Concrete Proof: Transforming Digester Decisions Through Results-Based Condition Assessment

Presentation Description: 50 years after the implementation of the clean water act, water reclamation professionals are left with aging infrastructure and a puzzling question; do you rehab a digester or replace it? On the surface level (literally), we only have visual indicators of condition. However, visual for concrete is not a good indicator of concrete’s structural validity.
To truly understand the structural condition of concrete tanks, such as digesters, a more strategic approach should be taken to justify the decision to rehab or build new infrastructure.
This presentation will discuss the chemistry of concrete and steel corrosion what exists for solids treatment processes in water reclamation. The presentation will then discuss performing a comprehensive condition assessment, describing the techniques used to determine the health of reinforced-concrete structures, including assessment of the integrity of reinforcing steel and testing of concrete chemistry as a function of depth. The City of Camarillo Digesters will be used as a case study, going in-depth to the details of proper removal-from-service practices for digesters, the condition assessment and expected length of digester downtime, and proper procedures for returning the digester to service to avoid process hiccups.