I just came across this video on my computer and thought I would post it again. Our potable water dive team usually deploys to clean water storage tanks and towers. Occasionally we have a customer who wants a diver inspection. Diver inspection offers more detail than a remote underwater video camera or a Remotely Operated Video (ROV) inspection. The diver can look at specific areas and has the ability to evaluate more if not all of the tank. All of our equipment is purchased for and only used in potable water. We start off by spraying the diver down with a 200ppm chlorine solution just before he enters the tank. Take a look at this quick video and let us know what you think.
potable water Dive Team inspecting north central Texas tank. (c)2021 Ron Perrin
Thanks for taking a look at our video.
Since 1997 Ron Perrin Water Technologies, Inc. has been inspecting and cleaning water storage tanks and towers and we all love what we do.
Every time we clean the sediment out of a potable water storage tank we improve the water quality for that community
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One of the most important things a water utility can do is an annual water tank inspection on all potable water storage tanks in the system including both ground and elevated storage. Without proper inspections, the tanks often go out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Inspection should include all AWWA inspection points and a good look at the interior. The traditional way to do this is to remove the tank from service and drain the water. This is extremely labor intensive and often requires smaller communities to be without water for an extended period of time.
Custom water tank underwater inspection camera and lighting system.
Water tank inspection contractors often use a remote underwater camera, a remotely operated underwater vehicle, or a commercial diver to perform this task. Following AWWA guidelines all equipment is washed down with a 200ppm chlorine solution before entering the water system. Once inside the underwater cameras can get a good look at corrosion and sediment that may be hidden underwater. Using an inspection contractor allows the treated drinking water to stay in the tank and any disruption is reduced to a bare minimum.
In Texas, all potable water storage tanks are required to be inspected inside and out. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), mandates that under Texas Administrative code 290.46 water utilities in Texas are required to perform an annual inspection of each storage facility in their system with a utility employee or a contracted inspection service. The basic inspection form can be found here: TCEQ Tank Inspection Form.
On the form under WATER QUALITY,” the form asks if there are Insects, floating debris, or sediment on the bottom of the tank. While you may be able to see the bottom on smaller tanks, the majority would need to be drained or deploy some type of underwater camera to get a good look at the floor. Inspection contractors like Ron Perrin Water Technologies, Inc. offer some innovative tools to get inspections done with no disruption in service at all. From remotely controlled underwater cameras that can get a good look to see what is on the floor of the tank, to Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) that are able to swim to the back of a larger facility so no part of the tank has been unchecked. All of our reports include photos of every inspection point and interior photos and video. With our specially designed camera and lighting system, we are able to get a good look at the interior roof. This is a key inspection point and often has the most corrosion that we find on the facility. Our underwater camera is lowered into the tank taking a look at what is going on just under the waterline and lower wall areas. Finally, the floor comes into view and we are able to estimate sediment levels in the tank. Larger facilities often need to use the ROV to reach the back side of the tank or look at a specific area thought to have a problem.
Ron and Robert Perrin holding a DEEP TREKKER Remotely Operated Vehicle at the U.S. Coast Guard Facility on Galveston Island.
It is extremely important to monitor sediment levels in water storage tanks. Sediment can be a breeding ground for bacteria, protozoa, and even viruses. When our inspection discovers sediment is starting to build up we can document what is going on with underwater photos and video. We then include a proposal to send our potable water dive team back to remove the sediment. This can also be done with minimal water loss and no disruption in service.
Sediment is being removed from a small ground tank by a potable water diver working inside the tank.
Ron Perrin Water Technologies, Inc. has been serving the needs of water utilities since 1997. We are here to help. Give us a call for a free inspection or cleaning proposal. Our toll-free # is 1-888-481-1768; Or our local number at 817-377-4899; or email Robert at perrinsales@gmail.com.
Our potable water dive crew is one of the best ways to keep your water storage tanks clean and healthy. The diver is sealed in his own environment and washed down with a chlorine solution to meet USEPA and state water quality standards. The diver is then able to move about the tank freely allowing him to do an inspection, clean the floor or perform other needed tasks. Check out our Facebook page to see a video of this tank being cleaned https://www.facebook.com/ronperrinwatertech.
Since 1997 we have been inspecting and cleaning water storage tanks and towers. Our methods and procedures save millions of gallons of treated drinking water every month by allowing tanks to be inspected and cleaned while they remain in service.
Custom-built underwater camera and lighting system
Our custom-built underwater camera and lighting system is one of the best values in the industry allowing tanks to be inspected inside and out with no human entry. This saves water utilities time and money while delivering an informative inspection report that exceeds state documentation standards. An annual inspection that covers the interior of the tank all the way down to the sediment levels is one of the best ways to keep up with the health of your water system. For larger tanks, we also have several Remotely Controlled Vehicles (ROVs) that we can deploy when needed. The ROV is also equipped with an underwater lighting system that has the added benefit of being able to navigate to the rear of a large tank or look at specific areas you may want to document. You can see a short video of our ROV service here: https://youtu.be/21z5nbx2-R8. If your ground or elevated storage tanks need to be cleaned our potable water dive crew is a great way to get that done with no disruption in service and minimal water loss. If you have a standpipe with a water depth deeper than 50 feet we recommend WALLIE.
Wallie is what we call our standpipe cleaning robot. Capable of working at depths of 165 feet Wallie can stay down as long as it takes to get the job done right. He is equipped with two video cameras and a lighting system to allow the operator to see what he is doing. This also allows us to record the cleaning and document the final result for our customers. You can see Wallie in action here: https://youtu.be/7bFqEW_x_fo. If you have a water storage tank please give us a call to get a free inspection or cleaning quote. Our toll-free number is: 1-888-481-1768, in the DFW area call: 817-377-4899 or e-mail Robert at perrinsales@gmail.com.
Sep 26, 2020 Texas residents warned of tap water tainted with brain-eating microbe. Texas officials have warned residents of some communities near Houston to stop using tap water because it might be tainted with a deadly brain-eating microbe.
The Guardian Reported:
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) warned the Brazosport Water Authority late on Friday of the potential contamination of its water supply by Naegleria fowleri.
The commission issued an advisory warning people not to use tap water for any reason except to flush toilets in Lake Jackson, Freeport, Angleton, Brazoria, Richwood, Oyster Creek, Clute and Rosenberg.
Those communities are home to about 120,000 people. Also affected are the Dow Chemical works in Freeport, which has 4,200 employees, and the Clemens and Wayne Scott state prison units, which have 2,345 inmates and 655 employees.
The advisory will remain in place until the Brazosport authority’s water system has been thoroughly flushed and tests on water samples show the system’s water is safe to use. It said in a statement that it was unclear how long it would be before the tap water was safe.
With everything going on last year I missed this story. My take on this story is one of the reasons I got into diving water tanks in the first place. To explain why this story made me think about how I came to build a company that puts divers into water storage tanks I need to tell you something about myself and even about my parents.
In the early 1990s I was working as a Texas police officer, and my passion was SCUBA Diving. My love of SCUBA Diving goes back even farther. My dad was Charles B. Perrin, he passed in 2016 at the age of 78. He claims to have purchased the first Aqua-Lung in Fort Worth in the mid 1950’s. He had to order it from a welding supply long before the first SCUBA store opened in Texas. Both my mom and dad spent time water-skiing and SCUBA diving on Possum Kingdom Lake (PK) west of Fort Worth on the Brazos River. They were both civil servants: my dad worked for the IRS and my Mom was an Executive for the Corps of Engineers. Raising their family in the 60’s-80″s this solid middle class income gave them enough extra money to not only afford to give us a great middle class lifestyle, it also allowed them to purchase a second home, something that seems out of reach for most of us today.
They purchased a lake house on Possum Kingdom Lake (PK) where I spent most of the weekends of my youth. Even before they purchased the first lake property my dad had taken me out to PK in a small fishing boat with his one set of Scuba Gear and instructed me how to SCUBA dive. In 1971, I was 12 years old. The Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) was not even founded until 1966. My dad predated standard training practices that would come along after his diving years were done. With no formal courses available my parents taught themselves how to dive with the help of “The Skin Diver” (later renamed Skin Diver Magazine). Sea Hunt starring Lloyd Bridges*, was also a favorite TV program in our home. I personally would not get formally trained and certified until the early 1980’s.
Charles Perrin – Possum Kingdom Lake
I can still remember my first dive. I was so excited. It was a clear summer day and our 14′ “Little Dude” fiberglass fishing boat was anchored in a remote area over crystal clear water about 10′ deep. I put dad’s tank, mask and fins on just like Lloyd Bridges. I checked the regulator which gave me that great scuba diving sound as cold compressed air shot into my mouth from the 72 cubic inch steel tank strapped to my back. I sat on the side of the boat and dad explained to me how to make entry by going over backwards.
“Hold on to your mask,” he said as he pushed me over the side. The water was cold on my hot sun soaked skin, my heart rate shot up and I was breathing was as rapid as I could breath! I was sure I was going to die as I tried to get my head above water. Turning myself around underwater I shot back to the surface with all my strength but I was stopped by my dad putting his hand on my head and holding me underwater until my breathing finally slowed down and my initial panic subsided. My dad was the worst SCUBA instructor ever! Despite that first dive experience that could best be described as violent or even brutal, I fell in love with diving. By the time I was 14 I was exploring the lake on my own spearfishing in the many coves and inlets. I never had a buddy to dive with but I always had a sharp knife in case I got tanged in an abandoned trout line that seemed to be everywhere I wanted to dive.
Growing up on the lake the brain-eating ameba Naegleria fowleri is something I have been aware of most of my life at least as far back as I can remember. Diving and Water Skiing were my favorite things to do on the lake. In late summer the river flow would slow down. The water going through the dam would be reduced and water become more stagnant. At the same time the hot summer sun warms the water. Naegleria fowleri loves warm water and in late summer Texas lake water gets very warm. I remember news stories from water skiers (usually teenaged children) getting the organism in their nose and dying from it, going back to my teenage years. When the lake level went down too low we stopped diving and water skiing.
When cooler weather arrives in mid September, Naegleria fowlerilies dormant in the sediment at the bottom of lakes and riverbeds, which is why experts advise that you not stir up any more of that sludge/sediment than necessary. First discovered in 1899, Naegleria fowleri is a protist pathogen, known to infect the central nervous system and produce primary amoebic meningoencephalitis.
In 1991 I discovered that the American Water Works Association had a standard to put scuba divers into drinking water. Using a drysuit and a full face mask, a diver could be totally isolated from the water supply. To meet the standard that has been adopted by the USEPA and TCEQ the diver must also be washed down with a 200ppm chlorine solution. Taking the tank out of service and then decontaminating the entire facility with very expensive and time consuming super chlorination procedure. Decontamination of the diver is much more economical. In addition other advantages are the diver can move around all underwater areas. Equipped with a good underwater lighting and camera system the diver can document the condition of the facility and deliver a great inspection report with no water loss or disruption in service. After I mastered diving in potable water I saw a common problem potable water tanks have – over time, sediment collects on the floor of tanks.
I read everything I could about tank sediment. In 1990 the National Drinking Water Advisory Council stated that drinking water contamination from bacteria, protozoa and viruses may be the biggest challenge for drinking water professionals in the future. The future is here, over time almost all tanks collect sediment. Tank sediment can be a safe habitat for a wide host of microbes including crypto andNaegleria fowleri.
When I ask about sediment removal I was told the standard method was a bucket and a shovel. We immediately started working on a better way. First using some methods developed for moving sand to look for treasure off-shore a much simpler method was developed by 1999. We now use a 3″ trash pump to clean most ground storage tanks and with water towers we simply use gravity to create all the suction we need to quickly remove sediment from the floor of the tank. Cleaning water storage tanks is not as common as you may think. Our company inspects over seven hundred tanks a year. Every week we find tanks that have never been cleaned. Currently there are no USEPA rules on when tanks should be cleaned. Texas has administrative rules under 290.46 requiring all potable water storage to be inspected annually. However, Texas along with most other states, have no rules on how often water storage tanks should be cleaned. The interior of water tanks often remain, “Out-of-sight and out-of-mind”.
Photo: Potable Water Diver wearing a dry suit and Kirby Morgan B-17 Diving Helmet
KEEPING WATER STORAGE TANKS CLEAN IS IMPORTANT
This story is about communities on the lower part of the Brazos River that have hadNaegleria fowleriturn up in their drinking water system. The standard remediation for this is often to perform a chlorine burn that increases the chlorine to a high level. This kills all contaminants it comes into contact with. So everything on the surface in the water system that is underwater, including all tanks and water mains is sanitized. But what about the contaminants that remain hidden under a layer of sediment in the water storage tank? Administrators often are unaware of any tank sediment that may still be lurking in water storage tanks again, Out-of-sight and out-of- mind. The chlorine burn will kill all contaminants on the surface of the sediment. This is why proper tank inspections that can determine the actual sediment levels are so important. One half to three inches of sediment is very common. Without removing the sediment, contaminants remain in the tank and will continue to be a problem in the future. All water storage tanks should be on a cleaning schedule. Some tanks may need to be cleaned annually while others may be able to be on a three or five year program.
Photo Above: Remotely controlled Cleaning Robot being deployed on a 158′ standpipe water storage tank
First established in 1997, Ron Perrin Water Technologies, Inc. has been a leader in the underwater inspection and cleaning of water storage tanks and towers. We offer three different inspection methods: 1) remote camera, 2) Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and 3) Potable Water Diver. Our divers are commercially trained from great schools like The Ocean Corporation where I serve on the Educational Advisory Board. We offer diver cleaning with no disruption in service and minimal water loss on ground and elevated tanks. For standpipes over 70 feet tall we have a Robot Cleaning Service.
See more about what we do and how we do it at our website at: www.ronperrin.com.
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*Sea Hunt is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. Click Hear to watch Sea Hunt
Other References:
Naegleria fowleri is responsible for the death of a 6-year-old boy in Lake Jackson, Texas, and environmental officials say the city will be fighting the pathogen for monthsTPO ARTICLE HERE.
Since 1997 we have been inspecting and cleaning potable water storage tanks and towers. Our crews take hundreds and often over a thousand photos a week. Of course, most are a little on the boring side documenting the inspection points of water tanks and towers. Occasionally we turn the cameras on ourselves as we do the work and those are the photos I use to promote our service.
Every time I see this photo I think about how it nails down what we do. I think it was the best of 2020. It is one of our divers cleaning a GST potable water storage facility. The tanks are always a lot cleaner when we are done, about half way through you can see a lot of sediment on the floor and less that perfectly clear water, it is a real working photo, not something produced in perfect pool water conditions.
Here are some other photos I found to be impressive in 2020 I hope you like them too.
Our goal is to get people thinking about their water, and allow utility officials to understand the choices they have when it comes to inspecting and cleaning potable water storage tanks and towers.
Be sure to check out number two in our new video series. “Tap Talk” will explore what we typically find in municipal drinking water tanks and why keeping water tanks clean is important. There is a serious danger lurking in America’s water systems. Join me, (Ron Perrin), along with microbiologists and a former EPA employee, Len Pardee, as we discuss the problem.
For several years we have been working on a feature length documentary with the working title, “Out of sight, Out of mind – What is in your water”. This episode features parts from that film. Keeping tanks clean is very important, but before you can fix a problem you must know it exists. Water tank inspections are essential to properly manage any municipal water system. Big or small, if you do not know there is a problem with your water system, you can not make plans to take care of it. Sediment builds up in almost all water systems over time. Sediment on the floor of the tank can be a breeding ground for bacteria, protozoa, viruses and a host of other contaminants. In some tanks this soft sedimentation becomes a safe habitat where contaminants can grow protected from the chlorine and other treatment chemicals. As billions of bacteria form in the sediment treatment chemicals can be depleted, causing utilities to use more and more until they reach, or exceed, legal limits.
All Potable Water Tanks should be Inspected. This may not be the first thing water utilities think about after severe storms. With damage to utility offices and vehicles, the potable water storage tanks and towers are often overlooked. If you need your tanks and towers inspected we are here to help. Ron Perrin Water Technologies, Inc. has been inspecting tanks and towers since 1997. We use underwater video cameras so there is no disruption in your utility water service. Call 1-888-481-1768 or see www.ronperrin.us for more details.
Our business is to help water utilities keep drinking water up to standards and safe to drink. We save utilities time, and money while saving millions of gallons of treated drinking water each month (sometimes each day).
We do this by inspecting water storage tanks with remote cameras while they remain in-service and full of drinking water. If the tank or the water tower has sediment build up our potable water dive crew can remove sediment from the facility with minimal water loss and usually no disruption in service.
Ron Perrin – Inspecting water tanks and towers since 1997.
This process removes bacteria, protozoa, and even viruses that can live, thrive and grow in the tank sediment that builds-up on the floor of virtually every water storage facility. Your zip code should not determine how safe your municipal water is to drink.
Our remote camera inspections are very affordable and our cleaning process cost much less than draining and removing the tank from service for cleaning. Of the top eleven contaminates for municipal drinking water systems according to the CDC, our method of removing tank sediment eliminates the habitat that eight of them can use to get a foothold in water systems.
Water tank cleaning with potable water dive crew.
Photo: Potable Water Storage tank being cleaned by potable water dive crew.
For a quote to inspect or clean your municipal water tanks or towers give us a call toll free at 888-481-1768.
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