by Erik Rumbaugh | May 6, 2026 | Uncategorized
Even well‑run wastewater treatment systems face sudden, destabilizing events known as process shocks. These shocks disrupt biological activity, upset clarifiers, and threaten permit compliance — often with little warning. While every plant is unique, most upsets fall...
by Erik Rumbaugh | Apr 28, 2026 | Bioaugmentation, Odor Control, OIls & Grease
If you operate or maintain a wastewater collection system, you already know the “triple threat” that drives complaints and rehab budgets: odors, corrosion, and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The trap is treating each symptom in isolation—chasing headspace readings,...
by Erik Rumbaugh | Apr 16, 2026 | Wastewater Troubleshooting
We know the story: the diffuser grid was rated well in clean-water testing, but real basins rarely perform the same. This post explains why real-world oxygen transfer efficiency (OTE) commonly lands 40–70% below clean-water standard oxygen transfer efficiency (SOTE),...
by Erik Rumbaugh | Apr 10, 2026 | Uncategorized
In wastewater treatment, the biological conversion of ammonia to nitrate (nitrification) is a two-step process performed by Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) and Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria (NOB). Because these organisms are chemolithoautotrophic and have slow growth...
by Erik Rumbaugh | Mar 30, 2026 | Uncategorized
A clear difference between MBBR (attached‑growth) and suspended‑growth activated sludge is how much living biomass each system can maintain—and how that living fraction behaves under real operating conditions. The contrast shapes treatment capacity, stability, and...
