PERFORMANCE PROFILE,
Tipton, Iowa
1: INITIAL OPERATIONS CHALLENGES
1: Initial Operations Challenges
-
Shortage of qualified staff with existing
superintendent leaving the City. - Need for new water treatment and storage facilities.
- A proposed reduction in effluent standards for the lagoon system would require increased operator attention and monitoring and possibly additional treatment facilities.
- In-house laboratory certification was needed to avoid the increased cost of using outside laboratory services.
2: Project Background
Alliance provides operation of all water
and wastewater treatment facilities in Tipton, along with
a meter change out program. After assuming full responsibility
for the operation in 1999, Alliance immediately assigned a
full time local manager for the system. Modified work schedules,
a rigorous preventive maintenance program, and changes to
operational procedures were put into place along with a safety
program.
At the time of the original Alliance contract, wastewater was treated with two separate systems: a multi-cell aerated lagoon and a trickling filter plant. Biosolids from the filter plant were treated in a two-stage anaerobic digester before being applied to agricultural land. In September 2004 a second aerated lagoon was added and the trickling filter plant was demolished. The City’s wastewater facilities now include two aerated multicell lagoons.
In 2005, the City re-contracted with Alliance for a 10-year period and expanded the scope to include chemical, mechanical and technical assistance for the City’s newly opened aquatic facility.
- Repairs to the anaerobic digester system quickly improved performance and extended service life.
- Laboratory certification was attained, allowing in-house testing and reporting of routine analyses.
- Alliance assisted the City in its review and evaluation of the proposed water system improvements, resulting in an eventual redesign of the improvements to more closely match the City's needs.
- Alliance is working with the City's wastewater engineer to determine the best balance between capital and operational costs required to comply with proposed new regulations.
- The City saved more than $19,000 on a pump station project for its new middle school after Alliance helped identify alternatives to the costly original bid. That bid, for $32,200 was thrown out after Alliance staff questioned it and brought in other vendors to review the plans. After negotiations, the City’s project was completed for a total cost of $16,921.
- Alliance installed launches for pigs (water-propelled foam rubber pipe cleaning devices) on raw water lines leading to the new water filtration plant. The pipes, which had not been cleaned since their construction in 1965, are now maintained on a regular basis. Regular cleaning helps maintain the specific capacity of the wells and to assure that the water supply is not compromised.
- When a well house needed repairs, Alliance staff performed electrical and carpentry work in-house, saving the City the $1500 cost of hiring outside labor.