Wastewater level monitoring in sewage networks is undertaken to provide flow information and level monitoring, especially to control pumps in lifting stations and service pits. In the wastewater recovery system, wastewater flows through small pipes that will join together in large sewer pipes underground. In these pipes, the wastewater is transported from one pump station to another toward the sewage treatment plant, often over large distances.
The challenges of wastewater planning
To reduce the cost of transporting wastewater from the user to the treatment plant, such pump stations/lifting stations are built to lift the wastewater to a higher level. By lifting it to a higher level, gravity can be used to enable a natural flow of wastewater toward the treatment plant.
Service pits often provide a flood overflow discharge point in case the sewer becomes overloaded with stormwater. This occurs when sewers are combined with rainwater drainage and when excessive rain or stormwater overloads the network.
One of the key questions is how to size properly the sewage network so that it avoids overflows. Overflows are problematic since, in many countries, the water and sewage network utility companies have to pay compensations to customers with damaged properties from the returned storm or sewage waters.
One of the solutions is to gather dynamic level data from the sewage network and to recalculate and re-plan it based on the SWMM model.
Another solution is to get early warning notifications and to push on the pumps so that the network does not get overrun by the incoming stormwater. And ThingsLog can help here.
How ThingsLog can help for early warning and notifications?
Thingslog solution standardly monitors levels thought intelligent low power data loggers, submersible sensors, and specially designed antennas for manhole installation. The logger registers the level in the sewer every minute and is able to detect changes to it. If the change is higher than the preconfigured threshold the logger wakes up and transmits an immediate alarm.
This allows the set up of sewer flood water alarms – instant notifications for several different levels of sewer water. It also allows sewer water level measurements – per minute recordings of the sewer water level.
Benefits
As sewer flooding is a massive problem the solution provides reliable information by efficiently wastewater level monitoring of the sewage network. The information is used for logging the changing levels of the wastewater and to plot typical flow rates in the sewer.
Based on that information industry consultants like Preventos are able to calculate and calibrate SWMM storm-water model and help in designing a more efficient sewage network.
This collected data allows forecasting problems of capacity and alarming when the sewage network overflows, so maintenance may be scheduled or plans for more capacity optimization considered.
Additionally, wastewater will often flow through weirs and flumes where high-accuracy, the solution is used for wastewater level monitoring in sewage networks throughout the whole structure and give an accurate measurement of the flow at that point. Thereby the flow in the network is monitored to provide forecast data for the water treatment facilities.
Wastewater level monitoring in sewage networks is an important tool for any sewage engineer, as by knowing the sewage level the operating efficiency of the sewage system can be enhanced and automated warnings on when sewage infrastructure overloads can warn the engineer of pending problems.
Finally, the solution is able to save a huge amount of money to waste and stormwater utilities resulting from fines by insurance companies and many, many angry customers.
Who could benefit from it?
Typically wastewater monitoring is for water and wastewater utility operators and municipalities.
