as technol-

Raynetta Curry MarshallPresident, FWEA

FWEA in Chicago:WEFTEC 2015

FWEA FOCUS

Attendees at the conference included, from left toright: Mike Sweeney, Toho Water Authority; RaynettaMarshall, JEA; Marcus Jadotte, Department of Commerce; Scott Kelly, City of West Palm Beach; and Brian Wheeler, Toho Water Authority.

Team Methane Madness from City of St. Cloud competing in the OperationsChallenge.

Also competing in the Operations Challenge was Team True Grit from GainesvilleRegional Utilities.


ogy providers, universities, utilities, govern-ment officials, consultants, and investors(http://www.werf.org/lift/LIFT_Link.aspx).

Currently, LIFT is focusing on sevenareas:1. Shortcut Nitrogen Removal2. P-Recovery3. Digestion Enhancements4. Biosolids to Energy5. Energy from Wastewater6. Collection Systems7. Green Infrastructure

The LIFT working groups and volunteersreview technology, conduct pilot testing, pro-vide technology forums and presentations,offer operation and design guidance, and col-laborate on testing, technology usage, andmore. To learn more about how you or yourorganization can get involved in LIFT, eitherin a working group or as a volunteer, pleasecontact Jeff Moeller at [email protected].

Also during the conference, WEFlaunched its Stormwater Institute, and for thefirst time, there were national awards forPhase I and II municipal separate storm sewer

system (MS4) programs. The Stormwater In-stitute will serve as a hub for members to ac-cess information on stormwater issues, as wellas a platform to develop best practices andshare approaches to stormwater management.More information can be found at www.wef-stormwaterinstitute.org.

During a special session at the conferencefor utility executives, “The Water ResourcesUtility of the Future 2015 Annual Report” wasreleased. The report is an update of the col-laborative effort among WEF, WERF, and theNational Association of Clean Water Agencies(NACWA), which led to the development ofanother report, “The Water Resources Utilityof the Future: A Blueprint for Action.” Thisreport coined the phrase “Utility of the Fu-ture” (UOTF) to recognize the fundamentalshift in the way clean water utilities were be-ginning to redefine their role in society—transforming from treatment facilities intofull-resource recovery facilities that capturevaluable and reusable products for society.The annual report updates UOTF accom-plishments since 2013, including several casestudies from utilities across the United States

that have successfully implemented programsthat address watershedwide challenges.

Finally, I had the opportunity, along withBrian Wheeler and Mike Sweeney from TohoWater Authority and Scott Kelly from City ofWest Palm Beach, to have an impromptu dis-cussion with Marcus Jadotte, the assistant sec-retary for industry and analysis for the U.S.Department of Commerce, on various issuesimportant to Florida utilities, such as infra-structure, water supply, and development ofnew technologies. Jadotte was engaged and re-ceptive to hearing about these issues, and wehad a good, interactive dialogue.

Overall, WEFTEC 2015 was a great con-ference and FWEA was well represented in allaspects, including our students, operators,members, and leadership. ��


Operators: Take the CEU Challenge!

1. Which of the following is the “natural” state of lime as it ismined?a. Calcium oxide b. Calcium hydroxidec. Calcium bicarbonate d. Calcium carbonate

2. The lime slaking process produces heat and is thereforeknown as a/an________ reaction.a. exothermic b. endothermicc. intrathermic d. cryogenic

3. The authors theorize that difficulty stabilizing pH duringon-site testing of liquid lime mixing was related toa. inconsistent lime quality. b. operator error.c. faulty instruments. d. inconsistent mixing.

4. Naturally occurring raw water concentrations of _____made it unnecessary to install equipment to feed thatchemical/compound.a. calcium b. carbon dioxidec. sodium carbonate d. calcite

5. From the owner’s perspective, the major disadvantage of thebulk-delivered liquid lime alternative tested isa. the extraordinarily high feed rate required to produce the

required pH.b. its instability.c. the safety risk associated with handling.d. that it is patented and therefore proprietary.

Case Study: Reverse Osmosis Post-TreatmentStabilization Utilizing Liquid Lime

Vaile Feemster and Jim Smith(Article 2: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS}

___________________________________________SUBSCRIBER NAME (please print)

Article 1 ________________________________________LICENSE NUMBER for Which CEUs Should Be Awarded

Article 2 ________________________________________LICENSE NUMBER for Which CEUs Should Be Awarded

If paying by credit card, fax to (561) 625-4858

providing the following information:

___________________________________________(Credit Card Number)

___________________________________________(Expiration Date)

1. The City’s Springtree facility was selected as the site for a new reverseosmosis facility primarily becausea. there were reverse osmosis water treatment facilities already on site.b. there was an existing aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) Floridan

aquifer well on site.c. existing lime softening facilities were failing and in need of

replacement.d. existing water supply wells were showing signs of saline water

intrusion.

2. To address air quality concerns related to hydrogen sulfide removalfrom the Floridan aquifer raw water supply, the plant design includeda. single-stage odor control. b. two-stage odor controlc. three-stage odor control. d. an activated carbon filter.

3. It was assumed that the reverse osmosis _____________ system couldnot be operated until nearly all of the less saline water had beenwithdrawn from the well.a. degasification b. membrane skid interstage pumpingc. energy recovery d. concentrate disposal

4. Blending with lime-softened water allowed the staff to forego adding__________ to reverse osmosis permeatea. sodium hypochlorite b. carbon dioxidec. sulfuric acid d. sodium hydroxide

5. Which of the following water sources was used to prepare thewastewater plant biomass for processing reverse osmosis concentrate?a. Lime-softened water b. Nanofiltration concentrate c. Floridan aquifer d. Reverse osmosis permeate

City of Sunrise Achieves Alternate Raw Water Supply with Existing Source Infrastructure

Chris Reinbold, Giovanni Batista, and Jim Dolan(Article 1: CEU = 0.1 DW/DS)

Earn CEUs by answering questions from previous Journal issues!

Contact FWPCOA at [email protected] or at 561-840-0340. Articles from past issues can be viewed on the Journal website, www.fwrj.com.

Members of the Florida Water & Pollution Control Association (FWPCOA) mayearn continuing education units through the CEU Challenge! Answer the questionspublished on this page, based on the technical articles in this month’s issue. Circlethe letter of each correct answer. There is only one correct answer to each question!Answer 80 percent of the questions on any article correctly to earn 0.1 CEU for yourlicense. Retests are available.

This month’s editorial theme is Water Treatment. Look above each set ofquestions to see if it is for water operators (DW), distribution systemoperators (DS), or wastewater operators (WW). Mail the completed page (or aphotocopy) to: Florida Environmental Professionals Training, P.O. Box 33119, PalmBeach Gardens, FL 33420-3119. Enclose $15 for each set of questions you chooseto answer (make checks payable to FWPCOA). You MUST be an FWPCOA memberbefore you can submit your answers!


As a former utility executive, my firstimpression is that the above questionis purely rhetorical, because handling

it otherwise begs the question of which per-son on your staff makes the fact-based deci-sions on each compelling, tear-jerking story?

If you are a public service commission(PSC) utility, then the matter will land there,and generally be done. But when politics is inthe mix, you will inevitably have some levelof pontification, posturing, and grandstand-ing for the cameras or audience; some by thepoliticians themselves, some by the “injured”customer, and some by the local officious in-

termeddler who, being a union shop foremanfor 20 years, knows the law “as well as an at-torney.” But the real answer is far more com-plicated, and not without some questions ofliability. Unfortunately, Pasco County Utili-ties is now dealing with establishing a bright-line rule for utility staff to apply whencustomers comes in with a high-usage waterbill.

From a utility manager’s perspective, theanswer is quite simple: if you have an abnor-mally high bill, you used an abnormally highamount of water. You either left the hose onto fill your pool, for instance (and perhapsforgot to turn it off), or it could be a myriadof other unfortunate circumstances on yourside of the meter.

In order to placate a customer, which isalways a very good idea, we will agree to field-test the meter for free, even though we knowthat meters, as with all mechanical equipment,very, very, rarely go defective and run fast,1 but

instead run slower, much to the chagrin of ourbookkeeper, and that unregistered water be-comes a part of “lost water” when we report itto the local water management district.

Not satisfied with the field test? Then youcan agree to have the meter bench-tested byan outside company, which is usually themeter manufacturer. In the unlikely event ittests fast, we will change out the meter andadjust past bills, reflecting the error with ourdeepest regrets. If it tests slow, then the cus-tomer pays the substantial cost to have itshipped and tested, and we can either adjustthe past bills upward—retroactively—by thepercent it is slow, or the more likely and po-litically palatable response is that the govern-ment will, in its infinite charity, simplyforgive the under-billing and change out themeter. Whether the meter tests slow or accu-rate, will the customer be satisfied? It’s un-likely. But from a utility manager’s point ofview, nothing more needs to be done.

It was recently reported that the PascoCounty commission is struggling with cus-tomer complaints of excessively high bills,

Do Government Utilities Need a Bright-LineRule on Forgiveness of High Bills?

Pasco County Struggles With the Issue

LEGAL BRIEFS

Gerald Buhr

1 By “slow” or “fast” of course I mean outside thegenerally accepted standards (AWWA, as I recall)for water meters, which can be very slightly aboveor below “100 percent accurate” and still be an“accurate” meter and legally enforceable.


having received a less-than-favorable audit re-sult from an inspector general (IG) of thecounty’s controller. Reportedly, the IG was re-tained to investigate over 300 high-bill com-plaints, and especially a high-bill complaintby a residential consumer who had been billedfor 614,000 gal of water for about three weeksusage; that usage rendered a utility bill of$3,385. The house was claimed to be vacantduring that time, which to me, actually sup-ports the “your side of the meter” argumentmore than it weakens it, because it would behard to believe that domestic use could bethat high. A bathtub, sink, or hose left onmight create such huge usage; I have not cal-culated the maximum flow possible throughthe service line at the Pasco County waterpressure, 24 hours a day, every day, for threeweeks, but presumably somebody has. Thecustomer said a plumber was hired to lookinto the situation and found no leak. The IGsaid the meter checked out okay, but the IGfound “multiple issues with the meter-read-ing and billing processes . . . regarding dataaccuracy and internal controls.”

Apparently, the utility believes that theseproblems are separate, and steadfastly standsbehind its conclusion that the water wentthrough the meter. And, as no surprise, thecustomer steadfastly stands behind her opin-ion that the billing is wrong, and wants thewhole bill written off. The county commis-sion recently met on Sept. 22, 2015, and heardnumerous complaints about high bills (wel-come to the private, PSC-regulated utilityworld). Some commissioners wanted to writeoff the enormous bill, but an ordinance toallow writes-offs of up to half of the very highbills was offered, and apparently is being in-stituted.

In my humble opinion, to write off awater bill based on political expediency, oreven sympathy, when the meter has beenbench-tested and the software and otherradio-read issues and office practices checkedout, would be monumental folly. Who elsegets a write-off? Why not me, or everyone elsewho complains about a high bill? If your bill

is ever extremely high, just go to the commis-sion and stamp your feet long enough andhard enough and it will get taken care of. Fur-thermore, since Pasco County rates are pre-sumably set at or near “break even” becausethey are not supposed to be profit-motivated,whenever a policy like that is implemented,the rest of the customers actually subsidize theperson getting the adjustment because futureutility rates will be affected by the expense ofgiveaways by the utility.

I actually like one of Pasco County’spolicies for adjusting water bills for “verifiedleaks and the first-time filling, or filling dueto repair of a pool” where the County chargesonly the “current Tampa Bay Water’s unitaryrate,” which I presume is either the wholesalerate at which it purchases water from the re-gional water supplier, or something similar,meaning that you pay only the cost paid bythe county of what passed through the meter.It does not take into consideration the costsof additional treatment, if any, pumping costs,etc., but it is better than rewarding someonebecause they complained long enough andhard enough.

Get ready for more! Good luck to PascoCounty in dealing with the issue with whichall water utilities have to contend, especiallygovernment utilities, because of the politicalcomponent.

If you Google “water meter lawsuit” youwill note numerous entries with “faulty radio-read” water meters sprouting up. That trendis growing rapidly. Can you prove that yourbills sent out for the past five years were basedon good meter readings? Make sure yourwater meter acquisitions are good ones, andthat you do not indemnify or hold manufac-turers harmless for valid claims due to faultyequipment, or that the warranties are undulyrestrictive. Perhaps a policy of periodic man-ual reading would be in order?

Gerald Buhr is a utilities attorney whoholds a Class A license in backwater and waste-water treatment. A Florida Bar-certified spe-cialist in city, county, and local government law,he is the city attorney for Mulberry, ZolfoSprings, Bowling Green, and Avon Park andrepresents Lake Wales on water and wastewaterlegal issues. ��


Consumptive water use regulations insoutheast Florida have forced many utili-ties looking to expand their potable water

production capacity to consider alternative watersupplies (AWS). The City of Sunrise was requiredby its 2008 consumptive use permit to obtain AWSto meet current and projected future demands. Es-timates from the 2008 master plan documents in-dicated that the City needs to secure an additional11 mil gal per day (mgd) by 2030. This master planalso identified numerous alternatives that wereevaluated and considered for implementation bythe City. The alternatives included: sourcing waterfrom the Floridan aquifer, implementing waterreclamation for irrigation and recharge, concen-trate recovery at its existing nanofiltration (NF)water treatment facility, use of aquifer storage andrecovery, and demand management. The Floridanaquifer was selected as a potential AWS, which theCity elected to evaluate further.

The City has existing Floridan aquifer wellswith total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrationsranging from 5,000 to 8,500 mg/L. Due to the highTDS, and brackish nature of this source water(chlorides being a significant contributor to thehigh TDS), reverse osmosis (RO) treatment is typ-ically used to produce potable water. In order tomake the decision as to how and where the Cityshould best treat Floridan aquifer water, CarolloEngineers Inc. (Carollo) performed several studyefforts for the City. The City has three potablewater treatment facilities, two of which—the Saw-

grass Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and theSpringtree WTP—were considered as potentialsites for implementation of this new source andtreatment process.

At the time of the studies, the Sawgrass WTPwas rated for 18 mgd of potable water productionutilizing the NF process. Conversion of a portionof the NF facility to RO, as well as the constructionof an independent RO treatment facility adjacentto the existing NF WTP, was evaluated. Separately,the addition of an independent RO treatment fa-cility was also considered at the 24-mgd SpringtreeWTP, to be constructed adjacent to the existinglime softening and filtration processes.

The Springtree WTP was unique in this eval-uation as it contained an upper Floridan well thatwas constructed in the late 1990s for the purposesof aquifer storage and recovery. The expectation atthe time was that treated Biscayne aquifer waterfrom the lime softening and filtration processeswould be pumped into the upper Floridan aquiferduring the wet season. Then, during periods of in-creased demand during the dry season, this freshwater would be recovered from the aquifer and re-treated through the existing water treatmentprocess to increase the City’s total water produc-tion capability. Historical cycle tests, as well as per-mitting regulations affecting this practice, did notresult in sufficient recovery of fresh water to deemthe well practical for use. During these periods,however, a sustained pumping rate of approxi-mately 3 mgd was confirmed.

As a result of the City already having this assetand related infrastructure, it was decided to re-purpose it into a Floridan aquifer production wellto provide the source water to the first of two ROtreatment units, with an initial permeate produc-tion capacity of 1.5 mgd. This required a total rawwater delivery capacity of 2 mgd of Floridan water,with the system operating at 75 percent recovery.Water quality data from the original constructionof the well and historical cycle tests was utilized asthe basis of design for the RO treatment system;some of the key water quality parameters are iden-tified in Figure 1. Design and construction of a 3-mgd RO WTP was determined to be the mostcost-effective alternative and was selected for im-plementation at the Springtree WTP.

Design of Alternative Water Supply Treatment System

In an effort to meet a regulatory compliancedate identified in the City’s consumptive use per-mit (CUP), Carollo was retained to perform thedesign on a fast-paced schedule for the 3-mgd ROtreatment facility. In order to accelerate the con-struction of this facility, Carollo prepared a pro-curement set of bidding documents for the City topurchase modular skid-mounted RO equipment,while the detailed design and bidding of the over-all facility was completed. It was decided to use asystem supplier approach for the procurementpackage so that all of the specified equipment andsystems were competitively bid and sourcedthrough a single reverse osmosis system (ROMS)supplier. This system-supplier approach was de-veloped so that there was one source of responsi-bility for meeting the contractual requirements ofthe procurement bidding documents, and for pro-viding warranties for the treatment system com-ponents. The purchase order to the RO system

City of Sunrise Achieves Alternate Raw WaterSupply With Existing Source Infrastructure

Chris Reinbold, Giovanni Batista, and Jim Dolan

Chris Reinbold, P.E., is an associate andproject manager with Carollo Engineers Inc.in Lake Worth and Hollywood; GiovanniBatista, P.E., C.G.C., is the assistant utilitydirector for City of Sunrise; and Jim Dolan isthe chief operator for the City of Sunrise’sSpringtree Water Treatment Plant.

F W R J

Figure 1. Key Water Quality Parameters for Springtree Floridan Aquifer


supplier was issued by the City in May 2012.The unit processes, which comprised the RO

treatment facilities, included raw water pumping,which was a repurposing of the existing aquiferstorage and recovery (ASR) well to a Floridan pro-duction well; pretreatment (with sand strainers,followed by cartridge filters and addition of sulfu-ric acid and antiscalant); RO feed pumping; two-stage RO treatment, with an interstage boost pumpwith energy recovery; degasification; chlorinationand sodium hydroxide addition for pH control;concentrate disposal; and the associated mem-brane clean-in-place system and scavenger tanks(for waste blending, neutralization, and disposal).A schematic of this treatment scheme is shown inFigure 2.

Another unique project challenge encoun-tered due to the implementation of RO treatmentat the Springtree WTP was associated with con-centrate disposal. A deep injection well was iden-tified as necessary, and was to be constructed on aparallel, but not converging, schedule with the ROtreatment plant. The City needed the plant to be inoperation to meet the CUP regulatory require-ment, but the construction of the well was esti-mated to follow the RO treatment systemconstruction completion by one to two years. Dur-ing the time frame between RO system comple-tion and the completion of the injection wells, itwas determined that the treatment of the concen-trate would be through the nearby SpringtreeWastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

Unique Features of New Reverse Osmosis Treatment System

The Springtree Complex has been in contin-uous operation, producing potable water andtreating wastewater since the 1970s. Limited landwas available within the existing property for con-struction of this new RO treatment system. In ad-

dition, the existing facility is located near a highschool, day care center, assisted living center, andother strip commercial businesses. This resulted inthe addition of neighbor-friendly features to thedesign documents.

The Floridan aquifer in the Springtree areashas levels of dissolved hydrogen sulfide of up to 3mg/L; the potential odor from removing this fromthe membrane treated water was considered. Toaddress this concern, two stage air quality controlunits were designed in conjunction with the de-gasification process.

The local community development depart-ment also recommended working with the nearbyhigh school to cooperate on ways to minimize thevisual impact of the new structures, and City of

Sunrise and Carollo personnel met with highschool staff to facilitate ideas on how to accom-plish this.

It was decided that a mural with student- de-signed artwork would be applied to the wall of theRO facility facing the high school’s football sta-dium. Several concepts were developed as to howthis mural would be installed. It was decided thata digitally printed adhesive wall mural would beapplied to the kynar-coated metal building exte-rior. This type of banner is ultraviolet (UV) resist-ant and removable if the City chooses to replace itwith refreshed artwork in the future.

In addition to the wall mural, it was decided,with the City’s urban forester, that the landscaping

Figure 2. Reverse Osmosis Treatment Process

Schematic

Figure 3. Wall Mural and Photo Rendering



facing the adjacent high school should be visuallyappealing. A landscape architect was retained andan alternating height row of sabal palm trees wasadded to the landscaped area at the propertyboundary to accomplish this. Figure 3 shows aconceptual rendering of the wall mural with land-scaping in the area, as well as a photo of the actualinstallation.

Construction and Related Activities

Once the design was complete for the ROtreatment facility and the ROMS supplier’s bidwas accepted, advertisement and bidding wasperformed for the construction of the overall fa-cility. The approach used in the design docu-ments was that the equipment to be furnishedby the ROMS supplier was identified through-

out as owner-furnished and contractor-installed.Dates were provided in the contract documentsfor the contractor to include in his schedulewhen he was responsible for accepting deliveryof these items. It was also described that if thecontractor’s progress on the RO facility was notto a level of completeness that the equipmentcould be offloaded and directly installed; then,the contractor was responsible for properly stor-ing this equipment. The purchase order to theconstruction contractor was issued by the Cityin August 2012. A brief timeline of the construc-tion activities is identified in Figure 4.

Raw Water Quality Considerations

It was known during the design period thatBiscayne aquifer water treated by the lime soften-ing and filtration facility had been placed into the

ASR well over the period of several years. Analyti-cal testing was performed during design, and againduring construction, to determine the water qual-ity parameters that would be encountered at start-up. As anticipated, the water more closelyresembled the “fresh water” from the lime treat-ment facility, rather than the background brack-ish water originally encountered in the well, due tosignificantly lower chlorides, higher total organiccarbon (TOC), and other water quality parame-ters. Evaluations were conducted in cooperationwith the ROMS supplier to evaluate the RO sys-tem performance with these differing water qual-ity parameters.

The scenario encountered was challenging toevaluate because the water at the time of start-upwould continually increase in TDS until back-ground conditions were realized. This time periodwas estimated to be anywhere from three monthsto a year, based on records of the water previouslyinjected into the well for aquifer storage, and an-ticipated well flushing impacts; ASR well flushingwas initiated during the design and constructionphases of the project. A “worst case” scenario wasestablished, which provided the recommendedacid and antiscalant doses, as well as energy recov-ery device settings. Because the TDS were so low, itwas assumed that the energy recovery devicewould be required to operate in a bypass modeuntil such time as the TDS increased to a point thatsecond-stage membrane feed pressure would allowits use. Fortunately for the commissioning team,the water quality at the time of start-up hadchanged slightly due to the well-flushing activities,and the use of the energy recovery device wasdeemed possible. Figure 5 shows a few of the keywater quality parameters of the well water qualityas tested during the construction period and com-pared to the background documented conditionsand resulting permeate conditions.

Start-Up and Commissioning

Start-up and commissioning of theSpringtree RO WTP occurred in January 2014. Acombination of on-line instrumentation data, aswell as manual measurements, were collected andanalyzed during the continuous seven-day per-formance test. As discussed previously, because theRO concentrate was disposed into the SpringtreeWWTP, the Florida Department of Environmen-tal Protection (FDEP) required the developmentof a specific operating procedure to achieve theregulatory approval necessary to perform this ac-tion. This operating procedure required that theCity’s wastewater consultant determine a condi-tioning period recommended for the existingWWTP biological process. Based on literature re-views and the consultant’s experience with other

Figure 4. Timeline for Construction, Startup, and Commissioning

Figure 5. Key Water Quality Parameters as Tested During Construction



FWPCOA TRAINING CALENDARSCHEDULE YOUR CLASS TODAY!

* Backflow recertification is also available the last day of BackflowTester or Backflow Repair Classes with the exception of Deltona

** Evening classes

*** any retest given also

November16-18 ........Backflow Repair ......................................Deltona ..........$275/30516-20 ........Wastewater Collection C ........................St. Petersburg ..$225/255

20 ........Backflow Tester Recert*** ......................Deltona ..........$85/11530- Dec. 2....Backflow Repair* ....................................St. Petersburg ..$275/30530 – Dec.3 ..Backflow Tester* ....................................Belleview ........$375/405

December7-10 ........Reclaimed Water Field Site Inspector ..Deltona ..........$350/380

Upcoming 2016 ClassesUpcoming 2016 Classes

January4-8 ........Reclaimed Water Field Site Inspector ..Deltona ..........$350/380

11-14 ........Backflow Tester* ......................................St. Petersburg ..$375/40522 ........Backflow Tester Recert*** ......................Deltona ..........$85/115

25-29 ........Water Distribution 3, 2 ..........................Deltona ..........$225/25525-29 ........Reclaimed Water Distribution C ............Deltona ..........$225/255

February15-19 ........Wastewater Collection C, B ....................Deltona ..........$225/2558-11 ........Backflow Tester ........................................Deltona ..........$375/405

26 ........Backflow Tester recert*** ......................Deltona ..........$85/115

You are required to have your own calculator at state short schools

and most other courses.

Course registration forms are available at http://www.fwpcoa.org/forms.asp. For additional information on these courses or other training programs offered by the FWPCOA, please

contact the FW&PCOA Training Office at (321) 383-9690 or [email protected].



facilities, a period of 24 hours was established togradually increase the TDS (particularly chlorides)from the RO plant into the WWTP.

Since the turndown of the RO treatmentunit does not have sufficient flexibility to gofrom zero to maximum concentrate flow(rather, the unit is better operated at designflux and permeate production capacity withina specific range), WWTP seeding with rawFloridan water through the start-up bypasswas utilized. The control system was set up so

that the concentrate valve could be manuallymodulated to increase the raw water flowthrough the start-up bypass, which accom-plished the conditioning process. After the 24-hour conditioning period, the start-upprocedure allowed for the RO unit to be op-erated at design conditions. A 24-hour condi-tioning period was also instituted for periodswhen the RO unit would be shut down for anextended period of time. This shutdownprocess was essentially the reverse of the start-up conditioning process.

Following a successful commissioning pe-riod, the regulatory compliance documentswere submitted to the Broward County HealthDepartment. After completion of the commentand response period, the Springtree RO WTPwas cleared for continuous operation andblending of the treated RO effluent with thelime softening and filtered water. The plant wasplaced in continuous operation in late April2014.

Lessons Learned

Start-up and commissioning for this facilityoccurred without any major interruption or sig-nificant delays. The lessons learned from this proj-ect are briefly described as follows:� Thorough planning and good design allowed

the City’s existing ASR well to be transformedinto a Floridan aquifer production well. Utiliz-ing this existing infrastructure allowed the Cityto proceed at a rapid schedule, since the per-mitting efforts associated with this item wereminimal. This repurposing also saved the Citysignificant cost by not having to drill and/or in-stall new production wells.

� It was demonstrated through this project thatRO concentrate can successfully be treatedthrough a conventional biological-activatedsludge WWTP. There was hesitation by the reg-ulatory agencies when this concept was first pre-sented as to how the bacteria would react. Withthe operating strategy that was developed forseeding, the biology, and the additional moni-toring that was performed, there were no sig-nificant detrimental changes observed by theWWTP operators.

� The blending of higher hardness and alkalinitywater from the lime plant was beneficial withthe low-mineral and low-alkalinity RO perme-ate. Plant staff elected not to add sodium hy-droxide to the permeate so that the near neutralpH of the permeate slightly lowers the pH of thelime-softened and filtered water. This was anadded water quality benefit of utilizing thesetwo treatment processes in parallel. The averageannual flow for the Springtree WTP is around11 mgd, and the RO permeate blend represents

about 14 percent of the total when operating.� By working collaboratively with the community

development department and the neighbor-hood stakeholders, it was demonstrated that thecooperation led to an improvement in the com-munity. This collaborative approach is recom-mended for projects where there arecommunity concerns and/or a significant num-ber of active community stakeholders.

� Although standard for the industry, the nor-malization routines for the RO unit are alsosomething that could be streamlined. Numer-ous calculations are performed to compare thecurrent operating conditions to the baseline op-erating conditions, and minor time delays inreadings of instruments resulted in significantfluctuations. At one point, several months afterstart-up, the normalized salt passage began in-creasing significantly. Throughout extensivetroubleshooting, and even removing an elementfor controlled performance testing, it was de-termined that minor fluctuations in raw waterquality and changes in the TDS to conductivityratio used in the calculations were the source.Once the TDS-to-conductivity ratio was ad-justed to better match actual conditions, the sys-tem has remained in a stable state of operation.

Conclusions

Through the utilization of existing infra-structure, the City was able to address several goals.Some of these goals were driven by regulatory re-quirements, while others were cost-focused.

The implementation of an RO treatment sys-tem at the Springtree WTP has effectively in-creased the potable water production of the facilityfrom 24 to 25.5 mgd. The total construction costfor this project was $8,760,669, which was com-prised of an owner-purchased RO system for$928,634, plus the construction contract to buildthe facility and install the equipment for$7,832,035. It is important to note that many ofthe common facilities were sized to accommodatean expansion to a total facility capacity of 3 mgd,although only the first 1.5-mgd phase was com-missioned. Although the alternative water supplyis only needed during periods of high water use(typically during the dry season), plant staff oper-ate the facility year-round.

To optimize potable water production costswhile exercising the equipment, the facility was notoperating every day at the time of this originalwriting; however, it now operates continuously.The successful implementation of RO treatmentat the Springtree WTP resulted in CUP compli-ance through AWS utilization, provided more ca-pacity, improved water conditioning, improvedcommunity integration, and is viewed as a suc-cessful project by all of the entities involved. ��



Most of us have been on one side or theother of an interview process, hopingto land the perfect job or find that

much-needed employee who will make us lookbetter than we deserve. Books have been writtenon the subject of the process itself and how toevaluate people during the interview; the samepeople also wrote another guide on being a goodcandidate. The harder part of the process ismany times lost because it is difficult, if not im-possible, to tell how much effort candidates willput into the job after they are hired. Remember:great on paper does not always mean great in ac-tion.

I have always struggled with what is a “rea-sonable expectation of effort.” Regretfully, atmost organizations, showing up for work anddoing just enough to keep from being firedmeets the expectation.

How do we pick out people who do theirbest and give a reasonable eight hours of efforton behalf of their employers? First, you have toapply good management principles and lead byexample. I have stated in management trainingthat “nervous hens have nervous chicks,” whichmeans if you fall apart during a crisis your peo-ple will fall apart with you and the result will befailure. It can also be said that “lazy hens havelazy chicks.” My grandfather would say, “On thisfarm lazy chickens are lunch; they either lay eggsor they make a lifetime commitment on mom’stable.”

I am sure that during the interview processall applicants say that they’re a self-motivated,hard-working individual with a strong workethic. I have never sat across from a candidatewho said, “I will try hard until I make it past myprobation period; then, I will become lethargicand you will only know I’m here when I’mmissed on the overtime list.“ Even a lie detectorwould not work on most of the worst of theseoffenders because they truly believe what theyare saying when they say it.

When “just enough” becomes the standard,then how do you measure good effort? I havehad employees who have excelled—and con-

tinue to do so—even when there is no rewardother than the thanks I give them as often as Ican. A company’s success is directly dependenton the effort given by its employees.

I meet young professionals who want to bepart of a dynamic organization that has meas-urable goals—from management down to theoperations personnel—that help to ensure awell-run facility. Most of the time, just when youthink this is occurring and you have found theperfect job, you wake up and there you are, feel-ing like you’re stuck between the dog and the firehydrant. You’re saddled with a supervisor whois so busy looking for a promotion that he or shedoesn’t do the job. They wind up treating peo-ple in their crew who do try as competition.

If you’re a supervisor who doesn’t give hisor her best effort, how do you expect your crewdo be motivated to do their best? Having saidthat, I have seen supervisors who did everythingright and still had less-than-acceptable effortfrom some members of the crew. This can bedevastating during a project where you are upagainst the clock or have budget issues, or whenone or more members of a crew are not trying.This has a negative effect on all of the other em-ployees.

Just stop and think about construction costestimates that are based on an expectation thatpeople can complete a certain task in a timeframe that can be repeated under similar cir-cumstances. Construction companies bid jobsbased on these estimates and other assumptions(as well as hitting the change-order lottery).When they’re correct, they make a good profit,and when they’re wrong—well, they can alwaysdeclare bankruptcy and change their name.

The door swings both ways, however, andemployees should have an expectation of the ef-fort from their employer and their supervisor.We need to lead by example and expect the samededication from our team. You should never getto a position of leadership and believe you canrelax. Teams that are successful need an exampleto follow. Don’t think for a minute that yourcrew will put out more than you put in.

I remember a course on communicationthat I took in the early 1980s where the instruc-tor said he had never been as disappointed aswhen he bought his first Mustang. He had seenthe television commercial where the younggood-looking driver had stopped the car at a redlight and had to fight off the girls who were try-ing to jump in. He said he bought the car and

drove all over town stopping at red lights andstop signs and not one girl had even looked hisway. He took the car back to the dealer thinkingit must be the color. He told the salesman, “Thisone doesn’t work.” Expectations of this type maybe a little over the top, but I have seen peoplewho believe commercials, only to be disap-pointed.

It’s also important to deliver a positive mes-sage whenever possible. When trying to getmore from a crew that has gone flat on its pro-ductivity, try saying what is going well. I willadmit I have taken the low road on several oc-casions. The best example was when I was re-viewing a design that had seemed to take forever(six months) for a simple pump modification. Ilost it and asked the engineers involved whatthey had been doing. When I did not get a re-sponse, I then asked them how they had earnedtheir dollar that day. I was not to be denied; Iwent on to ask each of them to stand and tell usexactly “how they earned just one damn dollar.”When I realized I had been shouting, I stoppedand tried a different approach. Using “shockjock” methods are only effective on a radioshow, never in a management setting.

To be successful, it takes all members of theteam having reasonable expectations spelled outclearly and continually measured. Goal settingis an art: you have to know the people you areworking with to do it well. No matter how hardyou try, you cannot change a mule into a racehorse; it is much easier to evaluate your crewand put them in positions where they can besuccessful. Don’t forget to follow up with guid-ance and support to help them.

The success of your team is proof of thetype of leader you are. It has been said that oneout of every three supervisors is in over his orher head. If you know two who are doing a greatjob, then take a hard look in the mirror. I believeit’s okay to stop one of your employees at theend of the day and ask, “How did you earn yourdollar today?” I would warn you, however, to beready to answer the same question if they ask itof you. ��

Thomas KingPresident, FWPCOA

C FACTOR

A Reasonable Expectation of Effort


Phil Locke and Fernand J. "Tib" Tiblier Jr.

The City of Bunnell Water operates a 1-mil-gal-per-day (mgd) water treatment plantand hired McKim and Creed to select and im-plement treatment technologies to bring itswater treatment plant into compliance with theStage 2 Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs) Regu-lations.

The first goal was to reduce the natural or-ganic matter from the source groundwater sup-ply to minimize the formation of DBPs thatoccur when chlorine is added to water contain-ing organic material. By reducing the organicsin the water, the DBPs will be reduced to levelsthat comply with drinking water regulations. A

second goal was to reduce the hardness to levelsacceptable to the City and to meet secondarydrinking water requirements for total hardness.A weighted treatment option decision matrixwas developed for these potential alternativesand included:• Capital and Annual Operation and Mainte-

nance Costs• Technical Feasibility• Ability to Meet DBP Requirements• Ability to Meet City Hardness Goals and

Hardness Requirements• Proven Implementation• Consumptive Use Permit

Compatibility/Water Loss• Minimization of Treatment Waste• Footprint

Based on results from the evaluation, ionexchange was selected for implementation to re-move organics and reduce DBP formation po-tential as specified by the consent order. Inaddition to organics removal, the City also choseto include hardness reduction as part of theproject. Once ion exchange was selected, systemsfrom Ixom and a competitor were evaluated fortheir cost-effectiveness. The competitor’s systemuses a fixed-bed ion exchange system usinganion resin for total organic carbon (TOC) re-moval and a cation exchange system for soften-ing. The Ixom MagnaPakTM fluidized bedco-removal system (MICo® SOF) utilizes bothanionic and cationic resins within the same re-actor vessel. Results from the evaluation indi-cated that the Ixom system had both lowercapital and operational costs and the Ixom sys-tem was selected for pilot testing. The resultsfrom the pilot test showed a 78 percent reduc-tion in TOC, 46 percent reduction in hardness,91 percent reduction in color units, and 98 per-cent reduction in hydrogen sulfide.

The facility has been constructed and thedemonstration testing that was required for sub-stantial completion shows the new Ixom MICo®SOF system meets all TOC and hardness re-moval levels. The facility is in the final phase ofconstruction closeout and is anticipated to beon-line in November 2015.

Phil Locke, P.E., is senior project manager withMcKim & Creed in Clearwater and Fernand J."Tib" Tiblier, Jr., P.E., is director of engineeringwith City of Bunnell.

City of Bunnell Selects Innovative Process for Disinfection

Byproduct Compliance and Hardness Reduction

T E C H N O L O G Y S P O T L I G H T

Technology Spotlight is a paid feature sponsored by the advertisement on the facing page. The Journal and its publisher do not endorse any product that appears in this column. If you would like to have your technology featured, contact Mike Delaney at 352-241-6006 or at [email protected].


Tampa Electric has received the EdisonElectric Institute (EEI) 2015 Edison Award, theelectric power industry's highest honor, for itsinnovative design and construction of a cutting-edge reclaimed water system at its Polk PowerStation in Polk County.

"Tampa Electric demonstrated tremendousingenuity by designing and building an innova-tive wastewater treatment system that protectsthe local environment while streamlining oper-ations," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "Thecompany also exhibited distinguished leadershipby forging important regional partnerships toaddress the needs of all stakeholders."

A panel of former electric company chiefexecutives selected Tampa Electric for the 88thannual award from a group of distinguished fi-nalists.

Tampa Electric planned the expansion of itsPolk Power Station and its need for increasedcooling water in an innovative manner that isfriendly to consumers, the local community, andthe environment. The company forged creativeregional partnerships with the Southwest FloridaWater Management District, Polk County, andthe cities of Lakeland and Mulberry. These com-munities use treated wastewater for irrigation;however, much of this water was surplus that wasdischarged into local waterways without beingused. Tampa Electric partnered with these com-munities to obtain and use the reclaimed waste-water as coolant, resulting in significantenvironmental benefits.

In conjunction with these partnerships, thecompany designed and built an innovative re-claimed water treatment project that offers dra-matic environmental benefits to Hillsboroughand Tampa bays. It is the first power plant in theUnited States to combine the use of reclaimedwater and reverse-osmosis technology withdeep-well disposal of wastewater, and it will ben-efit local wetlands and the surrounding commu-nities. The project will advance the cleanup oflocal waterways and will improve local ecosys-tems.

�Jones Edmunds and Associates Inc. and

its construction engineering and inspection sub-sidiary JEAces, havepromoted three em-ployees to vice presi-dent. Greg Perrine,P.E., is now a vicepresident with JonesEdmunds, and DavidWeintraub, Ph.D.,P.E., and StephenHaney, P.E., serve asvice presidents with

JEAces.“The contributions of these three men to thesecompanies have been numerous and invaluable,”said Rick Ferreira, president and chief executiveofficer of Jones Edmunds. “Their leadership anddedication to our core values and our clients willcontinue to be a catalyst for the firm’s expansionin the Jacksonville and Gainesville regions.”

In addition to serving as Jones Edmundsutilities director, as vice president, Perrine willcontinue to provide quality assurance and qual-ity control on projects for local government andutilities throughout the state. Perrine has been aJacksonville resident for more than 18 years, andbefore joining Jones Edmunds he served as a vicepresident of facilities and logistics services at theJacksonville Electric Authority.

Weintraub is a veteran with over 12 years ofservice in the United States Air Force. He holds aPh.D. in civil engineering from the University of

Florida, with expertisein geotechnical andpavement engineer-ing. As vice president,he will continue tolead construction en-gineering and inspec-tion for several of thefirm’s FDOT District2 projects.

Haney has workedfor JEAces for the past14 years as senior

project engineer. As vice president, he will con-tinue to lead the firm’s efforts on numerousbridge rehabilitation projects for the Florida De-partment of Trans-portation (FDOT)through Northeastand Central Florida,such as the MathewsBridge EmergencyRepair project inJacksonville, whichgained national andstatewide recognition,as well as numerousawards.

Jones Edmunds has also hired Stephen A.Berry as a senior project manager. In his new po-sition, Berry will help to build and maintainstrong relationships and partnerships with gov-ernment officials, industrial leaders, technicalstaff, regulators, utilities, and other stakeholdersto support growth and development in andaround Jacksonville.

“Steve is a distinguished professional withdeep roots in the Jacksonville community andnortheast Florida,” said Ferreira. “His expertiseand knowledge of local needs will be a tremen-

dous asset in develop-ing creative solutionsand collaborativepartnerships to ad-dress the environ-mental andinfrastructure chal-lenges in this region,as well as throughoutthe state.”

Berry bringsmore than 35 years of extensive environmentaland project management experience to the firm,including experience with the Department ofDefense (DOD), the U.S. Army Corps of Engi-neers (USACE), and several other business sec-tors such as ports, aerospace, commercial, andindustrial clients. He has addressed a broad spec-trum of issues for these entities in the areas ofplanning, permitting and compliance, rangingfrom water resources and air quality to mitiga-tion of wetland impacts and protected species,and has also worked on numerous high-profileprojects that include complex alternatives analy-sis for a new ethanol plant, a 20,000-acre newmajor airport hub, and the preliminary reviewsof new aerospace launch complexes.

Berry received a B.S. in ecology from Birm-ingham-Southern College and a B.S. in environ-mental engineering from the University ofFlorida. He is an active member of the AmericanAssociation of Port Authorities and the Ameri-can Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics.Previously, Berry served as a chair and boardmember of the Jacksonville International Air-port Community Redevelopment Agency, and isa past president and board member of the Ro-tary Club of North Jacksonville.

�The South Florida Water Management

District has approved construction of canal up-grades to enhance the flexibility of movingstormwater from the Everglades AgriculturalArea (EAA) into wetlands, which will improvethe quality of water before it reaches the Ever-glades. Improvements on the Bolles East Canal,which runs from east to west in the EAA south ofLake Okeechobee, will help to reduce the poten-tial need for emergency pumping of excessstormwater into the lake.

Work that includes expanding the canal’sbottom width to 40 ft will also improve waterflow across the EAA; this will provide increasedflexibility for moving water into stormwatertreatment areas, which use aquatic vegetation toremove excess nutrients in the water before itreaches the Everglades. The work is expected tobe completed in early 2017. ��

News Beat

Greg Perrine

David Weintraub

Stephen Haney

Stephen Berry


The EasiDrive portable valve actuatorfrom Smith Flow Control USA allowsvalves to be operated without dedicatedvalve actuators. One person can efficientlydrive multiple valves with a single tool, re-ducing fatigue and injury risk, and savingtime and money. Its reaction kit preventstorque kickback, ensuring that valve move-ment is always fully controlled. The variabletorque output feature, which prevents exces-sive torque being applied, ensures properand safe valve operation. No permanentpower supply is required and it’s suitable forall climates. It has wide-band torque capa-bility and can be powered by air, electricity,or battery. (www.smithflowcontrol.com)

�The Sonic-Pro® S4 from Blue-White is

an inline ultrasonic flowmeter featuring flowmeasurement technology with no movingparts and no internal liners to wear out. TheS4 inline pipe fittings facilitate installationof the meter and are capable of measuringwater flow using the transit time method.Optional advanced data communicationprotocols include industrial Ethernet, Mod-bus RTU, Modbus TCP, PROFIBUS TPV1,and PROFINET. Downloading dataloggingfiles directly to a flash drive via USB is pos-sible, and dual relays for rate alarms, totalalarms, or proportional feed control areavailable. (www.blue-white.com)

�Sludge Mate container filters from Flo

Trend Systems can dewater a variety of ma-terials, such as alum, ferric, lagoon, and di-gested sludge; septic tank, grease trap, andslaughterhouse waste; wastewater residuals;and sump bottoms. The closed-system de-sign provides total odor control, weatherprotection, and no spillage. The units have10-gauge reinforced walls and a seven-gaugecarbon steel floor. Options include peakedroofs with gasketed bolted-down accesshatches, drainage ports, inlet manifolds,floor filters, and side-to-side rolling tarps.Units are available as roll-offs or trailer, andtipping-stand-mounted. Capacities rangefrom 5 to 40 cu yd. (www.flotrend.com)

�The Vac-A-Tee from Perma-Liner In-

dustries allows access to the lateral pipe forcleaning inspection and lateral liningthrough a clean-out. It can also be used toestablish a new service connection at themainline pipe. It is compatible with all pipetypes, such as clay, cast iron, concrete, PVC,

and HDPE, and is available in diametersfrom 4 to 24 in. The unit is homeowner-friendly, with minimal disruption; utility-friendly, eliminating the hazard of diggingup water and gas lines; environmentally-friendly, saving trees and landscaping; andinstaller-friendly, requiring no large equip-ment or shoring. (www.perma-liner.com)

�Summit Software from Ritam Tech-

nologies allows users to start simple withprinted route sheets, or go high-tech withscanning of units serviced (customer proofof service and driver efficiency audit) andintegration of smartphone routing capabil-ities. It uses advanced mapping technologiesto optimize route efficiencies with consider-ations for tank capacity, target schedules,and driver’s working hours. Digital signa-tures can be obtained on-site, while sitesserviced instantly drop from the pendingdispatch log. Information is instantly acces-sible for office personnel, while trackingdrivers dynamically on street-level maps asthey progress through their routes.(www.ritam.com)

�The X02 low-pressure spray-on

polyurethane coating system from ScorpionProtective Coatings is designed to with-stand nearly any environment. It offers cor-rosion prevention, non-skid abuseprotection, chemical resistance, and UV sta-bility. Dents and dings are hazards that wastehaulers want to avoid, along with the corro-sive effects that liquids, salt, and sand canhave on the inside of tanks and painted sur-faces. Other applications include saltwaterand oil equipment, storage tanks, showersand restrooms, crane platforms, and wheel-chair ramps. (www.scorpioncoatings.com)

�The Dura-Plate 6100 high-build, high-

physical-strength epoxy lining for manholesand other severe wastewater and sewer col-lection applications from Sherwin-Williams is suitable for use on ductile ironpipe, steel, and concrete substrates. It offersa dry time of 30 minutes, with a return tototal immersion service in 12 hours. Thisspeed decreases the potential pinholes in theapplied film due to outgassing, ensuringmonolithic film coverage to increase servicelife. It is applied using plural componentequipment. (www.sherwin-williams.com)

�PipeOptix field-based data manage-

ment software from Aries Industries inte-grates with leading camera inspectionsystems, and is easy to learn, set up, and use.It’s ideal for small municipalities without ex-tensive needs for ongoing data management,and offers a low-cost option for contractorswith basic requirements. The software pro-vides automatic transfer of data from thefield to the office for further assessment. It’sPACP- and LACP-certified, and offers directdata migration into more robust systems forfuture flexibility. It can be used on a laptopor full-sized PC and is fully supported foruse with Windows 7 and 8, 64-bit only.(www.ariesindustries.com)

�The Model 3560 industrial-grade high-

pressure triplex pump from Cat Pumps isengineered to maximize uptime and has lu-bricated and cooled seals for maximum life.Concentric, high-density, polished solid ce-ramic plungers provide a true wear surfacethat extends seal life. Pump manifolds areavailable in 316 and 304 stainless steel, brass,and nickel aluminum bronze designed forstrength and corrosion resistance. Drive op-tions include hydraulic motor and other di-rect drives. It’s rated for 20 gpm at 4,000 psiand 25 gpm at 3,000 psi. (wwwcat-pumps.com)

�The high-resolution, digital CCTV,

side-scanning Digital Universal Camera(DUC) from CUES is designed for rapid anddetailed condition assessment. It can inspectand assess 5,000 ft or more per day, produc-ing a high-resolution digital video scan ofinternal pipe conditions in 6- to 60-in. pipe,and a flat unfolded view of the pipe to facil-itate rapid assignment of observations andfor measurement. This low-maintenancecamera has no moving parts and is driventhrough the pipe without the need to stop,pan, or tilt. Drive the unit on cruise controlto the remote manhole, or through multiplemanholes, for maximum efficiency.(www.cuesinc.com) ��

New Products

ENGINEERING DIRECTORY

Tank Engineering And ManagementConsultants, Inc.

Engineering • Inspection

Aboveground Storage Tank SpecialistsMulberry, Florida • Since 1983

863-354-9010www.tankteam.com

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES DIRECTORY



CentralFloridaControls,Inc.

Instrumentation Calibration

Troubleshooting and Repair Services

On-Site Water Meter Calibrations

Preventive Maintenance Contracts

Emergency and On Call Services

Installation and System Start-up

Lift Station Controls Service and Repair

Instrumentation,Controls Specialists

Florida Certified in water meter testing and repair

P.O. Box 6121 • Ocala, FL 34432Phone: 352-347-6075 • Fax: 352-347-0933

www.centra l f lor idacontrols .com

CEC Motor & Utility Services, LLC1751 12th Street EastPalmetto, FL. 34221

Phone - 941-845-1030Fax – 941-845-1049

[email protected]

• Motor & Pump Services Test Loaded up to 4000HP, 4160-Volts

• Premier Distributor for Worldwide Hyundai Motors up to 35,000HP

• Specialists in rebuilding motors, pumps, blowers, & drives

• UL 508A Panel Shop, engineer/design/build/install/commission

• Lift Station Rehabilitation Services, GC License # CGC1520078

• Predictive Maintenance Services, vibration, IR, oil sampling

• Authorized Sales & Service for Aurora Vertical Hollow Shaft Motors

Motor & Utility Services, LLC

EQUIPMENT & SERVICES DIRECTORYShowcase Your Company in the

Engineering or Equipment

& Services Directory

[email protected]

Contact Mike Delaney at 352-241-6006

Posi t ions Avai lable

Utilities Field Superintendent$74,311 - $104,562/yr.

Utilities Treatment Plant Operations Supervisor$55,452 - $78,026/yr.

Reuse Outreach Water Conservation Coord.$45,620 - $64,193/yr.

Utilities System Operator II$37,152 – 52,279/yr.

Apply Online At: http://pompanobeachfl.gov Open until filled.

Water Plant Operator The Utilities Commission, City of New Smyrna Beach is seeking quali-fied applicants for a WTP Operator within the Water Resources Depart-ment. This is highly specialized work in the operations of a Class A WaterTreatment Plant. Visit www.ucnsb.org for a full job description.

Education/Experience: Valid Florida Class C, B, or A License in WaterTreatment. Starting Salary: C - $18.27/hr; B - $19.80/hr; A - $21.35/hr

Qualified applicants may apply online at www.ucnsb.org or email re-sume to [email protected] or mail resume to Human Resources, PO Box689 New Smyrna Beach, FL 32170. EOE/DFWP

Synagro - Plant OperatorThis position will inspect, maintain, and control process equipment andperform mechanical maintenance throughout the plant. Adhere to all ap-plicable regulations to provide, safe, reliable, and cost effective operationof the plant to meet processing, permit, and other applicable require-ments. The position may require nights, weekends or overtime as needed.Email for more information [email protected]

CGA Employment OpportunitiesCGA is an innovative multidisciplinary Engineering Firm ranked as aTop Ten Engineering Firm by South Florida Business Journal, and in thetop 100 fastest growing United States architecture, engineering, andenvironmental consulting firms; with main offices in Fort Lauderdale,Florida. CGA is hiring engineers with expertise in water, wastewater,roadway, traffic, and/or storm water design. Candidates must have a PElicense or EI certification and 5 to 10 years of experience. Apply [email protected]

City of Coral SpringsUTILITIES MECHANIC

Knowledge of mechanical repair and maintenance work of the Utilitiesfacilities. Vocational training/certification with major coursework in me-chanical and/or plumbing. Two to three years responsible experience inthe skilled labor of utilities maintenance and repair. Possession of WaterDistribution Level 3 and/or Wastewater Collection Level C. Florida dri-ver's license, Class B preferred.

Apply online at Http://www1.coralsprings.org/jobs/

ELECTRICIAN/INSTRUMENTATION TECHNICIANSalary: $23.08 Minimum (DOQ)

Bonita Springs Utilities is seeking an experienced Electrician/Instrumen-tation Technician. This positions provides technical instrumentation andcontrol repair skills to ensure the efficient installation, maintenance, re-pair, and calibration of mechanical and electromechanical instrumentsand controls required to operate the treatment plant and associated equip-ment. Applicants must have considerable knowledge of PLC's, PLC pro-gramming, Industrial Control Systems and SCADA servers, and how totroubleshoot errors associated with them, as well as the ability to read andinterpret electrical schematics, diagrams, plans and / or pneumatic draw-ings. We would prefer 5 years of progressive experience with electri-cal/mechanical systems, maintenance and repair. Submit application towww.bsu.us/employment or send resume to Bonita Springs Utilities,Inc., 11900 East Terry Street, Bonita Springs, FL 34135; fax resume to(239) 390-4903.

C L A S S I F I E D S


Wastewater Plant OperatorSalary: A Minimum $20.54 (DOQ)

B Minimum $18.78 (DOQ)C Minimum $17.21 (DOQ)

BSU currently has an opening for a Wastewater Treatment Plant Opera-tor. Salary is based upon experience and license held. Shift work may berequired. Must have valid FL Driver License. Bonita Springs Utilities, Inc.is an EOE, offers a great benefit package and provides a Drug Free Work-place. Submit application at www.bsu.us/employment or send resume toBonita Springs Utilities, Inc., 11900 East Terry Street, Bonita Springs, FL34135; fax resume to (239) 390-4903 .

Water Plant Maintenance MechanicSeacoast Utility Authority

has an immediate opening for a

Water Plant Maintenance Mechanic

Responsibilities are maintenance and repair of membrane plant equip-ment, machinery and facilities. Checks and maintains pumps, motors, fil-ters, belts, compressors, piping and piping connections at plant andpumping facilities. Monitors operational status and performance of plantequipment, coordinates maintenance and repair with system plant staff.Other duties include troubleshoot individual pieces of mechanical equip-ment, evaluate and diagnose system deterioration or failure and performsrepairs on gas, chemical feed systems, odor control systems, screens, filers,and related equipment. Utilizes testing equipment and instrumentation totroubleshoot. Program and setup process equipment including calibra-tion.

Candidate is required to have knowledge of water plant operations, mem-brane treatment systems, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems aswell as knowledge of membrane cleaning, train maintenance/trou-bleshooting and the ability to instruct and tech others in the work group.

Minimum qualifications are graduation from high school with two (2)years of trade's formal training with emphasis in mathematics, physics,and five (5) years industrial instrumentation and controls experience,valid Florida driver's license, possess good interpersonal skills, commu-nications skills, and have the ability to read and understand drawings andtechnical papers. Safety is paramount

Salary range is $38,417.60 - $64,043.20 annually plus excellent benefits toinclude employer paid employee medical, dental, life, disabilities insur-ance, FLEX account, retirement plans, and more.

Position is open until filled.

Please submit application and resume to:

Seacoast Utility AuthorityHuman Resources Departments4200 Hood RdPalm Beach Gardens, FL 33410(561) 627-2900 ext. 395www.suaemployee.com

EVERGLADES CITYWATER / WASTEWATER OPERATOR

CONTRACT EMPLOYEE5 days/week 10 hours/day$40/hr $8,000 per month

Minimum Requirements: Duel license: Class C water and Class C wastewater.5 years experienceMembrane filtration experience preferred. Send resume:[email protected] 239-695-3781

WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT OPERATORUtilities, Inc. is seeking a Wastewater Operator in the Dunedin/PinellasCounty area. Applicant must have a minimum Class C FDEP Wastewaterlicense. Applicant must have a HS Diploma or GED & a valid Florida dri-ver’s license with a clean record. To view complete job description & applyfor the position please visit our web site, www.uiwater.com, select theEmployment Opportunities tab. The job is listed under Operations – FL-Dunedin.

WATER PLANT OPERATORCITY OF TEMPLE TERRACE

Technical work in the operation of a water treatment plant and auxiliaryfacilities on an assigned shift. Performs quality control lab tests and otheranalyses, monthly regulatory reports, and minor adjustments and repairsto plant equipment. Applicant must have State of Florida D.E.P. Class “A”,“B”, or “C’ Drinking Water Certification at time of application. SalaryRanges – “A”-$17.33 – 26.01; “B”-$15.76-23.65; “C”-$14.33-21.50. Excel-lent benefits package. To apply and/or obtain more details contact City ofTemple Terrace, Chief Plant Operator at (813) 506-6593 or Human Re-sources at (813) 506-6430 or visit www.templeterrace.com. EOE/DFWP.

Pinellas CountyDirector of Utilities, Clearwater, FL

$110,246-$167,023/yr.This is highly responsible professional, administrative and managementwork directing the water, wastewater, and reclaimed water operations ofthe Utilities Department. This position works closely with the County Ad-ministrator on critical issues and organizational policies. Send resumeand cover letter to [email protected]

Additional information and applications are available ath t t p : / / w w w. p i n e l l a s co u n t y. o r g / P D F / E xe c u t ive _ Po s i t i o n -Director_of_Utilities.pdf

Utilities, Inc.

Reiss Engineering, Inc.Are you looking for an opportunity with a company that is poised forgrowth? Reiss Engineering stands as one of the most prominent Civil andEnvironmental engineering firms in the State of Florida and the Bahamas.Our main focus is water and wastewater, serving both public and privatesector clients with integrity, technical excellence and a commitment toperformance. At Reiss Engineering, we are committed to making successhappen for our clients, our employees and our firm.

Reiss Engineering offers a competitive compensation and benefits pack-age, as well as a stimulating and fast paced work environment. Reiss En-gineering is continuously searching for highly talented individuals andwelcomes resumes from those with an interest in joining our team. For alist of our current openings, or to submit a resume for a potential oppor-tunity, please visit our website at www.reisseng.com.

Seminole County - Utilities Operations DivisionManager $58,635.20 - $112,153.60

This is a highly responsible, administrative, supervisory and technical po-sition overseeing the operation, maintenance, safety and regulatory com-pliance programs for the County-owned water, wastewater and reuseutility systems. Manages supervisory staff engaged in the operation, re-pair, preventative maintenance and upgrade of all utility facilities, systemsassets and equipment.

To view the full job description and to apply, please visit our website at:http://agency.governmentjobs.com/seminolecountyfl/default.cfm

Wastewater Operators Positions available with the City of Haines City, Florida.

Class B: High School Diploma or GED, 3 to 5 years experience, Class BWastewater Operator License required. Class C: High School Diploma orGED, 2 to 3 years experience, Class C Wastewater Operator License re-quired. Starting: $16.10 Class B, $14.64 Class C (DOQ). Apply atwww.hainescity.com

Equipment For SaleVulcan Mensch Crawler

Bar Screen for SaleCoral Springs Improvement Districthas a 2003 Vulcan bar screen for salein excellent condition. Bar screen ismade of stainless steel and rated tohandle peak flow of 18.0 MGD. Thechannel width is 3’-0” and depth of9’-4 3/8” with a 3/8” spacing betweenbars. The Bar Screen is 22’ 21/2” longand 3’ 83/4” wide. Control panel andspare parts are available.

Price: Negotiable

Please contact Tim Martin, ChiefOperator at (954) 796-6677 for moredetails.

Classified Advertising Rates Classified ads are $20 per line for a 60 character line(including spaces and punctuation), $60 minimum. Theprice includes publication in both the magazine andour Web site. Short positions wanted ads are run onetime for no charge and are subject to editing.

[email protected]


Looking For a Job? The FWPCOA Job Placement

Committee Can Help!

Contact Joan E. Stokes at 407-293-9465 or fax 407-293-9943

for more information.


From page 26

1. B) Maximum contaminant level (MCL)Maximum contaminant level (MCL) is the term used for the safelevels that are considered to be many times less than theconcentrations that are known or anticipated to cause adverse healtheffects.

2. D) Copper sulfateCopper sulfate can be used in reservoirs to prevent algae blooms. Theeffectiveness is based on the water’s alkalinity.

3. A) AnaerobicAnaerobic is a condition where no oxygen is present in the water.This condition can lead to the formation of hydrogen sulfide or therelease of iron and manganese.

4. C) 29oCoF - 32 ÷ 1.8 = oC84oF - 32 ÷ 1.8 = 29.4 oC

5. B) Flash mixingFlash mixing rapidly mixes and distributes coagulant chemicals intothe water. Flash mixing occurs within seconds.

6. B) The flocculation is too heavy.The flocculation is too heavy and will settle in the flocculation basinand not in the sedimentation basin. The coagulant dosage should bereduced.

7. C) FlocculationFlocculation is the process of gently and gradually bringing smallersolids particles together to form larger particles (floc). The purpose offlocculation is to create a floc of a suitable size, density, andtoughness for later removal in the sedimentation and filtrationprocesses.

8. B) Valve coverThe valve cover should always be over the valves. The cylinder couldbe dropped and cause the valve to break releasing chlorine gas.

9. C) 80 to 100 lb/dayThe old rule of thumb for the maximum withdrawal rate from a150-lb cylinder was about 40 lb/day. However, it has since beendetermined that the maximum feed rate for gas drawn from a 150-lbcylinder can be about 80 to 100 lb/day. The maximum withdrawalrate is temperature-dependent. At these high withdrawal rates, thecylinder may sweat, but the chlorinator should still function towithdraw the chlorine gas. If these feed rates are exceeded, the tankwill frost over and freeze because heat can’t pass through the tank asfast to evaporate the chlorine from a liquid to a gas.

10. C) Soda ashThe removal of noncarbonated hardness requires lime with theaddition of soda ash. When soda ash is used to remove noncarbonatehardness, the pH required is 10 to 10.5 for calcium compounds and11 to 11.5 for magnesium compounds.

Editorial CalendarJanuary ......Wastewater Treatment

February ....Water Supply; Alternative Sources

March ........Energy Efficiency; Environmental Stewardship

April............Conservation and Reuse

May ............Operations and Utilities Management;

Florida Water Resources Conference

June ..........Biosolids Management and Bioenergy Production

July ............Stormwater Management; Emerging Technologies;

FWRC Review

August........Disinfection; Water Quality

September..Emerging Issues; Water Resources Management

October ......New Facilities, Expansions, and Upgrades

November ..Water Treatment

December ..Distribution and Collection

Technical articles are usually scheduled several months in advance andare due 60 days before the issue month (for example, January 1 for theMarch issue).

The closing date for display ad and directory card reservations, notices,announcements, upcoming events, and everything else includingclassified ads, is 30 days before the issue month (for example,September 1 for the October issue).

For further information on submittal requirements, guidelines forwriters, advertising rates and conditions, and ad dimensions, as well asthe most recent notices, announcements, and classified advertisements,go to www.fwrj.com or call 352-241-6006.

Blue Planet..................................63Carollo ........................................48CEU Challenge ............................40Constatine................................6,21Crom ..........................................31CS ..............................................49Data Flow....................................33FSAWWA CONFERENCE

Registration ............................10Calendar of Events ..................11Conference Overview ..............12Water Summit ........................13Taste Test................................14Student/YP Events ..................15

Poker Night ............................16Golf Tournament......................17

FWEA Collections Sytems............25FWPCOA Training ........................47Garney ..........................................5GML Coatings ........................23,39Hudson Pumps............................51Ixom............................................53Medora ......................................19Polston........................................41Stacon ..........................................2Treeo......................................27,42Wade Trim ..................................43Xylem..........................................64

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February 2014

Certification Boulevard Answer Key

florida water resources journal - november 2015

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