Case Study: SPIRALIFT® SL Minimizes Downtime

The Town of San Manuel is located in the heart of the Galiuro Mountains in Arizona. For over fifty years, the town was served by a wastewater treatment plant consisting of primary treatment followed by treatment of the wastewater in oxidation ponds. When a new utility company took over management of the plant, they hired Santec Corporation to design and build a modern water reclamation facility that would meet current standards for wastewater reuse.

Santec focused on three key objectives during the design phase of the project; 1) Class B+ reclaimed water quality standards for effluent, 2) Minimization of operating expenses and 3) Maximize value of expenditures. The new facility consists of automated headworks incorporating a spiralift, flow equalization and pumping, 4 stage anoxic/ aeration/ anoxic/ reaeration process, secondary clarifier, disinfection and effluent pumping system. In addition to the typical Fiberglass tank construction utilized in Santec water reclamation facilities, this plant incorporates more traditional, concrete elements such as the circular clarifier and headworks system. This blended approach provides all the benefits of an underground design (noise, odor and aesthetic control) with the open access of standard wastewater treatment systems.

According to Marty Zulkoski, Project Manager, Santec Corporation, “A big part of achieving these objectives was the installation of a Franklin Miller® SPIRALIFT® SL. Since its installation, the SPIRALIFT® SL has provided the new facility with a highly effective, low maintenance, automated system for removing solids and debris from the influent wastewater.”

“At an average of .350 MGD the facility would quickly run into huge maintenance headaches without proper screening and removal of incoming solids. The simple addition of the SPIRALIFT® SL has minimized solids related maintenance and downtime for the entire system!” he concluded.

The SPIRALIFT SL® provides fine screening, washing, transporting and compacting of wastewater solids while leaving essential organics in the flow. The SL is easy to install in existing channels, reduces solids disposal costs and protects downstream equipment.

The SPIRALIFT is provided as a fully integrated system including a shaftless screw screen, a powerful TASKMASTER® Grinder and control system which coordinates the system’s normal and special functions. The PLC driven unit uses flow level data to cycle the screw to minimize power and wear. The SPIRALIFT combines the benefits of a rugged grinder with dependable screening technology for a uniquely effective and trouble-free system.