In 1990 Albuquerque’s public works leaders recognized they had
a significant groundwater pollution problem caused by the number of septic
tanks in unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County. They installed their
first AIRVAC vacuum sewer system in 1993 and have since expanded the
vacuum system several times.
“The installation of vacuum sewers has helped tremendously in
eliminating the groundwater pollution we were getting from septic tanks,” said
Bob Paulette, P.E., an engineer with Wilson & Company in Albuquerque.
Paulette has worked on the design and installation of Albuquerque’s
vacuum sewers for 10 years. “Vacuum sewer technology fit our conditions
perfectly.”
Installing gravity sewers in flat topography with high groundwater can
be very expensive and disruptive. Installation would require deep ditches
and dewatering, and the system would need multiple lift stations. The
deep irrigation ditches in Bernalillo County, which are vital to the
area’s agricultural needs, made the project even more difficult.
Those are some of the reasons Albuquerque, New Mexico, chose vacuum sewer
technology by AIRVAC.
“A 0.4 percent slope on an eight-inch collection line means the
sewer is dropping 21 feet every mile just to meet the minimum slope requirements,” explained
Bob Paulette. “It is obviously very difficult to install sewers
21 feet deep in high groundwater conditions. It also would take years
to complete.”
With AIRVAC, a single vacuum station was able to serve as many as 1,000
homes, with sewer lines extending as far as two miles from the station.
A gravity system in such flat terrain in a similarly sized area would
require several lift stations.
This article appeared in the October, 2005 issue of Public Works. If
you would like to read the entire story as it appeared in the magazine,
you can download a pdf, or you may request
hard copies.
In 1990 Albuquerque’s public works leaders recognized they had
a significant groundwater pollution problem caused by the number of septic
tanks in unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County. They installed their
first AIRVAC vacuum sewer system in 1993 and have since expanded the
vacuum system several times.
With AIRVAC, a single vacuum station was able to serve as many as 1,000
homes, with sewer lines extending as far as two miles from the station.
A gravity system in such flat terrain in a similarly sized area would
require several lift stations.