Case Study: Town of Jerusalem, New York

The Town of Jerusalem is located in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The region's geography is gashed by several gullies and deep ravines that run down to Keuka Lake; valleys and rolling hills used primarily as farm land; and, steep slopes on the waterfront.

It was precisely the natural beauty and rocky terrain the region prizes that would make it laborious, environmentally disruptive and almost certainly cost-prohibitive to excavate for conventional gravity sewering.

Hundreds of vacation homes (seasonal occupancy is only approximately 20-percent full-time residents) are located very close to the lake, often on small building lots with very little room for septic leach fields.  A high water table and ineffective subsurface drainage means the drain fields have poor percolation to begin with, so decline is rapid and inevitable. 

The town had required homes to be scrutinized every five years.  If an existing septic system flunked inspection, corrections were required which often included the installation of a new tank and drain field at a cost of $20,000 to $30,000 per residence. In many instances there was not enough room to put in an up-to-date replacement.

Constructing a gravity sewer system, back in 1999, was estimated to cost $6 million, whereas an E/One pressure sewer system would cost $3.2 million. The proposed LPS for the Town of Jerusalem eliminated the need for 12 lift stations with a total cost savings of $900,000. Nor did it require a rock excavation outlay pegged at $775,000.

What has Jerusalem's experience been with pressure sewer? Read the entire article on Modern Pumping Today's web site. 

 

E/One Welcomes US Department of Commerce Deputy Under Secretary Hyatt @ WEFTEC

Deputy Under Secretary for the US Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, Kenneth E. Hyatt met with E/One President Eric LaCoppola and Philip Thompson iota Group Manager for Australia's South East WaterCorporation at WEFTEC in New Orleans this week.  

 Their discussion included the latest developments in E/One's contract with the Melbourne-based utility to provide over 16,000 grinder pumps to their Peninsula ECO project for what will soon become the world's largest pressure sewer system. 

E/One is also introducing South East Water's iota OneBox Monitoring & Control product at WEFTEC. OneBox provides remote control and monitoring capabilities to individual grinder pump stations and promises to change the way utility districts view pressure sewers in the future.

E/One Named "Top Projects Award" Winner by Water & Wastes Digest

News Release:

NISKAYUNA, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2014 -- Environment One Corporation (E/One), a pioneer and world leader of low-pressure, gravity-independent, contour-following sewage collection systems, has been selected as one of the winners of Water & Wastes Digest's Top Projects Award Program. The presentation will be made on Tuesday, September 30, in New Orleans on the occasion of the Water  Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC^®), the largest event of its kind in North America.

In attempting to clear up an E. coli problem in the area’s lakes by replacing deteriorating septic systems, E/One and its client, the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District in Monticello, IN, constructed the single largest grinder pump driven low-pressure sewer project in the Western Hemisphere.

"For this area, for this district, the best thing was low-pressure sewer," says Mike Darter, general manager of the Twin Lakes Regional Sewer District.  "By far and away LPS was the only way to sewer this area. It provided a timely installation with minimal disturbance to the property owners."

At present, the $65 million project counts 5,071 E/One grinder pumps which service approximately 8,000 residences and businesses around Lake Shaffer and Lake Freeman. Nearly 300 miles of pressure sewer lines link across more than 29 square miles and traverse the Tippecanoe River multiple times. The expected flow from the entire system is 1,285,000 gallons per day delivered to four separate wastewater treatment plants.

"It's quite an honor for E/One Sewer® systems, and for the grinder pump category which we pioneered and which was not too long ago considered an 'alternate' technology. Today LPS has become the 'appropriate' technology solution for a growing number of progressive communities worldwide," says E/One President Eric LaCoppola.

E/One conceived the concept of the household grinder pump in the late 1960’s. E/One Sewer systems have since proven to be an economical and effective method of sewering otherwise difficult land areas, such as flat, wet, rocky and hilly terrain.

At the heart of an E/One Sewer is the grinder pump, developed by Environment One. These units accept household sanitary waste, grind it into a fine slurry, and pressurize it to permit transport through small-diameter pipes. E/One Sewer systems now serve over one million

end-users daily.

Other participants in the Twin Lakes project include E/One’s local distributor Covalen; Gorman-Rupp; Reynolds, Inc. (now Layne Heavy Civil), Orleans, IN; HRP Construction, South Bend, IN; Rothenberger Construction, Concord, MI; Clyde E. Williams & Associates, LaGrange, IN; RheinBach Engineers, South Bend, IN; and, GRW Engineers, Indianapolis, IN.

ABOUT E/ONE

Environment One Corporation (E/One) is a diversified, high-technology company located in Niskayuna, New York, U.S.A. Manufacturing, engineering, administration and marketing operations are managed from Niskayuna. Environment One also maintains regional sales offices in key cities in the U.S.A. and globally. Environment One Corporation is owned by Precision Castparts Corp. (PCC), a worldwide manufacturer of complex metal components and products, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PCP."

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New Webinar: Grinder Pumps for Basement Flood Prevention

Join E/One Sewer Systems and Water & Wastes Digest on Wednesday, September 24, at 2:00 pm ET for a new webinar.

Basement flooding caused by sewer backups is downright damaging, extremely expensive, and quite common in towns and cities throughout the U.S. In addition to being a health hazard and a stressful event for building occupants, sewer backups can create tremendous resource burdens. These backups can be created by excessive groundwater or rainwater entering the sanitary sewer system as infiltration and inflow (I&I). In combined sewer systems, overflows often result from an insufficient capacity to properly convey the combined sanitary and wet-weather flow.

Find out how grinder pumps can now provide protection and security to homeowners and businesses by preventing sewer-related basement flooding. This proven technology provides a simple and straightforward solution to a stinky situation that has plagued system owners/operators and their constituents for decades.

Participants earn one professional development hour through Water & Wastes Digest.

Register now!

Article Share: Upgrades on the Fly

"Upgrades on the Fly," in the July issue of Treatment Plant Operator, is about the sewer system in Cohasset, Mass. Not only has the treatment plant undergone extensive upgrades, the 400 grinder pumps are getting upgraded as well -- literally.

E/One Upgrade grinder pump

The system originally used centrifugal grinder pumps, but they just didn't cut the mustard -- er, disposable wipes, among other things. So the town is retrofitting those grinder pumps with the E/One Upgrade SPD grinder pump.

The E/One Upgrade was designed specifically to replace 2 hp centrifugal grinder pumps and offers quick, drop-in replacement into the existing wetwell tank.

Read the entire article.

Looking to solve your sewer system woes? Learn more about E/One Sewer Systems and find out how we can help.

Article: Using Grinder Pumps to Prevent Sewer System Backups

Nobody wants to endure a sewer system backup into his home. Unfortunately, they happen more often as sewer system infrastructure in the United States ages. Combine age with storms that seem to produce heavier and heavier rains, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Combined sewer systems, which combine both wastewater from homes and stormwater from drains, still exist throughout the Northeast and Great Lakes regions of the United States. Overflows result from insufficient capacity to transport the wastewater and stormwater flows. Unfortunately, during heavy rain, this combined sewer overflow (CSO) can back up into the basements of homes and businesses, costing tens of thousands of dollars in damage.

Backflow prevention valves and catch basins have been typical solutions, but they have big drawbacks: backflow prevention valves, when engaged, prevent wastewater from backing up, but they also prevent wastewater from going out -- ie, the building's plumbing cannot be used. Catch basins can be overwhelmed by heavy rains, as the water goes to the sewer system anyway through manholes and other entry points.

A new best practice for preventing these CSO overflows and backups is installing a grinder pump station to handle the home's wastewater. How does it work, and where has this solution been used? Find out in Grinder Pumps for Basement Flood Prevention, which appeared in the October 2013 issue of Pumps & Systems magazine.

Have questions, or need more information? Visit the E/One web site, or contact us at eone@eone.com.

Article Share: You can put ANYTHING into a Septic System ... Right?

Often when homeowners are told they have to convert from septic tanks to sewer systems -- especially sewer systems with grinder pumps -- they're quite surprised that they suddenly have a list of items they can't flush/pour down the drain.

"I never had these rules with my septic tank!" they say.

Or did they?

The January issue of Pumper magazine contained a great piece by Jim Anderson, Ph.D., 6 Tips Your Customers will Appreciate. The recommendations, for the most part, are the same for sewer systems. A few are items are even more restrictive than they are for sewer systems.

Here are the six tips summarized, but go to the article for the full context:

1. The toilet is not another wastebasket -- Mostly agreed. We've heard from many service techs about the crazy things that end up in the grinder pump as well. Household wastewater and toilet paper are all that belong. There is one point where we disagree with the author: "... the toilet is used as a handy wastebasket to flush away a number of items. This may work where homes are serviced by the 'big pipe' ..." NO!!! Ask any treatment plant operator how he feels about baby wipes and "flush and forget," and we bet he'll agree with us.
2. Space out laundry loads -- This one is interesting and really applies only to septic tanks. Whether or not your sewer system involves a grinder pump, you don't have to worry about timing out your laundry chore.
3. Avoid the garbage disposal -- Again, this one applies to septic tanks. You can have a garbage disposal with your grinder pump, but pay attention to what you're putting through the disposal. Did you know that you're not supposed to put meat and bones through the disposal? And that you're supposed to run the water for about 5 minutes to ensure your kitchen drain is clear?
4. Dispose of medicines properly -- Agreed, and you're not supposed to throw them in the garbage, either, according to the EPA. Your town probably has a drug take-back day once or twice a year, or your pharmacy may take and dispose them.
5. Say no to solvents -- Strong chemicals don't belong in any system.
6. Give new systems a fresh start -- If you're buying at a home that has a grinder pump, find out everything you can about the system: age (if it's in an existing home), manufacturer, warranty (in a new or existing home), who is responsible for maintenance (you or the town), who is the local service provider (the town or a local company).

The bottom line is, whether you have a sewer system or a septic tank, be kind to your system.