HeadsUp Newsletter - Vol 4:02: February 2007

The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSDGC) is comprised of no less than seven wastewater treatment plants. The Mahr Bar Screen manufactured by Headworks^® Inc. has been installed so far in three of these plants as part of capital improvement projects.

Mill Creek WWTP

The first Mahr Bar Screen which the MSDGC purchased was installed ten years ago at the Sycamore Creek plant. Two years later, in 1999, following the success of the first installation, two Mahr Bar Screens were installed in the Muddy Creek WWTP. The MSDGC’s faith and confidence in the superior quality and technology of Headworks^®’ products supported the MSDGC’s decision to purchase two screens for the Mill Creek WWTP in 2002.

Presumed to be the largest storm and wastewater screens in the United States, the durability of these 67’ long and 8’ wide screens with 3/8” bar spacing continues to prove that the Headworks^® Bar Screen is the only technology on the market capable of handling such severe conditions. One screen alone is estimated to handle 200 MGD during peak storm events.

Alan Smith, Client Services Manager of CH2MHill (formerly BBS), states:

“MSDGC’s experience with the Mahr Bar Screen since 1997 has been a positive one. The stainless steel construction, short cycle time to clean the screen field and the reduced maintenance frequency compared to other screens that the District has maintained over the years are factors that have contributed to the Mahr Screen’s success in Greater Cincinnati.”

Muddy Creek WWTP

The Mill Creek plant handles sanitary as well as storm water flow, so it experiences a wide variance in amounts of both flow and solids. Prior to the installation of the Mahr Bar screen, bad weather would result in large solids accumulating in front of the existing ‘climber’ design screens resulting in their failure during these critical events. The District was looking to eliminate these failures during their storm events and get the greatest possible degree of protection for their main pumps. The Mahr Bar Screen’s advanced technology automatically increases the cleaning cycle to as rapid as every 5 seconds during periods of high flows. Because each screen is designed and built to suit individual wastewater treatment plant needs, the bar spacing on this screen was set at 3/8”, thus eliminating the expense of two separate screens, an initial coarse screen leading to a finer screen. This helped lower both capital and future labor costs with the Mahr Bar’s renowned low maintenance design.

The resilience and strength of the screens seen at all three plants persuaded MSDGC to commission two more screens each last year for both Mill Creek and Sycamore Creek  WWTPs.

Sycamore Creek WWTP

Evidence of the MSDGC’s faith in Headworks^® as a manufacturer and beyond, is undeniable. The Headworks^® Team takes pride in our ability to handle the most challenging of situations successfully and consistently. The applications in the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati are proof that the Headworks^® Mahr Bar Screen design and technology is far superior over other screens available on the market today.