Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2008 - (Page 29) create the various process zones necessary for full and effective treatment. There are virtually limitless possibilities for how this volume can be utilized. The technology employed in a FETP is time-tested, with the first units installed in the mid-1960s. Since then, more than 1,000 of these systems have been commissioned throughout the world, in such diverse locations as the Florida Keys, Upstate New York, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. The municipal and industrial environments in which these plants are operating are just as varied as their locales, from being only a few yards away from the ocean to fully buried in the ground for winter thermal protection. Unlike conventional, site-built construction where individual unit processes are usually isolated in separate tanks and interconnected with a network of piping, wiring and walkways, FETP systems contain the entire treatment process within a single structure. This design not only reduces the footprint required but also reduces the construction cost by simplifying the yard piping and conduit runs needed. A FETP uses conventional process designs that incorporate conservative safety factors readily accepted by regulatory agencies. This results in a system that operates reliably and consistently over a wide range of conditions. Unlike other types of wastewater processes, these systems typically do not depend on sophisticated control strategies or a myriad of control valves, sensors and other sensitive equipment to operate effectively. In fact, most operators claim that once they get a few key process control parameters dialed in, field-erected plants virtually run themselves. Using a FETP allows for a single point life expectancy of a new plant, but at a of responsibility during the entire project, fraction of the capital cost. where the manufacturer is responsible for In contrast to concrete tanks where supplying (and in most cases installing) all demolition is essentially the only option the components required for a fully func- when it comes to expansions or upgrades, tional treatment system, from raw influ- the steel tanks used in FETP systems ent to treated effluent, in a single package. maintain a residual value and useful life This eliminates the finger-pointing and long after they have fulfilled their initially blame-shifting that is unfortunately all too intended purpose. common during the construction and commissioning phases of wastewater jobs. Conclusion Flexibility of use is another outstandIn summary, field-erected treatment ing feature of the steel tanks. Not only are systems offer robust and consistent they built to last for decades, their func- treatment to meet virtually any effluent tional utility can be easily and economi- limit. They utilize conventional, conservacally modified to meet future needs as the tive biological process designs that are recommunity grows. A FETP designed to liable and simple to operate. Superior treat a small community’s flow can be in- quality, factory-assembled components corporated into that community’s capac- allow for quick and economical installaity expansion plans by retrofitting the tions that provide decades of useful internals so the existing tankage can be service. SLDT used as a sludge digester or for other functional purposes. About the Author: Tony Freed is a product For example, a city in the Florida panmanager for Davco biological systems at handle installed a pair of field-erected Siemens Water Technologies in Thomasville, Ga. For more information on FETPs, please visit plants in the 1980s. About 10 years later, www.siemens.com/fetp. the community needed to expand its capacity. During the construction of two new FETPs, the existing plants were converted to aerobic digesters by removing the “ bulkhead walls in the outer ring, removing the Permeable Concrete Paving Stone System clarifier mechanisms in the center tank and adding coarse-bubble Federal law mandates that U.S. States control diffusers. The ability to non-point source water pollution with best cost-effectively retrofit management practices through the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System. this existing tankage inSF-Rima pavements – your choice for: stead of building new • Reduction of runoff • Conservation of space for retention requirements saved the city hundreds • Filtration for water quality improvement • Recharge of groundwater of thousands of dollars. • Reduction of downstream flows and bank erosion due to decreased peak flows and volumes If additional process • Reduced project development costs due to reduction of storm sewers and drainage facilities capacity is not required • Strong pavement for vehicular traffic • SF-Rima stones can also be installed as turf pavement at a particular location, for light trafficked areas existing plants can still Manufacturers: Angelus Block, Rialto, CA Tel 951-328-9115 extend their value and Basalite, Tracy, CA Tel 209-833-3670 Blue Ridge Pavers, Georgia Tel 706-265-7966 prolong their useful life. Eagle Bay Hardscapes, VA, MD, PA, NC Tel 800-564-7300 Everstone Pavers, New Orleans, LA Tel 504-254-5014 In fact, FETPs can be Conpave, Div. of Block USA, AL Tel 800-239-7421 Hessit Works, Indiana Tel 812-829-6246 easily cut down, moved Low Country Pavers, South Carolina Tel 866-468-3561 Nicolock, Long Island, NY Tel 800-669-9294 and re-erected at other Nicolock, New England Tel 203-985-0380 The Paving Stone Co., Puerto Rico Tel 787-251-9474 sites where additional Tremron, Miami, Florida Tel 305-825-9000 Tremron, Jacksonville, Florida Tel 904-359-5900 treatment is needed, reMutual Materials, British Columbia Tel 604-888-0555 Mutual Materials, Bellevue, WA Tel 800-477-3008 sulting in a plant with Willamette Graystone, Oregon Tel 503-669-7612 the same warrantee and SF Concrete Technology Inc. SF-RIMA Rain water is precious. ™ ™ SF-Rima™ and are trademarks of SF Concrete Technology Inc. U.S. Patent 5,224,792 1-888-347-7873 • www.sfconcrete.com • email: info@sfconcrete.on.ca Circle 176 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard www.SLDTonline.com 29 http://www.siemens.com/fetp http://www.sfconcrete.com http://www.sfconcrete.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard http://www.SLDTonline.com
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