Inspection Request
Inspection Request
Case study
Affordable Wastewater Treatment Solution for Commercial Properties
Problem
The owner of a mobile home park needed a new wastewater treatment system to replace the park’s deteriorating package plant. The new treatment system would have to meet the requirements of the existing discharge permit but would ideally need less oversight than the current plant and also not be an eyesore in the neighborhood.
Problem Continued
Solution
Orenco’s AdvanTex® technology was ideal for meeting not only the effluent requirements and the desire for fewer operation and maintenance visits, but also the park’s site constraints. The AdvanTex system was a low-impact solution to a problem that none of the residents wanted to see, hear, or smell.
Kevin Davidson, P.E.“Orenco’s AdvanTex technology was the best solution for this project for several reasons – its history of reliable performance, its small footprint …, the way it minimizes noise and odor, and the fact that we could reduce operator visits from daily to weekly.”
Overview
AdvanTex: Low Impact, Low Maintenance
Link to AX20RT Case Study by Orenco Systems, Inc.
Countryside Mobile Home Park in Sophia, North Carolina, needed a replacement for its 1970s-era package plant that was long past its life expectancy. With a permitted flow of 15,000 gallons per day and a 7.5 mg/L BOD5 daily maximum, Countryside needed a solution that was robust, discrete, and easy to maintain.
The owner reached out to Kevin Davidson, a consulting engineer at Agri-Waste Technology. After considering the site constraints (including proximity to residents) and the effluent requirements for maintaining the existing discharge permit, he proposed a design with two AdvanTex AX-Max™ treatment units and flow equalization. And by adding remote monitoring, a permit reclassification to a weekly operator visit was approved. Davidson says, “Orenco’s AdvanTex technology was the best solution for this project for several reasons – its history of reliable performance, its small footprint that allowed for installation while the old plant was still running, the way it minimizes noise and odor, and the fact that we could reduce operator visits from daily to weekly.”
Installation began in the fall of 2021. AQWA, the local Orenco dealer, provided contracting services that included demolition of the old treatment plant, as well as all the equipment needed for the new installation. The existing collection system was located and marked so that all excavation work could avoid those components and allow them to operate until the new AdvanTex facility was complete. Installation challenges included shallow rock, existing infrastructure, and tight workspaces. Positioned at the back of the available design space, the AXMax units were placed first. Due to their sturdy fiberglass construction, the units could be “walked in” with an excavator. Three 10,000-gallon precast concrete tanks provide the necessary primary tankage. Two sequential septic tanks allow for ample solids retention and storage, and an equalization tank buffers the flow during peak usage. In addition, a small building was constructed on-site to house the control panel, chemicals, and ultraviolet disinfection units. The pre-plumbed, pre-wired AX-Max units – along with the use of AQWA as a single supplier for all major components – ensured an efficient, almost seamless installation, and the new facility was ready for start-up in March 2022. Soon afterward, wastewater flow was diverted to the AdvanTex system, and the old plant was demolished.
With dependable wastewater treatment in place, the park has been able to add new mobile homes. Lab samples show strong treatment results that are consistently well below regulatory levels. AQWA’s Michael Clayton says, “The old plant was loud and smelled terrible, affecting everyone in the park. Replacing it has greatly improved life for the local community, making it a rewarding project for our team.”