2012 American Water Works Association

10 Opflow July 2012 www.awwa.org/opflow

Distribution
Water storage tanks are the most visible part of a distribution system,
but they often receive the least attention. A properly designed tank asset
management program, along with a well-planned sampling and monitoring
program, provides a comprehensive approach to both tank asset and
sustainable water quality management. BY MARK JOHNSON, KIRT ERVIN, AND RANDY MOORE
Editors Note: Based on a series of AWWA web-
casts, this is the first of three articles on impor-
tant distribution system issues. This article details
sustainable best practices for storage tank oper-
ations and maintenance. Next months article
will discuss various methods for cleaning water
mains. The final article will provide operations
and maintenance options for complying with the
US Environmental Protection Agencys Stage 2
Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rule.
To order the original webcasts, visit www.awwa.
org/webcasts and click on the Webcast Library
link. Also, check out the complete lineup of upcom-
ing webcasts.
ANY WATER SYSTEM owners and
managers dont realize the financial
investment they have in their stor-
age tanks. Like all distribution system
assets, storage tanks require routine inspection and
maintenance. Operation and maintenance (O&M)
best practices improve system performance and reli-
ability and enhance water quality and sustainability.
The first step is to inspect tank conditions. AWWA
Standard G200-09, Distribution Systems Operation
and Management, defines three types of inspections
routine, performed weekly; periodic, performed
annually; and comprehensive, performed biannu-
ally or when preparing rehabilitation specifications.
BEST PRACTICES
IMPROVE STORAGE TANK
PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
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http://dx.doi.org/10.5991/OPF.2012.38.0037
Mark Johnson is director, metropolitan water operations and maintenance,
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (www.mwra.com), Boston.
Kirt Ervin is vice president, water quality, and Randy Moore is vice president,
market development, Utility Service Co. (www.utilityservice.com), Atlanta.
2012 American Water Works Association 2012 American Water Works Association
Components of effective tank condition assessment
include (clockwise from top left) security, coating,
sanitary, and structural conditions.
2012 American Water Works Association
12 Opflow July 2012 www.awwa.org/opflow
Distribution
ASSESSMENT CONSIDERATIONS
A comprehensive inspection is required
to develop a tank asset management pro-
gram. An effective tank condition assess-
ment should thoroughly review sanitary,
safety, security, structural, and coating con-
ditions. Its important to document your
findings with color photographs or videos.
Standards and Resources. A tank
should be viewed through the lens of
current AWWA and Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) stan-
dards. Any deviations from those stan-
dards should be noted. For example, the
requirements of AWWA Standards D100-
11, Welded Carbon Steel Tanks for Water
Storage, and D102-11, Coating Steel
Water-Storage Tanks, should be used to
assess welded steel storage tanks.
Another good reference for condition
assessment is AWWAs Steel Water Stor-
age Tanks: Design, Construction, Mainte-
nance, and Repair. Many state regulatory
agencies also provide guidance, such
as the Missouri Department of Natural
Resources technical bulletin, Inspection
of Water Storage Facilities, and the Mas-
sachusetts Department of Environmental
Protection (Mass DEP) Public Water Sup-
ply Monthly Storage Tank Inspection Log.
Maintenance. When the condition
assessment is complete, you can develop
a scope and sequence of maintenance
needs that can be the basis for develop-
ing an asset management program.
Why does an asset management pro-
gram represent an O&M best practice?
The answers can be found in AWWA Man-
ual of Water Supply Practices M42: Steel
Water Storage Tanks:
A good, comprehensive preventive
maintenance program can extend the
life of an existing tank indefinitely.
Many thousands of dollars can be
saved and complaints from citizens can
be eliminated if a planned approach to
tank maintenance is adopted.
Why have a maintenance program?
The answer is simple: Preventive
maintenance has been, and always
will be, less expensive than crisis
maintenance.
A properly designed comprehensive
tank asset management program will
include ongoing provisions for maintain-
ing a tanks sanitary, safety, structural,
security, and coatings components. Main-
taining the tank as an asset directly affects
water quality. When considering a triple
bottom-line approach, an effective com-
prehensive tank asset management pro-
gram represents a sustainable approach
that equally considers economic, environ-
mental, and social benefits.
SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS
Operational best practices require water
system operators to stay on top of a few
key aspects. For starters, operators should
ask themselves:
When did we last visit the tank site?
Do we have and use a routine inspec-
tion checklist when we visit the site?
How much water moves in the tank
each day?
When were the sanitary, safety, secu-
rity, structural, and coating conditions
last inspected as part of a comprehen-
sive tank evaluation?
When were the normal chlorine resid-
ual, disinfection by-product, and tank
levels last checked?
Have we checked the tank for thermal
and chemical stratification?
Are we prepared for emergency
response scenarios, such as a large
main break or security breach?
Maintaining optimal water quality
throughout a distribution system is best
accomplished by monitoring the turnover
rates, mixing process, and water qual-
ity of each water storage tank. Doing so
maintains the lowest water age and high-
est water quality. Various reports and
studies provide guidance on these topics,
including a series of white papers pub-
lished by the US Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, particularly Finished Water
Storage Facilities.
Water Age. Water age is managed by
normal turnover of a tanks stored water
and daily water level fluctuations. The
Water Research Foundation published a
report, Maintaining Water Quality in Fin-
ished Water Storage Facilities. The study
recommends water in storage tanks be
turned over about every 2.5 days to min-
imize water age and maximize water
quality. This turnover rate translates to a
40 percent daily turnover in tank volume.
If water storage tanks arent being turned
over every 2.5 days, the operating range
should be increased. Figure 1 illustrates
typical cycling of a Massachusetts Water
Figure 1. Typical MWRA Tank Cycling
Water in storage tanks should be turned over about every 2.5 days to minimize water
age and maximize water qualityabout 40 percent daily turnover in tank volume.
Time
12 p.m.
2/15/2012
12 a.m.
2/16/2012
12 p.m.
2/16/2012
F
t
328.0
326.0
324.0
322.0
2012 American Water Works Association 2012 American Water Works Association
www.awwa.org/opflow July 2012 Opflow 13
Resources Authority (MWRA) water stor-
age tank.
Tank Mixing. If tank cycling isnt ade-
quate to maintain water quality, tank mix-
ing can achieve optimum water quality.
Mixing can also help minimize water age
and eliminate stagnant zones in the tank.
Tank mixing can also be enhanced by
more aggressive or turbulent flow into the
tank. The amount of water can be calcu-
lated for a storage tank and depends pri-
marily on the volume of water flowing
into the tank and the fill pipes inlet diam-
eter. Temperature should also be consid-
ered when determining how effectively
water mixes in a storage tank. The follow-
ing is the formula for determining mixing
success:
Q/d > 11.5 at 20C
Q/d > 17.3 at 5C
Where:
Q = flow into the tank in gpm
d = the inlet pipe diameter in ft
MWRA PROCEDURES
MWRA personnel used the turnover rate
and mixing process formula to evaluate
the tank mixing process. Calculated turn-
over rates were determined to be 1.32.4
days, or daily rates of 4077 percent. The
mixing values were determined to be in
excess of Q/d values. Water age and water
quality can be confirmed through weekly
water quality samples taken at each water
storage tank.
Many utilities are installing active
mixing systems in their storage tanks as
another way to improve water quality and
achieve homogenous water chemistry.
Active mixers mix continuously; passive
mixers mix only when a tank is filling.
In climates with freezing winter tempera-
tures, active mixers can prevent ice dam-
age to the tank or its coatings. A tank
should be cleaned of sediment and bio-
film before a mixer is installed, and chem-
ical cleaning may be necessary, because
biofilm and iron/manganese deposits
cant be cleaned with high-pressure wash-
ing alone.
Sampling. To confirm water quality,
MWRA personnel sample each tank every
Monday. After crews confirm water is leav-
ing the tank (to ensure theyre getting a
representative sample), they test for chlo-
rine residual and send the sample bottles
to the lab for bacteria testing. Results are
plotted and monitored by operations and
quality assurance staff members. A thresh-
old level of 1.0 mg/L is used to assess
water quality and to determine if oper-
ational changessuch as increasing the
amount of water that moves through the
tankshould be made. Figure 2 shows
weekly chlorine residual data for an
MWRA 20-mil gal water storage tank.
Routine inspections are conducted
during the weekly sampling. Mass DEP
has developed a monthly inspection form
and checklist to help operators track reg-
ular tank sampling and inspection.
Poll questions from a recent AWWA
webcast regarding water storage tank
operation and maintenance revealed that
the frequency with which the utilities
participating in the webcast sample their
tanks ranged from 45 percent (weekly)
to 29 percent (never). An additional 17
percent of the respondents reported sam-
pling their tanks monthly.
BEST PRACTICES
AWWA Standard G200-09 recommends
best management practices for all facets
of a water distribution system. All water
system operators should become familiar
with this standard. Section 4.3.1, Treated
Water Storage Facilities, summarizes the
basics regarding tank operation, inspec-
tion, maintenance, and disinfection.
Subsection 4.3.1.3 states, The util-
ity shall have a written inspection pro-
gram outlining frequency, procedures,
and maintenance of records. The inspec-
tion program shall include such features as
routine (daily/weekly), periodic (monthly/
annually), and comprehensive (35 years)
inspections. The standard recognizes var-
ious recommendations related to tank
inspections, as well as overall operation,
and provides a framework with which util-
ities can develop their own programs.
Tank asset management, which includes
routine tank inspections, provides a sus-
tainable approach to maintaining the asset
and represents a sustainable best practice
for water quality management. Sustain-
able operational best practices to main-
tain water quality involve routine site visits
to sample and monitor the storage tanks,
cycling and turning over tanks, active mix-
ing, and regular cleaning to remove bio-
film and accumulated sediments.
Sustainable operational best
practices to maintain water quality
involve routine site visits to sample
and monitor the storage tanks.
Figure 2. Chlorine Residual Data, December 2011March 2012
MWRA personnel sample tanks once a week to assess chlorine residual. A 1.0-mg/L
threshold level is used to determine if operational changes should be made.
1.5
1.55
1.6
1.65
1.7
1.75
1.8
1.85
1.9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Weeks
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