Category: Water Management Quality

We are proud to announce the strategic partnership with Morrow Water Technologies as our new representative for the state of Alabama! We have worked together on numerous projects over the years and recognize clear synergies between our complimentary service offerings.

With offices stationed in Birmingham and Mobile, Morrow Water Technologies provides top quality pumping equipment and well drilling services for municipalities throughout the Southeast. Their equipment repair services include in-house repair, field service, and preventative maintenance.

Southeastern Tank has worked extensively with Morrow Water Technologies on well projects that have required tanks for water quality and clarity purposes. We have seen firsthand the ability and professionalism Morrow Water Technologies possesses. Each MWT project has been delivered on time and budget, exceeding client expectations.

“Morrow Water has been very fortunate to work alongside Southeastern Tank on multiple projects over the last several years. It is very apparent that customer service and quality are at the forefront of SET’s mission. We’re honored to represent and work as a team with Southeastern Tank. They are a customer service driven family that goes hand-in-hand with our core values. This partnership will fulfill a need of many of our clients and will bring forth a full-scale solution that will benefit them for years to come.”
– Chris Morrow, Morrow Water Technologies

In addition to water well drilling, Morrow Water Technologies is experienced in designing and building top quality pump stations. We feel this is a great opportunity to infuse into our Total Dynamic Storage systems, which require a pump station to optimize water flow and storage to meet changing daily water system demands and provide constant water pressure.

For more information on MWT’s products or service, you can visit their website – http://www.morrowwater.com/index.html.

We are very excited for what the future holds—and ultimately, how this partnership will positively impact the customers and communities we serve.

Fun fact: after death, the human body starts to decompose and releases methane gas, which causes the body to bloat. In some cases, the pressure is so great it can even cause the abdomen to explode.

Okay…maybe that’s more of a not-so-fun fact and you may be wondering what it has to do with water storage? Well, the point was to highlight the fact that organic matter releases methane as it decomposes. As you may already know, drinking water comes from aquifers, rivers, lakes and streams. But did you know most of those water sources contain millions of tiny microorganisms that decompose to form toxic by-products in your tank called Trihalomethanes (THM)?

It’s important to address this issue before it escalates. Neglect can lead to harmful effects and hefty fines handed down from the EPA.

Here are a few steps you should take to ensure water quality in your tank.

Step 1: Mix your tank.

During the water treatment process, water goes through a filtering process to filter out all the larger particles. Chlorine and other disinfection chemicals are then used to break down all of the remaining smaller, organic waste that doesn’t get captured during filtering. However, when Chlorine is added to water that contains organic matter it forms dangerous THMs get distributed into the system and possibly trapped in the tank.

In addition, temperature variance in your tank of 3 degrees or more causes stratification, which will also sparks the production of THMs as well as causes pH levels to shift. Shifting pH levels sparks nitrification, which increases THMs and reduces chlorine residuals.

One way to prevent the production of THMs is to mix it regularly. The installation of a tank mixer is one of the simplest, most cost-effective and efficient ways to regulate the quality of water in your tank. For some smaller tanks, this alone may be all you need.

Step 2: Add a blower.

For mid to large size tanks, mixing alone may not prevent the production of THMs. When mixing isn’t enough, adding a blower to aerate and volatize the air above the tank can help significantly. It works like a reverse attic fan, catching the volatile organic compound at the surface level and blowing it out of the tank. The blower helps prevent concentration of THMs on the underside of the roof, which may re-enter the water during temperature changes that lead to condensation.

A blower can be a very effective piece of equipment and good investment. Contact us today for a quote.

Step 3: Remove the THMs from your tank.

If it’s too late and there is significant formation of THMs in your tank, they’ll need to be removed promptly. Depending on circumstances, they may be removed with the tank in or out of service. It may be necessary to drain and clean the tank, scrub all internal surfaces, disinfect the tank (and any pumps, hoses etc.) with a concentrated chlorine solution and then thoroughly flush the tank. However, it’s important to note that this will only remove THMs temporarily, as the same environmental conditions in your tank that caused formation will still exist. To avoid future THM issues, it’s important to mix your tank regularly, install a blower, and aerate.

When it comes to maintaining your tank, it’s always better to be proactive rather than reactive as this will save you both time and money in the long run. To ensure your tank is performing at its highest level, regular inspections, testing and servicing are a must. If your THM levels are too high, the longer you wait the stiffer the consequences (and fines!) will be. As a trusted water quality management partner, we can help you evaluate all of your options to find one that best suits your needs and budget. Contact us today for more details.

Sediment and microbial growth can lead to nitrification and the formation of trihalomethane (THM) in your tank. Sediment can be removed with the tank in or out of service. It may be necessary to drain and clean the tank, scrub all internal surfaces, disinfect the tank (and any pumps, hoses etc.) with a concentrated chlorine solution and then thoroughly flush the tank. The last thing you want is a complaint from a customer, a fine, or worst of all, a health scare. Southeastern Tank can perform all the necessary steps to clean and treat your tank so that the water quality remains in compliance with national standards.

Depending on your system, we may be able to reduce THMs by mixing the tank and recirculating the water only. It may necessary to go to the next level of installing an actual THM removal system at the tank. A good THM removal system does things:

• It treats the entire tank volume
• It treats the entire incoming volume during fill cycle

Learn more about the GridBee® THM Removal System in the video below:

When your water is out of balance, you’re out of compliance. When you’re out of compliance, you’ve got big trouble on your hands. If your water fails quality tests, you must pay fines and notify the public – which can damage your reputation. Damaging publicity can hurt your usage and cut into your revenue. Let’s avoid that. Here are some new ways to think about effective management within your current infrastructure – so that you remain in compliance and in good standing with your users.

Tackling The Treatment Puzzle

It would be great if there was a silver bullet that could keep your water quality to permissible standards within your existing infrastructure. But there isn’t. Unfortunately, compliance often requires a combination of treatment techniques, and those techniques may need to be adjusted over time, in the face of changing conditions and external forces.

No two solutions will be the same, but a comprehensive approach should incorporate these three phases:

1. 1. Mix Your Water

   Mixing should occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Without constant mixing, stratification will occur, and that stratification can be exacerbated when hot water enters the system during extremely hot and dry times of the year.

   Lax tank mixing can also impact the system if recommended turnover can’t be achieved. If you can’t turn it over, you’ve got to keep it moving somehow and mixing is the most effective way to do it.

2. 2. Manage Tank Turnover (And Keep Mixing)

   The recommendation for tank turnover is 50 percent of the volume every 48 hours. There are very few cases where that recommendation is achievable due to the sequential design of water tank systems. Dropping the volume in one tank can cause a marked drop in water pressure, which leads to customer disruption.

   Mixing can achieve the movement required to keep the water moving like it should be, but turnover should still occur as often as possible. When turnover does occur, mixing is absolutely critical to prevent stratification and contamination, especially in the summer when hot water is entering the system in higher volumes.

3. 3. Adjust Your Approach to pH, THMs and Byproduct Removal

   The standard practice when dealing with pH has been, “Get it down.” Managers can run themselves ragged trying to manage pH levels, but studies show that the proper range is really between 7.5 and 8. Each time you adjust your pH, you run into changes in haloacetic acid levels and trihalomethanes (THMs). For years, water companies have been told to decrease pH, because the more acidic the water, the less THMs in the system.

   Plant operators know, however that the problem often isn’t the THMs, it’s the acid levels. Many times, when adjusting pH, those acid levels become too high, making the plant vulnerable to compliance violations. The key to unlocking this delicate chemical balance may lie in the organic material in the water. When hot water enters the system, especially in dry, drought-like conditions, the de-oxygenated water holds more algae and organics, and the water source wreaks havoc on the balance of the system. Adjusting the approach and keeping pH in the 7.5 to 8 range can often help stabilize acids and THMs without taking drastic measures.

Tackle Defense With A Sound Offense

To avoid the slew of problems that come from non-compliance, the best defense is a sound offense. Perform proactive testing and plan your approach for when issues arise. Understand that sometimes, the old methods won’t work on their own and that today, quality management is about drilling down to the root cause of the problem. What comes out of the tank can be impacted by what goes in, when it goes in, how it is handled inside the tank, and the approach you take to keep everything in balance. Finally, always work with partners who are committed to exploring cutting edge water treatment solutions.