Headworks for Smaller Plants – Beyond the Manual Bar Screen
Wastewater Bar Screen – Not the Only Option
Water treatment facilities in smaller towns and villages, as well as treatment works supporting institutions, prisons, resorts or remote facilities, have difficult choices to make when selecting a headworks system. All require a solids control strategy, but lower flows and smaller budgets limit the available equipment options. The historical choice in this situation has been a wastewater bar screen or a raked manual bar screen – but there are better options. The days of sending an operator with a rake and bucket to the headworks for the daily cleaning duties should be a thing of the past.
A number of different types of equipment can be used to meet these objectives, yet public works engineers should not make that choice lightly. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution that can be applied to every headworks situation. Matching the needs of the facility to the appropriate screen or debris reduction method is paramount for both protecting downstream equipment and ensuring screened out solids are handled efficiently and effectively. The wrong choice can result in headworks systems that do not meet the required level of protection of downstream treatment processes, or a system that is too costly for the plant’s requirements.
This article explores the options for wastewater engineers and plant operators trying to strike the right balance between technology and the available funds while optimizing the plant’s efficiency. If provides guidance on alternatives to the traditional manual bar screen while not overdesigning a system.