Monsters Really Do Exist in the Sewers
And 7 Other Strange but True Facts about Wastewater
Who: JWC Environmental, booth 9021
What: WEFTEC wastewater trade show
Where: Washington DC Convention Center
When: Oct. 30 thru Nov. 2
Visuals: Extremely large wastewater treatment equipment, some items 14' tall, nearly 4 tons in weight and super powerful shredders
Contact: Alec Mackie, office: 714-428-4614; or e-mail jwce@jwce.com
Washington, DC - In celebration of wastewater week Oct. 30 thru Nov. 2, when over 15,000 industry professionals will gather in DC for the annual WEFTEC convention, here are some strange but true facts about the hidden world of wastewater treatment. The following facts are brought to you by wastewater equipment maker JWC Environmental.
1) Monsters really do exist in the sewers: From Muffin Monsters® to Channel Monsters® to Mini Monsters®, equipment maker JWC Environmental has thousands of pieces of machinery installed at wastewater treatment plants and in sewer lines across the country. These massively powerful machines crunch down on all the trash and debris that threatens to clog or block the sewers, and they shred the trash into small particles that flow easily through pipelines and pumps. There's probably a Muffin Monster or Channel Monster not far from you right now, grinding, chewing on sewage to help keep it flowing on to the treatment plant. Invented in 1973, we have sold over 20,000 "Monsters" to the wastewater industry.
2) There are giant sewer storage caverns underground: During rainstorms many cities experience sewer overflows when pipelines fill-up with too much water, sending raw sewage into local waterways. To prevent these combined sewer overflows (CSOs) many cities, such as Portland, OR and Chicago, IL, have constructed massive underground caverns or tunnels to capture and store sewage and rainwater until after the storm passes, then pump the polluted water to the wastewater treatment plant for processing. Chicago's CSO tunnels are 109 miles long (source: Chicago Tunnel and Reservoir Project). Other cities with CSO storage tunnels include: Atlanta, Houston, Los Angeles and Detroit. Washington DC is planning to build large CSO storage tunnels.
3) In the near future wastewater will help cities fight drought and stay green during dry summers: Membrane Bioreactors, a recent technology breakthrough in the industry, produce such clean, pure water from commercial and residential sewage, that many cities are reusing the treated flow to water lawns, parks and golf courses. Membrane Bioreactors are made up of thousands of hollow threads with micron size holes in them. Vacuum suction pulls water through the holes while unwanted solids and pollution are left behind and settle out as sludge. In the near future, this technology will easily produce perfectly clean drinking water. Membrane Bioreactors typically have a Bandscreen Monster up front to protect them from large trash and debris.
4) Only a day: The wastewater treatment process takes just 12 to 48 hours from flush to discharge into the ocean or river. About a dozen steps are needed to get out whatever commercial or residential users flushed, and there's no way to stop the flow of sewage. Treatment plants operate 24/7, 365 days a year and typically have one or two back-up systems for every process.
5) Funding: The Federal Government spends 10 times more money subsidizing food production (the front end of the business so to speak) than it does on wastewater treatment plant construction (the back end of the business). Annual payments to farmers totaled $17 billion in 2001 versus the EPA's 2001 Clean Water State Revolving Fund allocation of $1.3 billion. In the last two years Congress has further cut wastewater funding by 33% to $900 million annually. (source = EPA, GAO, Farm Payments report 04-407)
6) College degrees: Many states require treatment plant operators posses a college certificate degree in wastewater treatment plant operation, and many operators must pass written tests before they start working at a wastewater treatment plant. For example, California has an office which oversees the standards and testing for wastewater treatment plant operators. (source: California Water Resources Control Board)
7) Strange finds: one of the best questions to ask a wastewater treatment operator is: "What's the strangest thing you've found pulled out at the sewage treatment plant?" Interesting items include: cash; dentures; sweaters; underwear; shoes; towels; concrete and rebar; fire extinguishers; cell phones; and in Las Vegas even casino chips come down the sewer line from time-to-time, a reason that city doesn't use many Muffin Monster grinders. JWC's sales folks also report seeing: a bicycle frame in Nashville, TN; most of the front end of a Volkswagen Beetle (fenders and hood); and the front bench-seat from a car in Lancaster, PA. The bigger items are usually dropped through a manhole by vandals. (source: JWC sales people)
And finally, in the tradition of friendly cartoon animals reminding you to do the right thing, the Muffin Monster reminds everyone:
Help prevent sewage spills - never, ever flush trash or grease down the drain!
