ACTIFLO and Hubgrade: State of the Art Water Treatment with Management from the Cloud

The Challenge

Just a few short years ago, RWSD was operating a facility originally constructed in 1958. The treatment facility had reached a point where it was no longer structurally repairable, could not keep up with the water demand, and repair costs were simply too costly. A new solution was needed not just to provide high-quality drinking water, but also to bring management further in step with the digital future.
 

The Solution

In 2017, RWSD began operation of a new water treatment facility to replace the antiquated plant. RWSD selected ACTIFLO®, a high-rate water clarification process as the heart of the new treatment facility.  The  ACTIFLO®  process has the ability to remove over 99% of turbidity, iron, discolorations and the other contaminants from the raw water source used for the new treatment plant.

The new treatment facility is capable of producing 6 MGD per day, and the (3) ACTIFLO® units themselves can treat up to 12 MGD. The ACTIFLO® system's small process footprint also allowed RWSD to save an estimated 30% on the total installed costs for the new facility. The new RWSD facility also has the distinction of being the first CO drinking water facility to receive 100% of their primary disinfection credits using UV, allowing for a reduction in disinfection by-products. 

RWSD’s ability to effectively manage its system is enhanced by the use of the Hubgrade™ Essential and Assist platforms, Veolia’s smart water management systems. These platforms provide greater insight into system performance as well as access to Veolia’s process expertise with a cloud-based solution.
 

Process Description

ACTIFLO® is a high-rate, compact clarification system that utilizes the combination of coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation using microsand as a seed for floc formation. The microsand provides surface area that enhances flocculation and acts as a ballast to enable rapid settling of coagulated material. 

ACTIFLO® has over 20 years of operating experience with drinking water clarification with 125 US installations and over 400 installations globally.

Hubgrade™ provides a greater, more efficient level of service and support for the facility. With advanced remote monitoring from any web-enabled device, not only does RWSD have more visibility into their plant, but they can more easily tap into the expertise within Veolia to help keep things running smoothly. The Hubgrade™ Essential provides a user-friendly dashboard to view and compare process trends, track maintenance tasks, access O&M manuals and maintenance videos and generate customizable reports. With Hubgrade™ Assist, a Veolia process engineer maximizes the value of such easy access to data and automated reporting by providing regular reviews and recommendations to RWSD.  
 

Results

The ACTIFLO® system has performed extremely well, with effluent turbidity ready for final filter polishing of less than 2.0 NTU. The use of UV for primary disinfection has also allowed the facility to significantly reduce the concentration of disinfection by-products. The operation and management of the facility has also been further enhanced through the Hubgrade™ Essential and Assist services. “I like the reports, they are very useful from a management standpoint. I have taken the information provided in the reports and implemented some operational changes and strategies that should help rotate the equipment on a more even basis,” said Mike Marcum, Director of Operations.