What is Underground Comes to the Surface for the Public in Utility’s Sewer Simulator

The Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District uses a shipping container to build a sewer simulator that has become a valuable asset for educating customers

What is Underground Comes to the Surface for the Public in Utility’s Sewer Simulator

The inspiration for NEORSD's shipping container turned sewer simulator came from something similar done by the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority. NEORSD's Todd Andexler and Pete Lehman, pictured on the outside of the simulator, took on the task of building it. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)

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Using recycled materials, ingenuity and decades of expertise working underground, a pair of equipment operators for the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) in Cleveland created an effective public outreach tool — a walk-through simulator of a sewer line.

It all started in 2014, when staff members for NEORSD saw a similar “virtual sewer” at an open house in Pittsburgh. That display was built by the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN). Seeing how popular the walk-through exhibit was, the NEORSD crew quickly secured permission from ALCOSAN to borrow the idea and build their very own simulator.

“We get questions from our customers who don’t understand how the wastewater system works,” says John Gonzalez, manager of communications for NEORSD. “This interactive exhibit gives customers a way to think about wastewater systems in a different way.”

Todd Andexler and Pete Lehman, field tech operators for NEORSD, undertook the task of building the new sewer simulator. Beginning in January 2015, the nine-month-long project cost about $20,000 in materials and labor. However, the duo saved much more by using recycled items, including what Andexler calls a “rusty, nasty old” 20-foot-long shipping container in need of rehab work, corrugated pipes, SDR35 PVC sewer main pipes, wood and holding tanks. Ramps provide accessibility to wheelchairs and strollers. An old house door secures one end of the simulator.

“We had to custom-make the bar rack structure,” says Lehman.

They used brick veneer from a local home improvement store to create the arched ceiling of an “egg-shaped” sewer line without making it too heavy to transport. They also purchased lighting for the interior. With some sewer lines dating back to the 1890s, Andexler and Lehman say they wanted to mimic as closely as possible what those century-old lines look like. Signs displayed along the simulator explain each aspect of the system.

The simulator mimics how an actual sewer system works to help members of the public better understand what is occurring underground. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)
The simulator mimics how an actual sewer system works to help members of the public better understand what is occurring underground. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)

The men plumbed a closed-loop water system that flows from the holding tanks through the open troughs lining each side of the simulator’s interior and back using two fountain pumps.

“We had to make sure the pump rate and the drains were adequate,” says Lehman.

They even placed plastic mice around the inside of the simulator, to demonstrate how animals such as raccoons, rats and spiders can make sewers their home.

The doorways to the simulator feature photos of the protective gear sewer workers use to prevent injury. Both Andexler and Lehman wryly note that the true sanitary sewer aspect of the simulator isn’t replicable. That’s just as well, because in addition to the odors, techs must contend with low oxygen levels, hydrogen sulfide gas, explosive gases and other environmental hazards when they venture underground to maintain the lines.

“Our protective equipment can’t be overlooked,” says Andexler.

“People don’t understand how dangerous working down there really is,” adds Lehman.

The doorway to the simulator is designed to look like the city's oldest sewer lines, and also showcases the gear workers need to safely work underground. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)
The doorway to the simulator is designed to look like the city's oldest sewer lines, and also showcases the gear workers need to safely work underground. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)

During open houses and other events where the simulator makes an appearance, NEORSD staff members showcase the technology the utility uses to inspect sewers. Andexler and Lehman are also on hand at events to show off the simulator and answer questions, including what they find in the sewers.

“We find bowling balls, car bumpers, fenders and other car parts,” says Lehman. “And fire hoses, and millions of rags.”

“Some of the strangest things we find down there are truck tires, trees and old jewelry,” says Andexler.

And both agree that they find way too much contractor-generated garbage such as concrete molds and even chunks of concrete in their pipes.

The reception for the simulator has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Lots of people who tour the simulator say they had no idea all this was going on underground,” says Lehman.

“People ask us, ‘Is this how big the lines are?’” says Andexler. “They are surprised when they learn they’re bigger than this.”

Both operators say that people come away with a new understanding about how wastewater is processed.

“And this is just a little bit of what goes on underground,” Andexler says.

The utility also uses the simulator as an opportunity to educate customers about the need — and the anticipated costs — to maintain aging sewer lines, although as Andexler notes, “Some of our lines are more than 100 years old and still in working condition.”

But Lehman notes, “The mortar in our brick-lined sewers is disintegrating, and they are going to need repairs or replacement.”

During NEORSD’s first open house in September 2015, more than 2,000 people toured the simulator. Since then, the simulator has visited EarthFest 2017, World Water Day at the Watershed Stewardship Center in nearby Parma, and the “4 Miles 4 Water” walk/race event. And, of course, NEORSD continues to bring the simulator out to its annual open house each September.

Currently, the simulator has to be placed onto a trailer with a crane to transport it. One of the improvements being worked on this year is a way to more easily transport it. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)
Currently, the simulator has to be placed onto a trailer with a crane to transport it. One of the improvements being worked on this year is a way to more easily transport it. (Photo courtesy of NEORSD)

Lehman and Andexler are busy planning enhancements to the simulator for 2018’s event. Although they declined to discuss specifics, they did indicate that one improvement is a way to make the container easier to transport to events. Currently, it must be moved onto a trailer with a crane. And they are also considering installing a manhole on the simulator.

“I think the simulator is a good start,” Lehman says. “It’s something we can feed off and make better and even more interesting.”



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