United Water and Indianapolis DPW Improve Safety and Convenience with Marsh-McBirney Flo-Dar Flowmeter

The City of Indianapolis, Indiana owns two advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) plants known as Belmont and Southport. Together the two facilities process 70 billion gallons of wastewater annually and service a population of 800,000. The cityâs wastewater collection system consists of approximately 3,200 miles of sewer lines ranging in size from 4" to 120" in diameter, as well as 110,000 manholes and 250 wastewater lift stations.

In 1994, the City of Indianapolis entered into a public-ownership/private-operation agreement with United Water Services (United Water) to operate and maintain their wastewater facilities, becoming the first major U.S. city to do so. United Water along with Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux (Suez) and IWC Resources formed the White River Environmental Partnership (WREP) and won the competitive bid for the Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) contracts. The cityâs DPW personnel oversee the WREP contracts as well as the contractorâs day-to-day performance. Currently, United Water provides water and wastewater services to 7 million people in the United States. Through partnerships, similar to those entered into with the City of Indianapolis, United Water has become one of the nationâs largest investor-owned water services companies. Suez, an international leader in water and wastewater services serves 125 million people around the world. Once faced with a 33% increase in rates, the partnership assured the city that a rate increase would not be necessary. With the contract providing an annual savings of over $20 million per year and a projected savings of $250 million over the life of the contact, the citizens of Indianapolis were confident in the future of their wastewater services.

The Belmont AWT (pictured at right) began operations in 1924 as a primary clarification plant. Today, the facility has an average flow capacity of 120 million gallons per day with peak flows up to 300 million gallons per day. The facility has received numerous awards and accolades including eleven 'Gold Awardsä for 'perfectä environmental compliance from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA). When the flow rate of a 12' effluent line at the Belmont facility needed to be accurately monitored, safety was a major concern. According to Larry Taylor, Assistant Manger for United Water, 'Due to the large size of that 12' line we donât get many opportunities to get into the site. The line had not previously been monitored. Safety and confined space entry concern for our workers were major factors in our flowmeter selection.ä

Taylor recalls that Charles Davidson, United Water Manager, was aware of a flowmeter manufactured by Marsh-McBirney that could eliminate confined space entry and site visits to collect flow data. Already a current user of Marsh pump station flowmeters in Indianapolisâ collection system, Davidson had some prior knowledge about the new open channel flowmeter. When the Belmont application arose Davidson contacted Marsh-McBirney's local sales representative, Chesley Associates, Inc. Malcolm Robertson, Chesley Associates President, adds, 'Charlie uses the Marsh-McBirney Model 302 Pump Station Flowmeters throughout the collection system. He contacted us to get additional information on the Flo-Dar Radar Velocity/Flowmeter for the 12â effluent line that goes into the White River.ä The two met and discussed Flo-Darâs specifications and features.

The flowmeterâs uniqueness lies in its ability to remotely monitor flow from above the fluid eliminating fouling and maintenance associated with submerged sensors. Flo-Dar combines digital doppler radar velocity sensing technology with ultrasonic pulse echo level sensing to accurately monitor flow in a wide variety of applications. The meter is virtually maintenance free and can be installed and removed from street level without the need for confined space entry costs and constraints. Also, flowmeter data can easily be transferred back to a central location eliminating the need for site visits or manhole entry. As was the case in the Indianapolis application, a solution was being sought to eliminate any manhole entry or site visits to retrieve flow data due to the site location and size. Pleased to have found a unique solution for the Belmont flow application, an order was placed for one Flo-Dar meter.

'The Flo-Dar flowmeter was purchased and has been installed for about 14 months nowä, Taylor states. He adds, 'The meter was selected due its non-contact sensor. It was installed by divers due to the hazardous nature of the site. The data is transmitted back to the main control center via a short range radio. We have had no maintenance issues with the meter, itâs trouble-free.ä Robertson adds, 'Davidson has also checked Flo-Darâs performance against a compellation of in-plant meters and it 'tracked well.ä

The successful partnership between the Indianapolis DPW and United Water/WREP has allowed Indianapolis citizens to enjoy better sewer management as well as lower rates. The Flo-Dar flowmeter too has and will continue to play a meaningful role in this mutually beneficial relationship by providing accurate flow data facilitating the efficient operation of the award-winning Belmont facility.