Wastewater Utilities Take Notice: Supplemental Funds For Energy Saving Pumps May Await Your Lift Station Retrofit Projects

The city of Vancouver, WA, has distinguished itself as a leader in effective sanitary sewer system management by maintaining adequate capacity, proactively maintaining sewage infrastructure, and minimizing the cost for existing and new ratepayers. Like many municipal wastewater utilities elsewhere, some increasingly popular consumer products have proven problematic for elements of Vancouver's infrastructure. For the crews that maintain the wastewater collection system, a particularly popular consumer product — household cleaning and personal wipes — emerged as a costly and paralyzing problem at a strategic lift station.