At WEFTEC 2024, the show floor buzz was centered on the rapid escalation of Hurricane Milton as it raced toward Florida (as well as the disaster response efforts of Hurricane Helene). Integrated Water Services (IWS) CEO Alex Buehler took a moment to talk about how modular, scalable wastewater treatment systems can be immediately helpful for communities in crisis, aiding in disaster recovery treatment and sewage management.

These systems provide rapid deployment and reliable service during critical times when municipal utilities are compromised. In explaining this, Alex also explores the growing trend of decentralization in the water and wastewater industry, emphasizing the need for micro-utilities as aging infrastructure becomes increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. 

The conversation touches on the importance of energy efficiency, the push for private developers to manage utilities, and the practical challenges faced by communities during natural disasters, including those in disaster zones that are in need of effective wastewater treatment.

An Interview with IWS CEO Alex Buehler

Q
What kind of a role can membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology play in a hurricane response situation?

A
It’s beyond MBR, although IWS likes MBR because we consider it a very efficient technology that produces high effluent quality in a small footprint. We’re in the business of packaged wastewater treatment solutions that happen to embrace MBR technology. The beauty of our BluBox system is its standardization, small footprint, modularity, scalability, and a high level of reliability and quality that delivers ease of operation. This is a system designed by operators…for operators.  You don’t need to customize a system, which elevates expense and burns time.  In the world of design-build, we are guilty of attempting to customize everything, which is naturally slow and expensive.  While you might inherit a tailor-made system based on specific needs and conditions, the tradeoff on time and cost can be immense.  Beyond that, you receive the benefit of modularity and scalability:  if one of our BluBox units is rated for a capacity of 70,000 GPD, you can package them together to achieve your desired capacity and grow in stages so as not to strand capital.  This is wastewater treatment…delivered in a box…on demand…embracing the best technology in the business.  

Q
For a community in dire need, efficiency is probably a higher priority than almost anything else when it comes to immediate treatment. And that need is suddenly on the East Coast with these recent hurricanes.

A
Historically, we’ve been a business in the Western U.S.  Founded in Colorado, we pushed west to California due to regulatory standards such as Title XXII and constructed several small facilities for municipalities, private resorts, wineries, and breweries. More recently, we expanded into Texas, which represented a confluence of market drivers like population growth, associated infrastructure development, water scarcity (especially in Central Texas between Austin and San Antonio), and rapidly evolving regulations. Another key market driver is the acceleration toward decentralization and micro-utilities, which are also relevant in disaster recovery scenarios. Large municipalities with centralized treatment facilities are often running near capacity, and it is becoming increasingly expensive to maintain a sprawling network of pipelines and lift stations as part of a centralized model.  Consequently, the onus is shifting to private developers and home builders to establish separate utilities in exurban and rural areas—perfect for modular and packaged systems that facilitate standardization, simplicity, and speed of execution.   

More recently, we are migrating to the East Coast, focusing on target markets such as Florida and the Carolinas that benefit from similar market drivers as those in Texas or California.  

Weather events such as hurricanes exacerbate the need for standardization and rapid deployment when municipal or private operations are wiped out by flood damage or soil erosion. They need wastewater treatment systems as fast as we can deploy them, and in such situations, equipment availability and flexible capital solutions such as rental units are very helpful.  

Q
These municipalities and businesses can’t just snap their fingers and have the facility back online.

A
Exactly. They’re working on restoring their existing wastewater treatment facilities while also looking for temporary and backup options. We can offer a lease-to-purchase system that delivers flexibility and optionality while they work to restore their existing plant.  If the permanent wastewater treatment plant cannot be restored, whether fully or partially, the customer can incorporate the temporary facility as a permanent solution or a component of the permanent solution.  

Q
You’re mitigating downtime, which is not just about loss of capital or operational dollars; we’re talking about families needing clean water and getting wastewater out of their homes.

A
Absolutely. So we stock some units in inventory for disaster recovery and rapid deployment scenarios. We must balance inventory loads based on historical buying patterns.  On one hand, we do not want to over-capitalize inventory and sit on idle assets without commensurate return.  On the other, we wish to possess an adequate safety stock of mobile units to respond quickly to the needs of our customers where other options simply do not exist.

Right now, we have units in stock and ready to deploy on a moment’s notice, especially to hurricane-impacted areas like Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Q
Are any currently being deployed to these areas?

A
We have three units heading to North Carolina presently, while evaluating needs in other hurricane-impacted states.  

Q
Going back to that word “decentralization”: One obvious benefit is you’re eliminating energy expenditures related to moving water, which is heavy and requires significant infrastructure. Could you talk about that?

A
Energy costs are significant. While MBR technology may require more energy than some traditional water treatment methods, one of its major advantages lies in its ability to reduce energy costs associated with water transport. Traditional treatment methods often involve pumping large volumes of water over long distances, requiring significant energy and complex infrastructure like pipelines and pumping stations. MBR systems, with their compact design and efficient filtration, minimize the need for such extensive water movement, leading to substantial savings.. As you can imagine, it takes significant water to make energy, and conversely, much energy to treat and move water.  The days of maintaining large centralized systems to serve dense metro areas are waning. These systems are expensive, inefficient, and prone to decay without adequate maintenance. Much of this infrastructure was built 100 to 150 years ago and is currently failing. Meanwhile, populations are growing, density is increasing, migration is unbalancing supply and demand, and the cost of maintenance is escalating in the context of aged infrastructure and deferred maintenance. Many suburban systems were built in the mid-20th century, often with a 50-year design life, and they’re reaching the end of their useful life.

When you balance these variables, decentralization is by far the most practical option to address the age of infrastructure, its state of degradation, population migration, and the risk of weather events.  

Q
They run the units?

A
Sometimes, or they might outsource operations and maintenance. Again, I think decentralization is the future because we struggle to support sprawling, dilapidated networks comprised of miles of pipeline and many lift stations.  Qualified labor with institutional knowledge is aging and retiring—we call this the Silver Tsunami—without adequate replacement due to demographic shifts and changing work preferences.  

Standardized, packaged systems can offer ease of operation closer to the users.  We can avoid moving water and wastewater over long distances to and from centralized facilities, which reduces energy costs, maintenance costs, and vulnerability in disaster-prone areas. So in this case, you might say that there are diseconomies of scale that favor smaller systems, standardized to simplify engineering, operations, and maintenance.

Q
I imagine those older facilities are more vulnerable to natural disasters. These micro-utilities must offer some mitigation against that.

A
I think so, and one weather event can impact a system that covers a large population.  Many of these systems do not benefit from modularity, so it is impossible to restore capacity in stages.  In contrast, small, decentralized systems provide the benefits of redundancy and modularity, making facilities and networks more resilient.    

Q
Let’s drill down a bit more on hurricanes. What are the specific needs that a community might face in the aftermath, particularly with wastewater treatment facilities?

A
The biggest need is for packaged water and wastewater treatment plants. If a natural disaster brings a municipal plant down, we can replace it with a BluBox. Or, if their capacity is reduced, we can help supplement it with the same. We can also retrofit existing systems with modular membrane cartridges to increase capacity. 

The modularity and rapid deployment capabilities of systems like the BluBox allow communities to get back online fast. And with these packaged, modular solutions, communities can become more resilient against the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters.

Q
That’s the bottom line.

A
Absolutely. We’re here to help communities marshal the resources, expertise, and technologies to recover quickly and inexpensively. Packaged, modular MBR systems like the BluBox, powered by Integrated Water Services, are ideal in these scenarios—offering simplicity, speed, capital flexibility, and ease of operation.