HeadsUp Newsletter - Vol 3.10: October 2006

Sulphur Springs is located halfway between Dallas and Texarkana in Northeast Texas. The City has a small-town feel with a population of almost 15,000 people. The City collects wastewater for treatment through 112 miles of sewer mains and five lift stations. Sulpher Springs Water and Sewer Distribution Department maintains the main wastewater treatment plant, located on the east side of town. This plant is designed to handle 5.4 MGD.

In 2004, the Sulphur Springs Water and Sewer Distribution authorities sought to replace their old catenary screen. The City faced problems with downtime, in some instances for over a week at a time, due to maintenance requirements or waiting for parts for their screen. When the centenary screen was down, their spare screen was overwhelmed as it couldn’t handle the plants’ full capacity.   

Their main criterion was finding a product with low maintenance requirements and with greater efficiency than their existing screen. After a thorough investigation of screens at WEFTEC and careful consideration, they purchased a Headworks Mahr Bar Screen^®. The Headworks^® screen is heavy duty and, with the patented self-cleaning feature, the screen is virtually maintenance free. The all stainless steel screen has low headloss and a low profile that requires less than 8 feet of headspace. The installation required 0.25’’ bar spacing and an overall length of 12.5’ with a screen field length of 4.6’. It is   installed in a channel 2.5’ wide and 6.0’ deep. The screen was designed to handle increased future flow of 10.3 MGD.

Craig Vaughn, Plant Manager of Sulphur Springs Wastewater Treatment Plant says, "The Mahr^® Bar Screen is one of the better units that we have seen on the market. It requires the least maintenance. That is why we decided to go with it and it has worked out well for us, we no longer have problems with downtime.  We are also very pleased with the service and support we get from Headworks^®."