The project team at the Fort Myers Central & South Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility hit a major milestone on April 3. The headworks screen and grit rehab crew took the South plant off the six pump bypass system and successfully started the new Hydro-Dyne bar screen equipment while overcoming hurtles caused by COVID-19 and its impact on the startup.
Training sessions were recorded and broadcasted through Microsoft Teams so all facility staff as well as the engineers could participate while keeping the on-site participation under the 10-person limit.
“I couldn’t be prouder of all the people on my staff that made this happen. Everyone pitched in. I also wanted to say we couldn’t have done it without the support of others like Bob Hahn, Billy Logan, Howard Gates, Chris Gayner, and our Safety Coordinator Carlos Torres,” Tom Del Torto, Senior Project Manager said.
Tom also gave a shout out to Mike Flaga and Josh Howell, who directed and pushed the install from start to finish while keeping the bypass system running smooth. “They made sure we had 24/7 coverage for service, maintenance, emergency response, de-ragging, and cleaning strainer pots through it all,” Tom said.
About the project
The Screen & Grit Improvements project is a $6 million change order for the original Electrical Upgrades project for the City of Fort Myers. The additional scope includes repairing and coating the entire headworks channel system, replacing the existing screen and grit equipment, and improving building ventilation.
