Achieving Success: Leveraging The Manufacturer's Experience

What is the typical design life of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in North America? This is an important question to consider. Perhaps the better question to consider is: “What is important to the operators and beneficiaries of a WWTP facility.

The historical mandate for publicly-funded WWTPs has been and continues to be to provide for the safe collection and effective processing of wastes from the community. Because it is a significant investment for ratepayers, it is crucial to provide a sufficient return on investment for as long as possible. The general rule of thumb has been an expectation of average design life of twenty years for most pieces of treatment equipment used in the plant. This lifespan has become the norm that is acceptable to the ratepayers footing the bill.