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Vacuum Sewers - Operation and Maintenance and
System Management Guidelines
Rich Naret, P.E.
Overview
From the time the very first
public sewer system was constructed until the 1960’s, a conventional gravity
system was the only choice US engineers had when considering a public sewer
collection system. This changed
about 40 years ago when the USEPA challenged the industry to developed
alternative collection by providing special funding for such endeavors.
One of the alternative collection systems is vacuum sewers.
This
4 PDH course is Part III of a three part series on vacuum sewers and will focus
on operation & maintenance and system management considerations for vacuum
sewer systems. Part I discusses the
basics of vacuum sewer technology by providing a broad overview of the
technology while Part II focuses on the design and installation aspects related
to vacuum sewers.
This course will provide
information that will guide the Utility and their system operator in the proper
operation & maintenance of a vacuum sewer system as well as the management
of these systems. The course
materials are based on the materials presented in the vacuum chapter of the “Water
Environment Federation (2007) Alternative
Sewer Systems, 2nd ed.; Manual of Practice No. FD-12”
as published by the Water Environment Federation. The student will learn about
the level of effort required to operate and maintain a vacuum system, how to
estimate the annual O&M costs based on data from operating systems and where
to find additional written information regarding vacuum sewers. The student will
also learn about key system management considerations such as staffing, operator
training, and the responsibilities of the homeowner and the operating Utility.
The
student must take a multiple-choice quiz consisting of twenty (20) questions at
the end of this course to earn PDH credits.
*Portions of this
course use material excerpted from Alternative Sewer Systems, 2nd ed.; Manual of
Practice No. FD-12.
Reprinted with permission from Alternative Sewer Systems, 2nd ed.;
Manual of Practice No. FD-12. Copyright © 2008 Water Environment Federation:
Alexandria, Virginia.
Specific Knowledge or Skill Attained
This course teaches the following specific knowledge and
skills:
- The
operating history of vacuum systems (O&M data - existing systems)
- Normal,
preventive and emergency maintenance associated with vacuum systems
- How
to estimate annual O&M cost (labor, power, equip replacement)
- Guidelines
regarding staffing requirements and operator training
- Guidelines
regarding system management considerations
- Where
the Utility’s responsibility ends and the homeowner’s begins
- Where
to find technical and educational literature on vacuum systems.
Course
Click on the following PDF attachment
and review the document prior to taking a quiz for credit.
Vacuum
Sewers O&M and System Management (154 KB)
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Right click on the link. Select "Save Target As..."
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To obtain PDH credits for this course, you will need to take a quiz for
credit. Click on the link below.
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