TPO Magazine Features Cost Saving Channel Monster at California Resource Recovery Plant

The upgraded Channel Monster now efficiently processes rags, wipes and other debris to protect the headworks pumps.

Grinder Eliminates Wipes Problem

The magazine TPO (Treatment Plant Operator) has a great problem/solution story in their November issue about our Channel Monster sewer grinder installed at a Southern California resource recovery facility. The grinder helps the facility trim its electrical bill by $78,000 per year by making the pumps far more efficient.

Problem: In 2012, the Santa Margarita Water District in California saw a change in the influent at its reclaimed water facility. Disposable wipes were degrading pump performance, requiring all four pumps to run continuously, instead of cycling two pumps at a time. When the pumps could no longer keep up, the plant staff had to derag them by hand, forcing a plant shutdown about every four weeks for two hours and exposing workers to potential injuries from sharps in the rag balls. The labor and the loss of an acre-foot of reclaimed water per month cost $15,000 per year.

Solution: The facility upgraded its Channel Monster from JWC Environmental to a new perforated drum configuration designed to combat wipes and other materials. The upgraded drums are made of durable perforated metal that better traps wipes and forces them into the cutter stack, essentially eliminating clogs.

Result: Since the upgrade, the district has had zero pump clogging issues and has returned to using two pumps at a time. Energy costs decreased by $78,000 per year and manual pump clean-out was eliminated.

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