Automated Sewer and Drainage Flushing Systems in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 129, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper summarizes the design of passive automatic flushing systems installed in the City of Cambridge’s storm and sanitary sewer system tributary to the Alewife Brook as part of a $75 million sewer separation program. Grit and debris deposition is severe in the existing combined sewers, storm drains, and sanitary trunk sewers due to the flat topography of the area. This condition is exacerbated by hydraulic constraints imposed on the system’s outlet by the Alewife Brook (shallow stream) and downstream sanitary siphons (again because of the Alewife Brook). The use of pumps to lift flows from sewers and drains to permit self-scouring velocities is prohibitively expensive. To overcome this problem, five automated flushing systems using quick opening (hydraulic operated) gates discharging collected stormwater were constructed in conjunction with downstream collector grit pits covering a distance of 1,604 m for storm drain pipes ranging from 1.4 m circular to 1.2 m by 1.8 m rectangular. New 450 and 600 mm sanitary trunk sewers, 561 m long, will be flushed daily by two flushing systems using spent filtrate water from Cambridge’s water treatment plant recently constructed nearby. The flushing systems are sized to achieve wave velocity of 1 m/s at the end of the flushing segment. The flush vault volumes range from 11 to for the storm drain systems and for the sanitary system. Construction was completed in May 2002 and functional testing of the flushing systems is in progress. Partial test results are reported.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Bertrand-Krajewski, J., Madiec, H., Moine, O., Heneau, T., Tougne, P., and Schaal, C. (1996). “Assessment of experimental bed load sediment traps to replace usual grit chambers in sewer systems.” Proc., 7th International Conf. Urban Storm Drainage, Hannover, Germany, Vol. 2, 737–742.
Chebbo, G., Laplace, D., Bachoc, A., Sanchez, Y., and Le Guennec, B.(1996). “Technical solutions envisaged in managing solids in combined sewer networks.” Water Sci. Technol., 33(9), 237–234.
Cho, K., and Mori, T.(1995). “A newly isolated fungus participates in the corrosion of concrete sewer pipes.” Water Sci. Technol., 31(7), 263–271.
Davis, J., Nica, D., Shields, K., and Roberts, D.(Patent for the Hydrass gate). (1998). “Analysis of concrete from corrode sewer pipe.” Int. Bio-deterioration Biodegradation, 42, 75–84.
Laplace, D., Bachoc, A., and Sanchez, Y.(1993). “Solutions techniques pour gerer les depots en collecteurs visitables (Technical solutions to manage sewer solids in man entry sewers).” PSM, (10), 519–523 (in French).
Laplace, D., Bertrand-Krajewski, J., Chebbo, G., and Felouzis, L. (1998). “Les pieges a charriage: de la theorie a la pratique (Bed load traps: from theory to practice).” Proc. NOVATECH 98, Lyon, France, Vol. 2, 329–336 (in French).
Pisano, W., Barsanti, J., Joyce, J., and Sorensen, H. (1998). “Sewer and tank sediment flushing: case studies.” Rep. No. EPA/600/R-98/157, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati.
Pisano, W., Novac, G., and Grande, N. (1997). “Automated sewer flushing large diameter sewers.” Proc., Collection Systems Rehabilitation and O&M Conf.: Solving Today’s Problems and Meeting Tomorrow’s Needs, Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, Va., 9–20.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 30, 2001
Accepted: Apr 11, 2002
Published online: Mar 14, 2003
Published in print: Apr 2003
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.