Monitoring The Mountain West - Kearns Improvement District

The Kearns Improvement District (KID), (Kearns, Utah) is located just ten miles from Salt Lake City. The area is surrounded by the picturesque Wasatch Mountains to the east and the Oquirrhs to the west creating breath-taking vistas. The area is also rich in history and includes the property once known as 'Camp Kearnsä. Camp Kearns served as a military base that at its peak housed 50,000 active personnel during WWII. Throughout the years, the property exchanged hands several times and finally in 1946 became a registered town site marked for civilian residents. Today, Kearns is recognized as one of the principal cities located within the prosperous Salt Lake County region of the state. Since itâs inception in 1957, the Kearns Improvement District has grown from 3,100 water and sewer to connections to approximately 12,500 connections today. Presently, KID purchases 80% of its water from the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, as does most of Salt Lake County and a small portion of northern Utah County. The Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District is the largest municipal water district in Utah. Additionally, they supply untreated water to several Utah counties for irrigation purposes.

It is no coincidence that readily available water and sewer systems combined with low-cost land prices have contributed to the area's growth. Today, Kearns is a thriving community of approximately 40,000 residents. In 1981 when Kearnsâ original sewer facility did not appear to have the capacity required for future growth, KID along with other nearby communities joined forces to fund and construct a new wastewater treatment plant known as the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility. The facility and its personnel have received numerous accolades and awards since beginning operation.

In an effort to remain apprised of any required infrastructure upgrades or system modifications that will accompany future population increases, KID sewer department personnel carefully monitor their wastewater flows. Portable flow monitoring is accomplished on a rotational basis at pre-determined sites using a Marsh-McBirney (MMI) Flo-Dar Model 460 Radar Velocity/Area Open Channel Flowmeter. The Model 460, the portable version in the Flo-Dar family of products, can be used for both short-term or long-term monitoring applications. However, itâs highly portable design features including compact size, quick installation as well as retrieval, make it the ideal choice for portable, site-to-site, flow monitoring. The temporary mounting hardware for the 'above the flowä radar velocity sensor consists of a "jack-bar" assembly that can be installed in the sewer manhole in minutes. The sealed, watertight data logger also resides securely in the manhole, often attached to a ladder rung. Data collection can begin within minutes of installation. The Flo-Dar flowmeters provide a unique approach to open channel flow monitoring that is unmatched the world over. By combining digital Doppler radar velocity sensing technology with ultrasonic pulse echo level sensing, the Flo-Dar sensor accurately monitors open channel flows from 'above the flow.ä Frequent maintenance issues and safety concerns associated with monitoring rugged sewer flows with 'traditionalä, submerged style sensors are now a distant memory for thousands of Flo-Dar users worldwide.

John Lawson, Operations Specialist for KID, states 'With the Flo-Dar, we are looking at peak flows, surges and other indicators of necessary sewer system upgrades or possible maintenance related issues.ä Lawson got a first-hand demonstration of the Flo-Dar flowmeter while accompanying MMIâs local representative, Rob Young of Goble Sampson Associates, to a nearby municipal district located in the valley that had recently purchased the flowmeters. The informative visit included a demonstration of the sensor/datalogger installation and retrieval as well as overall operation. According to Lawson, 'We chose the Flo-Dar because there was no need for submerged sensors. For all of those people that have to get in the manhole, the non-contact sensor was definitely the selling point and the reason we chose it!ä

The Kearns Improvement District approaches growth as an exciting opportunity· with enough land that there's still room to grow. As growth brings its challenges, the Flo-Dar flowmeter will be on the job providing accurate flow data necessary to turn the challenges into opportunities.