Case Study: Knoxville Utilities Board

In 2004, the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) initiated the innovation PACE 10 (Partners Acting for a Cleaner Environment) program to accelerate wastewater system improvements. PACE 10 is a fast paced 10-year program to eliminate sewer overflows, meet Clean Water Act requirements and comply with federal regulations. To date, the KUB has improved over 23 miles of pipelines and completed major work on storage tanks and the collection system.

The KUB received numerous odor complaints each year from the area surrounding their Water Treatment Plant and a local day care facility. The Hydrogen Sulfide smells originated at the Forks in the River Pump Station and the corrosive gasses were negatively impacting the integrity of force main piping and equipment. In keeping with the PACE 10 program objective, the KUB decided to combine the problem of stopping odor complaints with improving the longevity of existing and new collection system infrastructure.

With a goal of reducing Hydrogen Sulfide to an average of <5 ppm, ECO2 custom-designed and installed their proprietory Speece Cones with Oxygen injection, metering and monitory systems. The project began in 2007, with completion in early 2008. H2S levels that previously spiked up over 1,000 ppm have been reduced to an average of <1 ppm with the installation of the ECO2 SuperOxygenation System.