As a past wastewater technician, Michael Vavruska, Regional Director of Missouri and Kansas for Midwest Infrastructure Coatings, knows a thing or two about the extreme demands that a wastewater structure goes through on a daily basis. Which is why the City of Pacific, Missouri turned to him during the planning stage of a new headworks building to discuss how to best protect their investment before service would even start.
“The City of Pacific has been a past customer of ours and was already familiar with OBIC,” said Vavruska. “They wanted to protect the new headworks, as well as an existing lift station that was located down the road, from I&I issues and H2S corrosion. In the final stages of the headworks facility construction, we came in and applied OBIC 1000 polyurea single-layer coating to protect the concrete from day one. For the lift station, we utilized the OBIC Armor multi-layer system for its ability to provide structural reinforcement and prevent further damage.”
If municipalities are planning out new projects, it’s always better to plan ahead and include a protective coating in the project because you won’t have to account for time or costs associated with bypassing.
Prep is always the most important and hardest part of any project. For this one, the crew used a rotary tip and high pressure water to clean and rough up the surface since it had form oil on it from when the concrete was poured. Midwest Infrastructure Coatings also taped off the surrounding area of the work area in order to prevent getting over-spray on it and keep it looking like new. Then, they used a propane tank and hand-held torch to hand dry the concrete before installing the polyurea application.
Because the building and concrete were brand new, they chose a gray color for the polyurea lining instead of the standard OBIC orange. “We wanted a sleek look that blended with the color of concrete,” said Vavruska. “The new building contained many hanging LED lights, so visibility would not be an issue, so the aesthetic appeal became more important.”
Completed in March 2024, the installation took four full days between the two projects.
Another added benefit of the OBIC liner is how easy the headworks will be to clean in the future. “This collection part of the process means that high levels of grease, oils, and fats come through the headworks building and algae grows rapidly there,” said Vavruska. “The treatment plant employees only have to hit it with a pressure washer and so it makes cleaning a breeze.”
“It turned out really good,” said Robert Brueggemann, Public Works Commissioner, City of Pacific. “With a $2 million dollar project like this one, we wanted to protect the concrete as best as we could and save it for the next 50 years or so from hydrogen sulfide gas. In addition, we’re planning on updating three other lift stations this year and OBIC products will be used for all of them as it provides more structural protection than a one-coat epoxy lining.”
“We use OBIC products all day everyday – they sell themselves, especially after the customer sees it installed,” said Vavruska. “There are so many benefits – abrasion resistance, tensile strength, chemical resistance, cure time, and return-to-service time. I have 100% faith in it and the OBIC warranty is unheard of.”
If you’d like to learn more about the OBIC advantage, discuss your next project, or schedule a demo, please Contact Us or give us a call at 866-636-4854 and our team will be happy to help you!
