Let us tell you something you already know: No matter how well you do your job as an operations manager, your wastewater treatment plant will experience unexpected downtime. One of the main reasons is the state of the U.S. wastewater infrastructure. Infrastructure is deteriorating and capital for upgrades can be scarce. That leaves the country’s almost 15,000 wastewater treatment plans more and more susceptible to structural failure, blockages and overflow. Add the potential for operator error, hardware or software failure and unmet capacity, and it’s not if, but when, your plant will go down, along with your budget. 

For many wastewater treatment plants, the only option during downtime is to send the sewage flow directly into the nearest waterway. That happens up to 75,000 times every year in the United States, according to the EPA. If it’s a spill of any size, you need to report it to the DEQ, which could lead to monetary penalties. But that’s only one of the many costs of even five minutes of downtime. 

Downtime also triggers costs for lost staff productivity, labor and materials for repair, and rebalancing the system for restart. Add to the potential for increased oversight by DEQ, customer dissatisfaction, and loss of reputation for the municipality. 

Download the free guide, The Costs of 5 Minutes of Downtime, for a closer look at the costs and impacts of downtime at your wastewater treatment plant so you can effectively address them. The downloadable guide will give you a better idea of the costs when your wastewater treatment plant is down for five minutes, so you can think about how to avoid even short periods of downtime. If you have questions, please contact Sunbelt Rentals.