Company Uses On-Line, Real-Time Analytical System to Evaluate Wastewater Facility

Severn Trent Services has been awarded a contract by DMJM Harris Engineers, of Phoenix, AZ, to conduct an on-line analytical analysis of the Bullhead City, AZ, wastewater treatment process. The company will use its Mobile Analytical Trailer (MAT) 2000 system for the analysis, which is part of an evaluation of the treatment facility in preparation for the plant's expansion from a permitted 2.0 mgd of flow up to 4.0 mgd of flow.

The MAT2000 will measure real-time biological activity of the treatment process under varying conditions and parameters. Severn Trent engineers will use the data to calibrate a computer model of the wastewater treatment process and allow various design parameters to be evaluated for maximum efficiency.

"The MAT2000 trailer provides us with a design tool that has not been available in the past," said David Prinzhorn of DMJM Harris Engineers. "Severn Trent can instantly measure changes in the biological process as a result of changing process parameters. This means that the computer model of the system will be calibrated with real-time data, giving us a more accurate look at the various scenarios we're evaluating."