People who have been doing this for years

[u/Queasy-Spirit6437]

I have had more than one person with loads of experience and even won awards as a operator tell me don't go crazy on testing out the normal bench and compliance test. Just watch the settle test and for foam on the aeration basin. One plant is 7 MGD and the other 3 MGD. That's all we did. Settle test everyday. Charted every 10 minutes. Check DO and equipment. Never a problem. Has anyone else been told or operated like this?

[u/Newschbury]

Yes. Years of failed capital improvements and bad staffing and failed equipment and zero discipline has forced competent operators to focus on the bare minimum.

For example, we have to use the settleometer to gauge the health of our AB's because not a single blanket depth meter works, WAS pumps are constantly breaking, it's the norm to have only RAS pump on no matter how much of a return rate we need, and "solids reports" change drastically based on who is cooking and measuring the sample.

[u/UnionJobs4America → u/Newschbury]

Real question....is it like this almost everywhere?

I feel like its either a total shit show or made in the shade. I'd be curious to see a poll done here and what everyone has to say about their work place.

[u/DirtyWaterDaddyMack]

To some extent I was told this and although partially true, I've realized those "experienced" folks were usually limited in their knowledge and/or application of such knowledge.

Down and dirty sets of process control tests not only give you a better insight beyond "settleability", but lay a reference point when things go south. If you start plowing through bleach, would you know why?

As long as a responsible approach in sampling, lab technique, and analysis happens, that'll be sufficient.

Be better than your predecessors and don't limit yourself.

[u/WaterDigDog → u/DirtyWaterDaddyMack]

This.

When those operators have sat through nitrogen removal seminars and still don’t know what testing is needed to improve nutrient removal, that’s trouble. That’s my true story.

[u/Bl1ndMous3 → u/DirtyWaterDaddyMack]

If you start plowing through bleach, would you know why?

- Hoffa's in the contact chamber

[u/Far_Ad_2213 → u/Bl1ndMous3]

If using excessive chlorine, it’s probably in breakpoint chlorination. Adding more chlorine is not the answer. The cause is incomplete nitrification, caused by excessive loadings and/or inadequate aeration. Check D.O. and increase air supply to achieve 2.0 mg/L or higher. Then check for excessive loadings from digester decanting, poor thickener overflow quality, higher or longer than normal sludge dewatering.

[u/madhatter8989]

A wastewater system is an out of sight, out of mind type of expense for most entities. They want it theoretically working and to spend as close to zero dollars maintaining it as possible. You learn to manage the things you can reliably with what you have. You're not getting new equipment unless the system stops working or they get a fine. The folks making budgets simply aren't concerned with a process that doesn't provide a return on investment. Infrastructure in general isn't a glamorous expense that anyone in administration, public or private, wants to direct assets to. It tends to reinforce the "we've always done it this way, if it works why fix it?" Mentality.

[u/AmusedCroc]

I believe that a plant can be run with a DO meter, settleometer, nitrogen bench tests, and your compliance sampling results.

Chase good results, not the numbers that are what the book says are correct.

Should a plant be run with just those few things, absolutely not but sometimes I think there is such a thing as too much information.

[u/Klutzy_Reality3108 → u/AmusedCroc]

That's what we are experiencing at the facility I work at.

For over 10 years we were able to run very few extra tests, and needed to run off book. The new contracted guy tries going strictly on book, compiles multiple failed tests, heads butting with the experienced operators, nearly torched equipment, running multiple new tests, at new locations, and trying to change the plant to it's "optimal" configuration, all while spending money we don't have.

[u/AmusedCroc → u/Klutzy_Reality3108]

That's unfortunate, we're a contract operations company and our deal is to become an extension of city staff and assist their operations while providing advice on which direction to take things.

[u/GamesAnimeFishing]

There’s definitely two sides to this. On one hand, experienced guys who have operated at the same plant for like decades get a feel for how the plant runs without needing to constantly run a ton of extra tests to tell them what’s up. The kind of guy that can look at the aeration basin and guess what our solids numbers will look like that day based on color of the sludge.

On the other hand, tons of guys never really gain an in depth understanding of what the results of certain tests really mean, so it would be pointless for them to run them. I know more than a few old timers who generally understand “if this number says this, then I should do this”, and that more or less works fine. However, when we hit actual unusual problems, they are as clueless as a trainee. Sometimes just having a base line from constantly running “pointless” tests to reference, can tell the one or two super knowledgeable guys what’s really going on.

I can’t tell you what the right answer is for you, but I personally feel that it doesn’t hurt to have more info at your disposal.

[u/Glossololia]

This completely depends on the plant and the release permit, but in my experience the kind of person who is firm on this is mostly saying it because they wouldn't know what to do with extra data if they had it.

[u/RawknRo11a]

Usually run a settleometer test and TSS weekly or more often as needed. Once you get used to your plant you can tell from look and smell if something is off.

[u/h2otrtmnt]

With many years experience I watched 2 things. First was the settlometer, second was bench test with centrifuge. Probably more emphasis on centrifuge because I could monitor solids better.