Reservoir Cleaning Services

Maintaining the cleanliness and efficiency of your water reservoirs is essential for delivering high-quality water to your community. Regular reservoir cleaning services remove sediment, biofilm, and other contaminants that can compromise water quality and system performance.

Reservoir cleaning is a vital component of a proactive water management strategy, ensuring that your system operates efficiently and delivers the highest quality water to your community. Regular maintenance not only preserves the integrity of your infrastructure but also ensures that you can provide safe and reliable water to those who depend on it.

SFE's trained technical teams have extensive experience using various approved AWWA methods for cleaning and disinfecting water reservoirs. Reservoirs can be cleaned using brushes or high-pressure washers.

Forms of Chlorine for Disinfection:

  • Liquid Chlorine: This liquid substance requires a high level of technical expertise. Only certified personnel are authorized to handle it using specific ejectors for controlled feeding.
  • Sodium Hypochlorite: Available in liquid form, it contains around 5-15% available chlorine by volume and must be stored under strict conditions to prevent deterioration. This is the disinfection solution SFE most frequently utilizes on these projects.
  • Calcium Hypochlorite: This comes in granular form or as small tablets, containing approximately 65% available chlorine by weight. It also requires stringent storage protocols to reduce the risk of deterioration.

Methods for Cleaning and Disinfecting Reservoirs


The American Water Works Association (AWWA) outlines standard procedures for disinfecting water storage facilities to ensure safety and effective bacteriological testing results.
  • Method 1: Fill the tank to the overflow level with potable water and add chlorine to achieve a free chlorine residual of at least 10 mg/L over a retention period of 6 to 24 hours. After confirming a safe chlorine residual, the facility is emptied, refilled, and bacteriological testing is conducted before water can be distributed.
  • Method 2: Apply a 200 mg/L chlorine solution to all interior surfaces of the emptied and cleaned reservoir, including walls, hatches, and piping. The solution must remain in contact for at least 30 minutes before refilling with potable water to the overflow level. Bacteriological testing must be passed before distribution.
  • Method 3: Add water and chlorine to achieve an initial concentration of at least 50 mg/L available chlorine, filling about 5% of the total volume. Maintain this solution for a minimum of 6 hours, then refill to the overflow level. A minimum 24-hour retention period with at least 2 mg/L free chlorine is required, followed by purging highly chlorinated water from the drain. Bacteriological testing must be passed before distributing the water.

Benefits of Reservoir Cleaning and Disinfection Services:


It is critical to be cognisant of any highly eroded components, such as hinges, bolts, ladder rungs and panels.

  • Inspection: Allows the asset to be internally inspected for preventative maintenance or confirmation of integrity. This can entail the condition of bolts, gaskets and interior fittings/piping.
  • Maintaining High Standard in Water Quality: By ensuring water storage facilities in the distribution system are cleaned and maintained on a scheduled basis will help ensure a high quality of water quality to the associated communities.

SFE Global’s progressive pigging together with SmartFoam are a winning approach to assess 19-miles of sewer force mains.

An Arizona city needed to ensure their twinned 24-inch 9.5-mile sewer force mains could handle increased inflow. SFE Global used the progressive pigging approach together with SmartFoam™ technology for a high-resolution condition assessment, identifying and addressing critical issues to enhance pipeline safety, reliability, and cost-effective maintenance.

Your Independent Partner for Optimal Solutions

Leveraging the best from multiple manufacturers to ensure you get the right solution every time.

Our Trusted Equipment Partners

Collaborating with Leading Suppliers to Deliver Reliable and Innovative Solutions

No items found.
Initial
Assessment

We begin with thorough consultations, understanding your unique needs and aligning with all stakeholders.

01
Proposal Development

We work with you to create detailed designs and specifications, helping you craft winning proposals for municipal projects.

02
Comprehensive Execution

We execute the project with rigorous quality assurance and continuous monitoring, ensuring compliance with municipal standards and preventing costly failures.

03

Latest Blog & News

Blog Img
February 9, 2024
Monitor - Maintain - Manage

This post emphasizes the importance of a comprehensive approach to infrastructure management, including monitoring, maintaining, and managing assets to ensure long-term reliability and performance.

Blog Img
January 27, 2023
When Dumb Pigs Get Smart

SFE Global discusses the evolution of pipeline pigging technology, from traditional methods to advanced smart pigs that provide detailed pipeline inspection and maintenance data.

Blog Img
February 15, 2022
SFE continues to manage pipeline projects through COVID-19

Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, SFE has successfully continued to manage pipeline projects, ensuring safety and efficiency while adapting to new health guidelines and restrictions.

Our Clients’ Experiences

Senior Water Resource Engineer, Associated Engineering
Larry Bodnaruk
"SFE has provided all our monitoring needs for the past 15 years. Their staff are experienced, knowledgeable, and responsive and a pleasure to work with, and I admire their attention to detail in a difficult and hostile environment. SFE has always delivered quality and value in our projects. What more can I say – quite simply the best in the business."
Project Manager, M.A.P. Water & Sewer Services Ltd.
Egidio Chiarello
“We have done several water transmission line swabbing projects with SFE Global for final commissioning. We were able to work closely with SFE staff on-site to successfully pig a large potable water transmission pipeline.”
i2i Pipelines, CEO
Steve Banks
"SFE Global is one of our go-to SmartFoam pipeline condition assessment partners in the water industry.  Their team brings the knowledge and experience needed to run our tools safely and effectively in water, wastewater, and industrial pipelines."
KGS Group, Urban Hydraulics Lead
Dave White
"SFE Global provided exceptional flow monitoring services, even under challenging site conditions. The professionalism, expertise, and response times of SFE Global’s team made the entire process seamless and efficient. Obtaining good quality data is paramount, and SFE Global has come through for us on multiple projects with high quality and accuracy. I would highly recommend their services for any flow monitoring needs."
S29-01 Weir water control in creek