ERLANGER, KY, Nov. 20, 2007 -- Aquionics UV disinfection equipment is helping the award-winning Flat Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) in Gainesville, GA, exceed permit limits for fecal samples by a significant margin.
"We installed three Aquionics medium pressure InLine UV systems over six years ago, adding three more in 2004, and they have performed exactly as expected, with all our fecal samples well below the permit limit," commented Flat Creek's Plant Manager Michael West.
The Flat Creek WRF recently gained a second place National Clean Water Act Recognition Award for operations and maintenance from the Environment Protection Agency (EPA). According to the EPA, the Flat Creek Water Reclamation Facility is one of the two treatment plants in Georgia recognized for "their innovative approaches and achievements," which "improve water quality and protect public health and the environment in the communities they serve."
The Aquionics units are arranged in three trains of two chambers each, providing a 'series' approach to ensure adequate disinfection to the 23 fecal colonies per 100ml sample required by the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The systems are designed to treat a combined total of 12 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater (up to 80% industrial and 20% low level commercial and residential) for discharge into Lake Lanier. "With the impact of the severe drought in our area causing the level of the lake to fall to historically low levels, every drop of reclaimed water that can possibly be returned to the lake is essential," added West.
Aquionics InLine systems use high-output, medium pressure UV technology to deliver a high dose of UV disinfection which destroys microorganisms with fewer and smaller lamps than comparable low pressure systems. The closed chambers are compatible with both gravity fed and pumped applications, providing low maintenance disinfection with minimal headloss.
This closed pipe design was an important feature for the City of Gainesville. When first selecting UV equipment for the Flat Creek WRF, representatives from the City's Public Utilities Department visited several neighboring metro Atlanta facilities and examined a range of open and closed pipe systems from various manufacturers. "The excessive man-hours required to keep an open channel unit clean was a large factor in choosing the Aquionics closed channel system initially," said West.
Ease of handling was another feature in Aquionics' favor, according to West, as rather than handling an entire bank of lamps at a time, the InLine's single lamps may be changed quickly and easily by plant personnel. To further reduce maintenance, the chambers are equipped with an automatic cleaning mechanism to keep lamp sleeves free of organic deposits.
The systems feature Aquionics' UVTronic™ microprocessor controls and transmittance monitors specifically designed for wastewater, providing real time transmittance values that allow for dose pacing of the UV system. The control unit records up to 12 months of operational data for record keeping and analysis and generates discrete fault alarms to aid in the diagnosis of performance problems. The controller can also be fitted with a modem connection to perform remote diagnostics on the system for fast troubleshooting with minimal service interruption.
Aquionics, a Halma company, is a leader in the manufacture, application and development of UV technology for progressive, non-chemical disinfection and microbiological control.
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