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To: Shawn Sowa, Professor
From: Gabriel Greco
Date: October 11, 2021
Subject: Progress Report 1 – Research Source Evaluation
Introduction
This memo summarizes the research done thus far on the wet well technical report. It describes the
technical report topic process, as well, evaluates the source material being used for the technical
report.
Technical Report Topic Process
The topic of my technical report will be the design of a wet well. A wet well is a storage tank
designed to receive and hold sewage until it reaches a set condition then is pumped out. They
utilize electronic sensors and measuring devices to communicate real time information occurring
during the process in the well. When the wastewater reaches a certain height within the well, a float
switch will close and send a signal to a PLC module which will initiate a set of pumps to divert the
wastewater. Wet wells are an integral process in water pumping stations and municipal wastewater
collection systems. For my report I have gathered and assessed five sources that will be beneficial
to my report. The sources are a mixture of technical reports released by different municipalities and
wastewater engineers, as well, professional documents published by wet well specialists. These
sources will be beneficial to my report because they cover a wide range of information regarding
wet wells, such as flow rate equations, storage capacity, maintenance and cleaning, and
construction.
Research Source Evaluation
Summarized below are the five resources I found to help build my technical report.
1) Design Standard Wastewater Lift Station
This resource provides information on the locations, build requirements, configuration and
pumping capacity standards for wet wells. Hydraulic Institute standards are used in this
document for wet well sizing, pump standards and flow velocity, pump control and
instrumentation requirements, and flow measurement.
This material will be beneficial for my report because it contains information on
instrumentation requirements dictated by the Hydraulic Institute standards. It will allow me to
get a better understanding of the different type of instrumentation devices used in the
construction and control of a wet well.
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2) Sewage Pumping Stations
This resource contains important information regarding the design guidelines for sewage
pumping stations in Ontario. The article covers topics such as general requirements, location,
types, flows, emergency options, controls and alarms, and other special design details all
concerning wet wells. The resource also brings awareness to safety concerns regarding sewage
pumping stations as dictated by OHSA.
This resource will be valuable for my wet well project because it outlines the requirements and
guidelines for wet wells in Ontario. The article also gives requirements dictated by NEMA
concerning the installation of electrical equipment such as motors, lights, cables, and control
circuits.
3) Wet Well Maintenance and Cleaning Essentials
This resource contains information on wet well cleaning and maintenance. There is no regulated
standard for wet well cleaning and maintenance so it is important to have a scheduled time
where wastewater in the well is diverted so that the well may be inspected, maintained, and
cleaned. This article brings to light several issues that can go wrong if wet wells are not cleaned
and inspected regularly and stresses the importance of having a maintenance schedule.
4) Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations
This resource contains information on hydraulic design basics and pump configurations utilized
in wet wells, such as the effects of having pumps in series versus the effects of having pumps in
parallel. The document also contains values used as a guideline for calculating wastewater flow
rates, average dry weather flow, peak dry weather flow, and minimum pump requirements. There
is also a section in the document outlining wet well clearance parameters which discusses the
minimum depth for a submersible pump in order to prevent vortices in the wet well. The
document then outlines several methods to reduce sub-surface vortices.
This information will be valuable for my wet well report as I can calculate the average flow for
different environmental situations such as peak and average dry weather flow. I can also use the
information to help me avoid sub-surface vortices which would create inefficiencies in the
process.
5) Pump Stations Design Guidelines- Second Edition
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Pump Stations Design Guidelines- Second Edition discusses topics such as wet well sizing and
storage volume, pumps, valves, and electronic pump control systems. It details the design
process for typical submersible lift stations, as well, provides formulas for calculating static
losses, frictions losses, minor losses, and total dynamic head. Pump Stations Design Guidelines-
Second Edition also features a section titled “Introduction to Wet Well Design”. This section
explains calculations such as inflow flow rate, discharge flow rate, minimum cycle time, sizing
the well, reservoir storage, and sizing the diameter of the well.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have gathered and assessed five documents from varied sources regarding the
different calculations and regulations governing wet wells. I will be able to collect information
from the documents and cross reference the information in order to obtain the best practices for
wet well design. My next step is to further asses the documents and collect general information
regarding wet wells. Please contact me at A00201829@mycambrian.ca if you have any
questions.
References
i) The City of Regina. (2021, January). Design Standard Wastewater Lift Station. Retrieved from
https://www.regina.ca/export/sites/Regina.ca/business-development/land-property-
development/.galleries/pdfs/Design-Standard-Wastewater-Lift-Station.pdf
ii) The Province of Ontario (2019, May 3). Sewage Pumping Stations. Retrieved from
https://www.ontario.ca/document/design-guidelines-sewage-works/sewage-pumping-stations
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iii) Articles- Wessuc Inc. (2018, April 18). Wet Well Maintenance and Cleaning Essentials. Wessuc.
Retrieved from http://wessuc.com/2018/04/11/wet-well-maintenance/
iv) Hydraulic Design of WW Lift Stations. (2019) Retrieved from https://www.pdh-pro.com/wp-
content/uploads/2019/03/CH-02-508.pdf
v) Pump Stations Design Guidelines- Second Edition. (2012) Retrieved from
https://www.jensenprecast.com/water-resources/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Design-
Guidelines-Pump-Stations.pdf
