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NORD's Role in Wastewater Treatment Overhaul

Growing tourism community in Oregon finds dependability, affordability, and sustainability in NORD drive solutions for facility upgrade.

Waunakee, WI, 2023-03-30

Newport is a city on Oregon's central coast. The community of about 10,000 people is home to a large number of attractions that brings visitors on the weekends and holidays. That increased demand puts a strain on the area's wastewater treatment system.

Andrew Grant oversees the Vance Avery Wastewater Treatment Plant. It became clear in recent years that the system needed upgrades to keep operating costs down and avoid equipment breakdowns.

<h2>NORD Drives Increase Microbe Growth and Plant Capacity</h2>

After a condition and criticality assessment found equipment concerns, Grant contacted Motion, a distributor of NORD DRIVESYSTEMS. A pair of 25 HP CLINCHER parallel shaft gear units with UNICASE design and variable frequency drives were installed to get the facility's aerators running at full capacity. This was just the beginning.

Grant and his team decided to go ahead with an overhaul of the entire facility. They were running into serious capacity limitations, and new gear motors would allow them to speed up the aerators when needed, thereby increasing microbe growth. But seeing as the funding would come from taxpayer dollars, Grant did his due diligence and put the project up for competitive bid.

“Even though we had documented success with the NORD product, it’s my responsibility to be a judicious steward of the city’s resources,” Grant explains. “So not only did we invite others to bid on the job, but we also got quotes on repairing the old gear motors. NORD came in with a better price than all of them.”

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