In May 2023, U.S. Water began supporting a municipal client in the management and operation of their 55.5 million gallons per day (MGD) cryogenic oxygen treatment facility. Simultaneously, the plant is undergoing significant construction and upgrade projects that are designed to enhance operational efficiency and elevate its capacity for superior wastewater treatment and disposal, serving both the City and its regional partners. During this critical time, the City was without a Public Utilities Plant Manager. Understanding the criticality of having someone with strong management abilities and large plant experience, the City reached out to U.S. Water for help. In response to the City’s request, U.S. Water provided one of our highly skilled utility managers with over 30 years’ experience, including large cryogenic oxygen plant operations.
This type of facility is well-known for its complexity and operational challenges. Additionally, operation during a construction period can provide even greater challenges to ensure effluent quality consistency. Before U.S. Water was employed by the City, the plant experienced some operational challenges with effluent consistency. Through the guidance of our operations expert, within three months of U.S. Water’s involvement and in conjunction with the City’s personnel, we were able to improve the plant’s effluent water quality. Some of the key enhancements brought about by the U.S. Water team included process optimization, flow balancing, and training the City’s operations staff to recognize key process indicators and the subsequent adjustments necessary to ensure operational efficiency.
At the request of City, U.S. Water personnel are developing new and updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These SOPs will assist in meeting compliance standards and ensuring that the City’s personnel perform operations correctly and consistently to achieve a quality outcome through uniform performance. In addition, U.S. Water provided technical support and training to the City’s staff. This comprehensive approach ensures the consistent maintenance of effluent quality over time. The City has expressed great satisfaction with the outcomes, which translated into benefits such as minimizing and avoiding permit violations, more knowledgeable and better trained staff, and improved employee satisfaction.
This project serves as a prime illustration of U.S. Water’s proficiency in assisting clients with plant operations, technical support, process control, SOP development, and training. To learn more, visit our Technical Support web page.
