Dave’s Blog

To contact us:

Utility Services Corporation

810 N 330 West

Valparaiso, IN 46385

Phone: 219-762-7661

Fax: 219-762-1978

E-mail: info@utilityservicescorp.com

utilityservicescorp

 

Perhaps it would be helpful to comment on how FloCis came into being. For nearly 20 years, I was CEO of a mid-size private utility in Northwest Indiana. In the early 1990’s, the utility signed an enforcement action to address treatment violations as well as stop plant bypasses and SSOs in the collection system. After 18 months of smoke testing, flow metering, and some repairs on the collection system, I knew that the utility could not resolve the problem of I & I within the time frame of the Agreed Order. The end result was a much larger treatment plant placed on line in 1995. The SSOs did not go away, rather, over time, their frequency and duration worsened, such that in 2003, the utility entered into a USEPA Consent Decree with a mandate to stop all SSOs. Despite searching, I found no cost effective solution other than to model the collection system to add capacity and treat storm water. Replacing all the sanitary pipes was too expensive an option. If restrictions and leaking pipe sections could be isolated and addressed, then the utility could achieve two objectives – preventative maintenance and I & I abatement. To find bottom-of-pipe restrictions, I developed a methodology I call Qflow. (See USPTO Patent #7,096,128 B2.)

Later, to isolate top-of pipe restrictions and infiltration sites, the FloCis methodology was created. (It’s under patent review now.) FloCis is a program that uses low-cost flow meters and unique software to visualize flow behavior in a collection system during wet weather. With adequate maps, an understanding of the watershed, “mass metering”, and advanced analysis tools, it is easy to select specific areas for further inspection. If the pipes are restricted or deteriorated, then work is done only at those sites. It has certainly worked at my utility, so much so that I am confident it will help other utilities with the same problems. Even after four years of testing FloCis, my staff and I are continuously improving the methodology, meters and software to make FloCis even better. If you have excess storm water leaking into your collection system, or unfound restrictions, my goal is to offer experience and equipment to provide a better solution - combine both preventative maintenance and restore your collection system at a cost much less than traditional fixes. Contact us to find out more!

Dave in action...