You understand that water is important to your business. And if you’re a facility’s manager like Doug Lear of Franklin Pierce University, you never make any assumptions about the quality and safety of your drinking water. You perform regular sampling, keep your system well-maintained, and do what it takes to ensure your PWS supplies safe, clean water to the thousands of people it serves every day.

We’ve had a relationship with Joe Damour, the operator at FPU for over 20 years he’s managed the school’s water supply. He attends Secondwind’s PWS operator certification classes taught by Steve Guercia, who manages our public and commercial water division. When Doug and Joe realized FPU’s public water system was failing, they knew where to turn for help.

High Iron and Manganese

“The university had high levels of iron and manganese in their water. Students were complaining about their laundry getting stained,” Steve notes. The system was also using an exorbitant amount of salt, making ongoing maintenance difficult.  Doug knew the system was no longer functioning correctly, and asked us to help design a new system to replace it,” he adds.

Secondwind’s Steve Brow and Chris Vaughn discuss installation plans for the system’s control valves.

Challenges

Every job presents its own challenges and here are some of the major obstacles we faced in designing and installing the university’s new water treatment system:

Time

University administrators approved the new water treatment system in June, with a goal of having it up and running by the start of the new school year. The proverbial clock was ticking. “A customized system of this size takes six to eight weeks to design and build. It’s not something you take off a shelf,” Steve points out. And because the university has its own public water supply, we also had to build in enough time for the state to approve the new system.

People

Another big challenge in installing a water treatment system of this size and complexity is coordinating the many subcontractors involved, including plumbers, electricians, well and pump companies, and design engineers. This is where the Secondwind team’s experience and relationships really come into play. “Because of the capital we’ve built with these subcontractors over the years, we are able to call on them to help us get things done quickly and efficiently,” Steve explains. “We’ve been managing complex jobs like this for decades and that really helps because we don’t have to reinvent the wheel each time, and our trusted partners know what we will expect and how to work with us,” he adds

Space

Space limitations also presented a challenge. “It’s tough to install a new system in the same area as an existing one–there’s little room to move around,” Steve points out. And although the university’s existing treatment system clearly wasn’t doing a good job removing iron and manganese, it was better than no treatment at all. “To ensure a continuation of service, we had to figure out a way to install their new system while their existing one provided some level of treatment,” Steve explains.

On Time for Class

Secondwind’s experienced team successfully managed the many pieces involved in this complex water treatment system installation. And by the start of school, clean, contaminant-free water was flowing throughout the campus. Joe continues to successfully operate the university’s public water supply and knows he can count on Secondwind to help whenever he needs us.

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PWS Operator Services in New Hampshire

Secondwind has over 30 years of experience helping public water supply operators maintain their systems and comply with complex state and federal water safety standards. Whether you need PWS operator services, or have a public water system operator of your own, we’re here to help. We create a personalized plan for you that can range from a simple, safe operations plan to a comprehensive 24/7 facilities management plan. We are also happy to work with your current operator to create a plan that will make water quality management something you can check off of your list. Contact us today to learn more.