Critical Issues
for Wastewater Professionals
The most concise book ever written on new solutions to age-old problems in the wastewater industry.
About The Book
Operators face significant challenges in running today’s wastewater treatment plants. They are often constrained by time, shrinking budgets, overall demand, and stringent compliance standards.
Rick Allen charts a path through this maze and offers incredible insight into what problems to tackle first and why.
Is now the time to start a pre-treating our water? If so, how? If this doesn’t work, then what?
Rick also tackles costly problems such as corrosion. He details the findings of a young (only 5 years old) treatment plant that incurred $150,000 of corrosion-related repairs. You’ll hear his recommendations on what this plant (and possibly your plant) could have done to slow down or completely eliminate the problem.
These are only a few examples of the depth of Rick’s background and expertise. If you are an operator, a treatment plant manager, or involved with wastewater treatment in any way, you’ll love this in-depth look at brand new solutions to age-old problems.
Did you know that operators in London found a 2-ton “fatberg” that was the size of a bus? Rick explains what caused it and how to prevent it.
What’s inside
Chapter 1: We Have a Problem
How to deal with Demand, Capacity, Compliance & Budget Issues
Chapter 2: Faster, Better, Cheaper
Wastewater Plant Operations
Chapter 3: Lost in the FOG
Collection System Issues
Chapter 4: Sludge Happens
What is sludge and how to get rid of it.
Chapter 5: Those Bloomin' Algae
Mitigation of Algal Blooms
Chapter 6: The Changing World of Pretreatment
Every Town Needs a Mitigation Policy
Chapter 7: Public Awareness & Education
The General Public Will Help If You Tell Them How
Chapter 8: Restarts and Initial Startups
How to Do It Right
How to Get Started with Bioaugmentation
You’ll be surprised how cost effective it really is.
Introduction
During the past few years I have traveled over 2,000,000 miles throughout the US as an environmental advocate, trainer, CEO of an environmental company and a road warrior observing havoc in the water and wastewater industry.
Through my travels, I have spoken with hundreds of wastewater treatment plant managers, operators, and professionals from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Nome, Alaska, from Newark, New Jersey to Portland, Oregon, and I keep hearing the same questions over and over again:
How can we manage our wastewater systems better?
How can we cut grease and sludge costs?
How do we meet regulations with shrinking budgets?
What is bio augmentation, and does it really work?
And then there are questions about the future:
What proposed federal and state regulations should we know about?
How can we reduce costs?
Are there any new ways to deal with fog, toxic shock and H2S?
No wonder a lot of people are having a hard time running their wastewater treatment plant business!
For this reason, I have decided to write a book that will address some major wastewater concerns and impart helpful, practical, thought-provoking information so that we can all get back to the real business of cleaning dirty water!
To this end Critical Issues for Wastewater Professionals is divided into five chapters:
The first chapter, “We Have A Problem” addresses issues greatly affecting current and future waste water treatment plants: increased demand, undersized and outdated facilities, decreased budgets and compliance issues.
The second chapter, “Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations: The Three Deadly Sins!” discusses current and future options in dealing with difficult problems: toxic shock, hydrogen sulfide and low flow.
The third chapter, “Lost In The Fog”, is entirely devoted to the current and future collection system issues: fog, lift station problems, slow/clogged trunk lines and forced mains.
The fourth chapter, “Sludge Happens”, is (you guessed it!) All about sludge: what it is, common problems, its impact on wastewater treatment process, sludge management and emerging sludge reduction strategies.
Chapter 5, “Those Blooming Algae!” Discusses the effect of algae blooms on lagoons ponds and wetlands, anticipated regulations, algal bloom treatments and an emerging solution.
Chapters
Pages
This book is for
- Operators
- Circuit Riders
- Engineers
- Administrators
Or anyone looking to gain an in-depth understanding of the wastewater treatment industry.
About the Author

As an environmental advocate, trainer and CEO of BioLynceus®, Rick has traveled over 2 million miles throughout the United States, meeting with wastewater treatment plant managers, operators and professionals, discussing the solutions for the ever changing challenges wastewater professionals continually face.
Rick has now compiled his knowledge of 25+ years into an accessible book that poignantly addresses such issues as increased service demand, pretreatment, diminishing capacity, ever-changing compliance and shrinking budgets.
Rick Allen
How to get your COPIES
Reach out to us today by phone (below) by chat (below to the right) or by email (below). Let’s get started!