DELCORA Gets Above the Flow with Flo-Dar

DELCORA, (Delaware Country Regional Water Quality Control Authority), located in Chester, Pennsylvania is responsible for providing Delaware County, PA residents with cost-effective wastewater management services. Services include collection, conveyance, and treatment of a hundred million gallons of wastewater daily. Founded in 1970, DELCORA is committed to protecting and improving the quality of life of their community by providing quality drinking water to its residents. In conjunction with this effort, carefully planned improvements to the local environment as well as the conservation of natural resources remain in the forefront. To date, DELCORA has invested over $120 million in construction projects since their formation. Their three decade history of monetary investments coupled with their dedicated staff of 110 employees has allowed Delaware County to meet and exceed all environmental regulatory requirements. As new businesses and citizens settle in Delaware County they are assured of safe drinking water along with cleaner waterways for recreational use.

The Western Regional Treatment Plant (WRTP) plays a key role in the water quality programs developed by DELCORA. This 25-acre, state-of-the-art facility, removes caustic pollutants from wastewater prior to its discharge into the Delaware River. The careful monitoring that takes place at the WRTP and its nine remote pumping stations includes the accurate monitoring of wastewater flow influent and effluent. For over two decades, DELCORA personnel have chosen Marsh-McBirney open channel flowmeters to accurately audit these flow rates. In 2001, shortly after Marsh-McBirney introduced their latest flowmeter innovation, DELCORA was contacted by the manufacturerâs local representative, Tom Leonard of Industrial Controls. Due to DELCORAâs successful application of Marsh-McBirney flowmeters over the last 20 years, they were not only receptive to this new technique for monitoring open channel flow but were absolutely sold on the new meterâs highly desirable features.

The Flo-Dar flowmeter utilizes an 'above-the-flowä sensor that remotely measures open channel flow. When compared to flowmeters with submerged style sensors that can easily foul in the rugged sewer environment, the Flo-Dar offers attractive features not available from any other flowmeter manufacturer. Expenditures for increased maintenance and lost data can be completely eliminated with the use of Flo-Dar flowmeters. Flo-Dar transmits a digital doppler radar beam that interacts with the fluid and reflects back signals at a different frequency than that which was transmitted. These reflected signals are compared with the transmitted frequency. The resulting frequency shift provides an accurate measure of the velocity and the direction of the flow. Level is detected by ultrasonic pulse echo. Flow is then calculated based on the Continuity Equation:

Joe Yochim, Instrumentation Technician for DELCORA, states 'We use the portable Flo-Dar meters at our pumping stations to compare our influent and effluent flows to make sure our readings are consistently accurate. We selected the Flo-Dar for two reasons--portability and efficiency. We are very happy with them.ä He adds, 'We are moving the meters from site to site to monitor flows for short periods of a few weeks or less. We are also using the temporary mount and find that makes installation and removal of the meter very efficient.ä

Flo-Darâs ability to monitor wide flow ranges was also an attractive meter feature for DELCORA personnel. Yochim comments, 'The fact that Flo-Dar can operate in some of our large channels that see high flow volumes was important to us.ä Yochim has also used Doppler flowmeters and finds the Flo-Dar far superior when comparing the accuracy and efficiency of the two meter types.

When discussing the 20+ year relationship between Marsh-McBirney and DELCORA, Yochim adds, 'We have been around the block and so has Marsh-McBirney. Anyone that has ever worked with flowmeters knows Marsh-McBirney.ä To that we add, we are proud to have played a part in the success of DELCORA and their vow to provide cost-effective wastewater management services through the use of innovative flowmeters.