Case Study: Grinder Pumps Fuel Economic Growth

Southside sits in a rural area of Arkansas. Residents relied on septic tanks, which had a number of problems: some were a half-century old and ending their useful life, but more so, the shallow, soggy soil didn't perc well ... vital for septic systems.

Credit: Crist Engineers

"Improving the wastewater system represents the absolute top priority," was the urgent message of the 2009 Batesville Comprehensive Plan.

"Existing subdivisions couldn't grow anymore and were becoming unsafe due to raw sewage because of bad percolation," says Richardson. A new collection system was fundamental, he adds, "for growth both residential and commercial."

Credit: Crist Engineers

A gravity sewer system would have cause massive disruption and deep trenches. Crist Engineers, located in Little Rock, had designed pressure sewer systems before and chose E/One grinder pumps to do the job.

What were the results? Read the entire story on E/One's web site.

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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"You Can't Flush ANYTHING when You have a Grinder Pump"

(Notice that the headline is in quotes -- you'll learn why.)

As we've discussed on the blog before, new grinder pump owners feel incredibly limited by what they can pour or flush down the drain. They didn't have restrictions when they had septic tanks or gravity sewer systems, they say.

Are you sure?

We added a few video "Likes" to our YouTube channel last week about what not to flush and why. You may be saying, "Thanks for another reason to dislike a grinder pump ..."

Not so fast.

What's interesting about these videos is, not one of them ever mentions a grinder pump! Each video explains what what you should not be putting into the sewer system.


Still not convinced? Check out these links, found during a quick Google search (and have no obvious affiliation to E/One Sewer Systems):

• Village Requests Residents to Refrain from Flushing Baby Wipes -- Goreville, IL
• A kit by Goldstreet Designs, an agency that designs communications for the public utilities sector 
• The Septic Tank Maintenance entry on Inspectapedia.com (very similar list to the grinder pump)

Personal/cleaning wipes are a favorite topic: they're popular consumer items, yet problematic to the wastewater systems (equipment repairs, overtime, etc). Could it be true that people will pay for the convenience of wipes, even pay a plumber to clear a clog, but complain when their taxes go up because of increased sewer rates?

Of course, wipes aren't the only reason we are paying more for sewer. ASCE's Infrastructure Report Card was released a few weeks ago. We'll discuss the D grade that America's wastewater infrastructure received.

We've already started on our Facebook page (you don't need to be a member to view our page, only to add comments).

Wastewater Infrastructure in Prefurbia

The January issue of Pumps & Systems magazine features "Wastewater Infrastructure in Prefurbia."

Rick Harrison, the author of Prefurbia: Reinventing the Suburbs from Disdainable to Sustainable, and his team have spent 30 years designing more than 700 innovative neighborhoods in 46 states and 14 countries. More communities across the U.S. are becoming aware of Rick Harrison's vision and expertise and are actively taking part in planning committees and discussions about Prefurbia. Prefurbia incorporates Harrison's green neighborhood design thoughts, innovative ideas, techniques and methods.

Learn how E/One Sewer systems can be part of the solution.

Case Study: Elwood, Kansas

The April issue of WaterWorld magazine features an E/One case study. Elwood, Kansas, has one of the largest gravity sewer system replacement projects in the country. The gravity sewer system had a lot of infiltration problems. Nine lift stations ran constantly to clear the groundwater. Manholes and sections of sewer mains were constantly sinking. Then, there was the flood of 1993.

How big of a flood? The town was washed out and need to be re-sewered. Click here to read the entire article in WaterWorld magazine.

New Grinder Pump Station Added to "W" Series

E/One Sewer Systems has added another grinder pump station to its W-Series product line, the WH472. The WH472 is a duplex (2 pumps) version of the WH471, which we rolled out at WEFTEC in October. The WH472 offers the same capacity of 476 gallons, but the daily flow is 3500 GPD, compared to 2000 GPD for the WH471.

More information -- including drawings -- is available on E/One's web site.

E/One Grinder Pump Case Studies in Pumps & Systems Magazine

The current issue of Pumps & Systems magazine features a special section devoted to grinder and chopper pumps. This section features and article entitled, "Grinder Pump Driven Pressure Sewer Systems." The article highlights two communities that use E/One grinder pumps:

Athens, Tennessee
Athens, which we talked about here a few months ago, suffered from extreme infiltration problems. An aging gravity sewer system could not handle the town's wastewater flow, and rainwater that bypassed the pump station made the situation worse.

Instead of building a new gravity sewer system, Athens decided to use a pressure sewer system using E/One grinder pumps. Installation was less disruptive, saving on construction costs. The reduced flow into the wastewater treatment plant resulted in an annual (treatment) savings of more than $89,000.

Marion, Massachusetts
The New England coast poses several geo-technical challenges: sloping terrain, rock, high groundwater and sandy soil. When Marion needed to expand its sewer system, pressure sewer was the obvious choice.

Pressure sewer service to the 455 homes saved 40 percent over the cost of the proposed gravity system -- and was completed in half the time of the gravity sewer proposal.

Additional Case Studies
To read more articles about communities who have successfully used E/One grinder pumps, visit the Case Studies and Technical Reprints sections on E/One's web site.

Sewer Systems: Pressure Sewer vs Gravity Sewer

When most people think of sewer systems, they think only of gravity sewers. Gravity sewers have been around for centuries, with origins in the Roman aqueducts. While often considered the "simple sewer solution" when septic tanks cannot be used, gravity sewers are not always feasible. What other choice is there? Pressure sewer systems.

Gravity sewer systems use large mains (up to 24" in diameter) that must be accurately placed and bedded along a continuous downward grade. Large, costly lift stations are often involved as well. All of the sewer mains must be in "straight lines," adding to the complexity of the system design. and, because the mains are all "below grade" of structures, large, deep trenches will be required. If the land has a high water table or a lot of bedrock, gravity sewers may be cost prohibitive or impossible to install at all.

Pressure sewer systems offer many more options. The small mains (usually 2" to 4" in diameter) are buried just below the frost line, eliminating the need for large, deep trenches. The mains are flexible, so they can often be installed via directional drilling. Grinder pumps transport waste from the homes to the pressure sewer mains. Because the wastewater is pressurized, it can be transported horizontally up to two miles, or 185 feet vertically.

Case Study: Great Sky, Canton, Georgia
The Great Sky development is located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Steep hills and bedrock made gravity sewers incredibly expensive -- deep trenches and 20 lift stations were estimated. Septic systems were not allowed.

The solution? A pressure sewer system with E/One grinder pumps installed at each home, allowing wastewateer to be pumped uphill. Shallow trenching was used to install the force mains. Only three lift stations were required.

Read the entire article, as published in Land Development Today magazine, on E/One's web site.

Free Sewer System Design Software

E/One offers free sewer system design software on its web site. Visit the Design Center, fill out the form, and you will receive a link to download the software. When you click get the email, click the provided link and installation will begin. Design Assistant 8 is exclusively for designing a system with E/One grinder pumps.





(If you don't receive your link within a few minutes of filling out the form, check your spam filter or junk folder. Send an email to eone@eone.com if you experience problems.)