Foundation

for Success
Gambling on a career change and
a small fleet of Vac-Cons builds
the business for Texas contractor

Better Together
Two New York Public Works departments
go all-in on hydroexcavation unit

INDUSTRIAL VACUUM TRUCK OWNER/OPERATOR

A Dual
Purpose
El Paso Water found a much-needed
workhorse with Vac-Con’s vac trucks as
maintenance and first-response vehicles
 I
UNEARTHING
The underworld SINCE 1986

The mighty X-Cavator™ Available with high-performing 3-Stage Fan

from Vac•Con® provides or PD Blower
you the ability to safely
excavate around delicate Customized builds to meet your needs
underground utilities with
Air Compressor Systems up to 185 CFM with
precision and performance Air Knife for Air Excavation
never before seen.

Find Your Dealer Today! www.vac-con.com/dealer-search/

Contact Us for a Demo – Toll Free 1•888•920•2945
International: +1•904•493•4969 │ Email: [email protected]
Inside It’s an exciting season at Vac-Con as we
begin our 33rd year in business. The past
year brought with it an abundance of
opportunities, challenges and successes,
and we are looking forward to putting all we
learned and achieved into 2019.
Edition 7 of IVT magazine will inspire both
returning and new readers as we continue to
engage and interact with the best dealers and
end users in the industry. We anticipate that
2019 will be our best year yet as we continue
to focus on the customers and the growing
demands of the market.
This issue details both new and loyal
customers and the many projects and
roles with which they are engaged in their
communities. Our market continues to evolve
with the release of products and techniques
that provide efficiency and quality on the
job site. Vac-Con is proud to be a leader in
the innovation and manufacturing of such
products, and we hope that those reading
have experienced the power of our machines,
our people and our culture.
We hope 2019 brings you and yours good
health, happiness and prosperity!
4 Better Together
Two New York Public Works departments go all-in on hydroexcavation unit. Todd Masley
By Jared Raney Executive Vice President
Vac-Con, Inc.
8 Stepping Up on Safety
Florida city depends upon versatility of new
vac truck to keep stormwater flowing.
By Pete Litterski

12 Direct Exposure
Florida Vac-Con dealer keeps a strategic eye
to the future with hydroexcavation line.
By Sarah Umhoefer
IVT is a specialty publication produced by COLE Publishing,
Inc. on behalf of Vac-Con, Inc. and is distributed to nearly
14 Foundation 8,000 private, industrial and municipal vacuum truck
for Success owners throughout North America. This publication is
dedicated to showcasing Vac-Con’s outstanding products
Gambling on a career change
and industry leading customer service through its extensive
and a small fleet of Vac-Cons network of authorized dealers. For more information on
builds the business for Texas Vac-Con or feedback on this publication, our products,
employees or dealers, please contact us at 904-493-
contractor. 4969, or online at www.vac-con.com.
By Ken Wysocky
President Inside Sales Manager
18 The Change-Up Darrell LeSage
904-529-1311
Mike Selby
904-529-1323
Flooding no longer vexes one Texas water district thanks to its [email protected] [email protected]
two vacuum trucks.
Executive Vice President National Service Manager
By Jared Raney Todd Masley Aaron Gonsalez
904-529-1318 904-529-1373
[email protected] [email protected]
22 A Dual Purpose
El Paso Water found a much-needed workhorse with Vac-Con’s vac trucks National Sales Manager
Bryce Rieger
as maintenance and first-response vehicles 904-284-4200
By Giles Lambertson [email protected]

VA C - C O N IV T 3
Better Together
Two New York Public Works departments Village of Scarsdale (New York)
go all-in on hydroexcavation unit Public Works Department
Population: 17,000
By Jared Raney Sanitary sewers: 81 miles
PHOTOS BY KEVIN BLACKBURN Stormwater catch basins: 2,000

K
eeping up with the cost of repairs and re- Water mains: 100 miles
placement of an aging water system is Connections: 5,600
cumbersome for any municipality, but the Website: www.scarsdale.com/166/public-works
Scarsdale (New York) Public Works De-
partment found a way around that: shar-
ing assets between departments. a great job,” says Benedict Salanitro, superintendent of Public
Instead of spending hundreds of thousands on equip- Works. “It’s just a matter of utilizing current practices and stan-
ment for both water and highway departments, management dards and not being afraid to change for the better.”
in Scarsdale decided to put a hydroexcavator attachment on The idea may seem fraught with potential pitfalls at first
the highway department’s vacuum truck, splitting the cost be- glance, but it has allowed the small, mostly residential commu-
tween the two budgets. nity to care for both sides of the infrastructure at half the cost.
“A cooperative share just made sense. It actually boosts the
whole morale of the various departments because we’re work- THE RIGHT PUSH
ing together with the same piece of equipment, and it’s doing Salanitro has been with the village for about 20 years, and in
all that time there was little interplay between water and high-
way departments, including equipment. But when a new water
superintendent, Stephen Johnson, entered the picture about
four years ago, he brought along fresh ideas and a willingness to
try something new.
“Working on a very antiquated water system that drew a lot
of repair, he realized that there has to be a better way,” Salanitro
says. “Obviously, being part of professional organizations like
AWWA and APWA, where you network and talk to other people,
the concept of hydroexcavating was discussed.
“He formulated the discussion to retrofit our existing piece
of equipment as: We’ve got nothing to lose; let’s try it. The guys,
the workers, were a little reluctant, so we said, ‘Let’s lead by ex-
ample; let’s get it done.’ He basically brought it to the forefront.”
Steven Brady of the They started by adding a hydroexca-
Scarsdale (New York) vating attachment to the vacuum truck
Public Works Water that Public Works had at that time — a
Deptartment guides the 3-yard Vac-Con. So when it came time
vac truck’s boom in for to step up their game with a larger
an excavation operation.
9-yard unit, a hydroexcavation package
was part of the plan from the get-go.
“He said, ‘Let’s do it together. I’ll split the costs with you,’”
Salanitro says. “We joined our finances together with the water
division and we put on a hydroexcavation component, and they
have used it for a lot of their system repairs. They’ve found a tre-
mendous cost-savings and ease of operation. Hydroexcavation
has been a godsend to the water division.”

4 VA C - C O N IV T
Andrew Waldbaun, right,
operates the vacuum boom while
Brady uses a hydro-excavation
lance to break up dirt and guide
it into the vacuum in preparation
to place new mainline valves.

VA C - C O N IV T 5
 The Scarsdale Public
Works Department
has put an emphasis
on cooperation with
its new vac truck. The
Vac-Con unit is used by
the municipal water and
highway departments.

Above: Benedict Salanitro, superintendent

of Scarsdale Public Works

It’s an asset. The residents don’t realize it, but

they get a huge benefit because we’re respon-
sive to getting repairs done in an efficient way.
It’s definitely well on track to paying for itself.”

A SMOOTH OPERATION
Previously, Scarsdale contracted out clean-
ing and hydroexcavation work. Even after pur-
chasing a smaller 4-yard unit over a decade
ago, the village still needed help for larger proj-
ects. Now, according to Salanitro, the equip-
ment is rapidly paying itself off in saved con-
tractor costs.
“The concept of buying was novel for many
people since it was a lot of money,” Salanitro
says. “But when we started doing a lot of our
A SOUND INVESTMENT catch basin cleaning required under the Clean Water Act, we
Scarsdale, a village of approximately 17,000 in the New York were contracting that out, and it was getting very expensive.”
metropolitan area, has 81 miles of sanitary sewer, 2,000 storm- It didn’t take long for the leadership at Scarsdale to realize
water catch basins, 100 miles of water main and 5,600 connec- that investing in vacuum trucks pays off big for municipalities,
tions. and after beginning the sharing program between the water and
“As a municipal government, we are fully developed: About highway departments, they went all-in on a 2018 Vac-Con. With
99.9 percent of our territory is developed for housing and other a 9-yard debris tank, larger pump and overall higher capacity,
buildings,” Salanitro says. “We supply the drinking water to all of Salanitro says it has been a game-changer. “When we got the big
it, and we also have sanitary sewer and stormwater infrastruc- boy in, we were like ‘Wow, how did we get away with that small
ture in place to supply these structures as well.” guy for so long?’”
Much of the village infrastructure dates back to the early The idea of sharing equipment might induce cringes from
1900s, which makes aging infrastructure a top priority. Point re- municipal workers who have seen the hazards of intradepart-
pairs and rehabs are common, and cleaning can be a challenge, mental communication, but for Scarsdale, simplicity is key to
which makes a powerful in-house unit well worth the cost. making the arrangement work.
“It’s an antiquated system, so the challenges that we face are “The truck sits in the garage, and every morning there’s
cost and repairs, doing a lot of the work in a preventive manner a coordinated discussion between various foremen — who
to just making sure the system is operating. And there’s a lot of needs what for what reason, and if there’s a planned activity
on-the-ground investigative work that’s done to ascertain the between the water division and the highway division, they’ll
condition — get an overall assessment of the systems.” discuss that between the foremen. Sometimes, we’ve had this
Scarsdale Public Works contracts out leak detection and happen: We both need it during the same day, so the manpow-
analysis services, but with the new Vac-Con in play, Salanitro er will go with the equipment. It’s been working out very nicely,
points out that more is being done in-house. where they basically have their own operation running, and we
“It’s paying for itself where we’re saving a lot of money on share. Overall it’s really just been a great piece of equipment
outside contractors and doing routine maintenance ourselves. for Scarsdale.”

6 VA C - C O N IV T
 EASTERN DISTRIBUTORS

Atlantic Machinery
(301) 585-0800 CM Equipment Peirce-Eagle Equipment
atlanticmachineryinc.com (800) 479-2924 (908) 203-0999
Maryland, Virginia, D.C., equipcm.com peirceeagle.com
West Virginia and Delaware Upstate New York and New Jersey
Ontario and Quebec, Canada

Sanitary Equipment Trius US Municipal

(203) 933-9599 (631) 244-8600 (800) 222-1980
sanitaryequipment.com triusonline.com usmuni.com
Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York City and Long Island, NY Pennsylvania
Rhode Island, Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine

VAC-CON.COM
855.336.2962
e-mail: [email protected]
 West Melbourne (Florida) Public
Works equipment operators,
from left, John Marsden, Oadian
O’Connor and Donald Gagum set
up to clean a sewer line as crew
leader Sean Morrisson looks on.

8 VA C - C O N IV T
 Stepping Up
on Safety
Florida city depends upon versatility of new
vac truck to keep stormwater flowing
By Pete Litterski
PHOTOS BY ROB HERRERA

C
ity leaders in West Melbourne, Florida, Streets and Drainage department as well as the water distri-
know how to make the most of their small bution system makes it easier to ensure there would be less
city’s resources and take care of its major chance of cross-contamination between the water and sewer
equipment. And yet, when Mark Picciril- systems. It also means the city’s crews don’t have to spend time
lo was hired as the new Public Works di- doing the kind of cleaning and decontamination needed after
rector in 2017, the city’s Vac-Con vacuum working on or in West Melbourne’s sewers.
truck had passed its scheduled replacement age. “When we deal with potable water, there are so many issues
As Piccirillo settled into the job, he took a close look at we have to stay on top of,” Piccirillo says. By avoiding contact
the existing equipment while preparing to work with the City with the sanitary sewer system, city crews avoid many of the
Council on the scheduled replacement of the aging vacuum possible risks to public health.
truck. The new director found that after 11 years, the truck was Today, the city has two trucks, both assembled a few hundred
still performing well and was being used not only by the city’s miles north at Vac-Con’s facilities in Green Cove Springs. The
Water, Streets, and Drainage departments, but also by West new truck was purchased through the Florida Sheriffs Associ-
Melbourne’s Sewer Department, which is operated under con- ation bid process from Southern Sewer Equipment Sales based
tract by Jacobs, a private company. in Fort Pierce, less than 60 miles south of West Melbourne. The
Piccirillo determined the 11-year-old truck might be a good city uses Southern Sewer Equipment Sales for any maintenance
asset to trade or sell when the city proceeded with its sched- or repairs that its own staff is not equipped to handle.
uled replacement, but he decided to raise an additional option In addition to price and proximity advantages, Piccirillo
with the council, making a proposal to says the city had several more reasons
keep the truck as a dedicated piece of for its desire to replace its older vehi-
equipment for the city’s sanitary sewer West Melbourne (Florida) cle with another Vac-Con truck. “We
system. Piccirillo says his recommen- Public Works Department wanted to keep the same manufacturer
dation was based on several factors so we could take advantage of any in-
including the advantage of having a Population: 21,990 terchangeability between the trucks.”
backup vacuum truck that could be Water customer total: 11,330 He says having both trucks in daily use
used if the new equipment ever had to will also help as the city continues what
Waterlines: 150 miles
be taken out of the lineup for repairs or might be its final growth spurt, bring-
updates. Largest water mains: 20 inches ing new construction, new utility hook-
He also told the council that hav- Storm drains: 10 miles ups and new demands for services that
ing one truck dedicated to the sewer require the capabilities of the new Vac-
Drainage canals: 10 miles
system and the new one used by the Con truck.

VA C - C O N IV T 9
 A DIFFERENT PURPOSE PULLING OUT THE STOPS
Officially, the new truck is part of the city’s Streets and Drain- Although the vacuum truck is always on call to handle urgent
age department fleet and is staffed with a five-man crew under problems in the water distribution system, Morrisson and his
the direction of crew leader Sean Morrisson. It is used frequent- crew are kept busy maintaining West Melbourne’s stormwater
ly to do routine maintenance and cleaning of West Melbourne’s drainage system that moves rainwater out of the city and into the
drainage system, making sure that its storm drains, baffle boxes, rivers before flooding becomes a problem. Because of the flat,
ditches, settling ponds and canals connecting to Brevard Coun- low-lying topography of the city and its location in an area often
ty’s canal system can flow freely when it rains. All of West Mel- hit by heavy tropical storms and occasional hurricanes, keeping
bourne’s excess stormwater eventually drains into the St. Johns the drainage systems in the region flowing freely is an important
River or Indian River, and city leaders maintain close contact responsibility for the city crews.
with Brevard County officials who oversee the quality of the wa- The truck is used to clean out the baffle boxes on West Mel-
ter in the rivers as they meet with the Atlantic Ocean. bourne’s stormwater system. The boxes, located at strategic
The truck is also used to help prevent unwanted materials points of the network, slow the flow of the water passing through
from entering the drainage system the system, allowing gravel, sand and
when crews use it to pick up and dis- other heavy surface waste to settle in
pose of excess sand and gravel as they “We use the vac for one of a series of chambers before the
perform maintenance and repairs on water flows into the county’s canals
city streets. locating and soft-digging and eventually the rivers.
But the city’s approach to mak- the leak. It’s efficient While the vacuum end of the truck
ing the most of its assets really shows is used to clean out the baffle boxes,
when the West Melbourne Water because you are not the crews also turn to the high-pres-
Department calls upon Morrisson’s digging a big hole, and sure water pump driven by an auxilia-

it’s easier to clean up and

crew to support its work. The truck is ry John Deere diesel engine to feed two
frequently used to locate and expose
leaking waterlines buried in the sandy makes us less intrusive.
soil the city was built upon. West Mel-
bourne is about 4 miles inland from We’re not leaving a lot of A West Melbourne
Public Works
the ocean and midway down Florida’s material behind because operator rinses
the vacuum boom
east coast.
Morrisson says the truck serves
we can suck it up and after cleaning a
many different purposes when his haul it off.” sewer line as Logan
Davis, maintenance
crew is called to work on underground technician, looks on.
waterlines. First, it can excavate quick- MARK PIC CIRILLO
ly and precisely to help Water Depart-
ment crews when trying to pinpoint
the location of a waterline break or a malfunctioning valve in the
system.
“Where we are, we’re on sugar sand, not the clay and heavy
soils that many cities face,” Piccirillo says. “We use the vac for
locating and soft-digging the leak. It’s efficient because you are
not digging a big hole, and it’s easier to clean up and makes us
less intrusive. We’re not leaving a lot of material behind because
we can suck it up and haul it off.”
Morrisson says it is often faster and more economical to re-
pair a site with new sod. “It means that when we leave, you may
have a hard time seeing where we even worked.”
The streets and drainage crew handles all of the operations
of the vacuum truck, Morrisson says, because it makes more
sense to train just one crew. And, he says, “They (the Water De-
partment) can just concentrate on getting the actual water break
repaired.”
Because the city’s water table is high and its soil is primari-
ly porous sand, it is important to make the excavations for wa-
terline repairs safe for workers. To that end, Morrisson says the
city’s new vacuum truck is a big step up. With its 824 Roots rota-
ry positive displacement blower (Howden) drawing power from
the truck’s 370 hp motor, the Vac-Con can be used to pump out
infiltrating water so the crews are not threatened by rising waters
or falling sand.

10 VA C - C O N IV T
 Right: The West Melbourne Public Works job
site crew includes, from left, Oadian O’Connor
and Donald Gagum, equipment operators; Mark
Piccirillo, Public Works director; Sean Morrisson,
crew leader; Logan Davis, maintenance technician;
and John Marsden, equipment operator.

Below: The Public Works Department’s new

Vac-Con truck ready to roll out to a job site.

the vacuum system. With the vacuum system driven by the 370
hp diesel engine of the 2018 Freightliner chassis, Morrisson says
his crew can now dip the vacuum tube into a pipe or box and
suck out a lot more material without worrying about overtaxing
high-pressure waterlines that are used to cut and force larger ob- the equipment, making the work go faster.
stacles out of the pipes — from branches and yard waste to items The pumping side of the new system is also a step up, accord-
improperly disposed of by people. ing to the crew leader, who calls the truck “very user-friendly.” It
“Before the hurricane season, we’ll go into our stormwater comes with two high-pressure guns that can be used in different
inlets and clean all of them out,” Morrisson says. situations, and Morrisson says one of the guns is so powerful it
In addition to flood prevention, Piccirillo says West Mel- can do a lot more when it comes to cleaning stubborn debris
bourne is concerned about water quality since its stormwater and blockages out of the storm sewers. “They say it can even cut
enters the county’s canal system that then drains into the local through concrete if we need to.”
rivers. Some advantages of the new equipment are more basic, but
“We’re making sure we are getting unwanted material out just as important to the operators in a small, but busy city. Mor-
of our system before the water reaches the St. Johns River,” he risson praises the new truck’s self-lubrication system, noting
says. “We do it on our end. Anything that has a baffle box or a that just four of about 150 grease nipples now require manual
settlement pond, we make sure that we remove all the sediment service. The rest of the truck’s nipples are self-greasing, cutting
to keep a cleaner flow into the canal system. It’s a big part of our deeply into the man-hours required for routine maintenance.
maintenance operation.” Finally, the crew leader says, one of the most valuable op-
Morrisson adds, “We do our best to keep the water clean be- tions is one that he hopes his crew will never have to use: the
fore it heads into the county system.” truck’s redundancy system. “We can use the auxiliary 12-volt
electric motor to pressurize the hydraulics so we can retrieve the
THE RIGHT CHOICE hoses and equipment that we may have down the hole or in a
Between the water distribution system and the stormwater pipe,” Morrison says.
drainage system, Piccirillo says Morrisson’s crew stays busy with
the new Vac-Con, which confirms that keeping the older truck REACHING THE LIMIT
for the Wastewater Department was a good idea for a city that Piccirillo says that now with 22,000 residents and 10,000 wa-
had just under 10,000 residents at the turn of the century and ter customers, West Melbourne’s 10 square miles are about 85
about 18,500 residents in the 2010 census. percent built out. He says the current surge of new construction
Morrisson says that although the old truck is still serving the has led to rapid growth and that city leaders have been told that
needs of the Sewer Department, his crew has been able to take in the next five years they will be completely built out.
advantage of many advances that were available when the city As that kind of growth continues, the new vacuum truck
purchased the new truck. spends a lot of time out of the garage and in the public’s eye. The
He said that the addition of a wireless remote control “is new Public Works director understands that the price tag on the
huge for the operator who can stand right over the hole and see new tool was a major investment for both the City Council and
what they are doing.” The remote eliminates the possible delays the taxpayers.
and missteps that could happen when operators were tied to the That’s one reason he makes sure to highlight the truck’s uses
truck itself while trying to excavate holes or vacuum lines or set- in a weekly newsletter that he sends to the city manager and
tling facilities. shares with the public. The newsletter serves several purpos-
The crew leader is also pleased with the performance of the es, both highlighting the performance of the new truck and the
new truck’s three-stage positive displacement blower powering many functions it can serve in a matter of days.

VA C - C O N IV T 11
 DEALER SPOTLIGHT

Mike Beauregard, general manager

of Ring Power Utility Equipment in
Jacksonville, Florida, stands beside
a Vac-Con X-Cavator truck.

DIRECT
E XPOSURE
Florida Vac-Con dealer keeps talking to people, and what you see is the employees’ loyalty to

a strategic eye to the future the company.”

Beauregard says that Vac-Con’s switch to an employee-owned
with hydroexcavation line business structure has only bolstered that internal loyalty.
“It makes the employees care about putting out the high-
BY SARAH UMHOEFER | PHOTOS BY ROB HERRERA est-quality product. When it comes down to it, things are done
right, they’re done well and they’re done on time. Vac-Con is a

S
ome partnerships are a natural fit. That was the case well-designed machine with a long history of being innovative
for Ring Power Utility’s Equipment Division as Vac- and bringing new technology, new ideas, to the field. That’s
Con looked to expand the availability of its hydroex- really where I was sold on the product and why I’m happy to
cavation line. be doing business with them. Vac-Con is a very professional,
“Todd Masley [Vac-Con executive vice president] ap- well-organized company.”
proached Ring Power last year with a new opportunity to
represent the hydroexcavation line,” says Mike Beauregard, EMPHASIS ON SAFE EXCAVATION
vice president of Jacksonville, Florida-based Ring Power Utility. Ring Power represents the Vac-Con hydroexcavation line in
“With our business on the utility side with power companies, Florida and Georgia, where the need for safe digging practices
we have a direct opportunity for Vac-Con to talk to customers is high.
they’ve never really talked to before. It was direct exposure to an “With Florida and Georgia being the two states that have
entirely new market, and it’s off to a great start.” accidental line strikes more often than any others, this product
As this partnership was forming, Beauregard made it a pri- line is the ideal fit,” he says. “Traditionally contractors would
ority to get to know Vac-Con inside and out, a task made easier use a digger derrick with an auger on it, but you get into any
with Vac-Con’s main facility and plant located just 20 minutes congested areas, any urban area, and there’s a high threat of
from Ring Power headquarters. hitting a line. With what you can destroy by putting an auger in
“It’s very convenient to be able to go over and foster a good the ground if you grab a fiber bundle or anything like that, it’s
relationship and a good partnership,” he says. “I’ve made several not worth it.
trips over there because I wanted to understand the quality, “Now what we’re seeing are companies hydroexcavating a
I wanted to understand how hydroexcavators were built and hole and setting casing in it, and then the line crews can come
why they are a market leader. So I started walking the floor and along and everything is preset.”

12 VA C - C O N IV T
 Ring Power Utility Equipment took on the task of representing Vac-Con's
hydroexcavation line in 2017 — including the Mudslinger, pictured below.
With Vac-Con's focus on safe digging practices, Ring Power Vice President
Mike Beauregard knew it was the right fit for their market.

“MY FAVORITE PART OF WORKING WITH VAC-

CON IS THE EASE OF WORKING WITH THEM.
IT’S EASY TO CALL THEM. IT’S EASY TO GET
AN ANSWER FROM THEM. WHEN YOU NEED
EQUIPMENT, THEY HAVE IT READY.
IT’S NEVER A ‘NO.’” From left, Field Service Master Technician Darren Osbourne, Beauregard and
Utility Account Manager Will Courtney stand beside a Vac-Con X-Cavator.

Mike Beauregard
16 locations in Florida. “In these states, we service everything
ourselves in-house. Of our entire company of 2,300 employees,
Though Ring Power Utility Equipment services Florida and over 1,000 are technicians. It’s a very service-based business.”
Georgia as the hydroexcavator dealer, its Vac-Con rental terri- For any rental breakdowns outside this Southeast corner,
tory stretches across the country. That is how the company was Ring Power relies on partnerships with service teams in various
first introduced to Vac-Con about 20 years ago. locations across the country. “We have a 24/7 line that custom-
“We’ve had a relationship with Vac-Con and Todd Masley ers can call at any time and there will be a person to speak to,
for a very long time. It goes back 20 years, I would imagine, of us which we think is very critical.”
representing Vac-Con in the rental fleet,” he says. “We rent our Vac-Con is a key player in delivering a quick response time.
equipment all over the country, we can RPO (rental purchase “The biggest thing they do for us, from a technical standpoint, is
option) our equipment, and we sell our secondary-used equip- having the parts available. If you don’t have the parts, you can’t
ment. Before this year, the only means we didn’t have was going fix anything.”
direct to market with new product. Still, we were buying quite a
few Vac-Cons every single year. Over the history of Ring Power, WIN-WIN SCENARIO
we’ve probably gone through 200-plus Vac-Cons.” Ring Power Utility Equipment representing the Vac-Con
hydroexcavator line is truly a win-win scenario.
BUILT ON QUALITY SERVICE “My favorite part of working with Vac-Con is the ease of
“Our service and backing what we say we’re going to do is working with them,” Beauregard says. “It’s easy to call them. It’s
what Ring Power was built on. If we tell you we’re going to be easy to get an answer from them. When you need equipment,
there, we’re going to be there,” Beauregard says. “If a product they have it ready. It’s never a ‘no.’ From any standpoint that you
goes down, we’re going to make sure it’s up. If it can’t get up, could look at it — from a vender situation or a supplier situation
we’re going to have a loaner for you. — that’s what we’re all seeking: a relationship that makes our
“That’s what we’re all about — understanding that you have lives and our jobs easier.
a job to do, and if you can’t do that job, you can’t buy equipment “I don’t have to worry about are the machines breaking, is
from us. That’s our core fundamental: service before and after the quality bad, are they going to be late on delivery, do they
the sale.” have the parts on hand, do they actually have the technical
Providing that level of service is why Ring Power has loca- expertise to help my guys troubleshoot? I can just focus on what
tions in North Carolina, South Carolina and Atlanta, as well as we need to do, and that’s how we get the product to market.”

VA C - C O N IV T 13
 David Daniel (left), Magnum Manhole and
Underground Co. field superintendent,
and Chris Hill, laborer, prep and flush a
sewer line using the Vac-Con combo unit.

Foundation
for Success
Gambling on a career change and a small fleet of Vac-Cons
builds the business for Texas contractor

F
acing a career crossroads two decades years ing Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and owns three Vac-Con combo
ago, Jennifer Lingle did what any good entre- sewer trucks and two epoxy-lining systems. Built on International
preneur would do: Find an underserved but and Freightliner chassis, each vac truck features an 11-cubic-yard
growing market with few competitors and in- debris tank; 1,300-gallon water tank; Roots rotary lobe blower from
vest in quality equipment to get the job done Howden (4,460 cfm at 16 degrees Hg); water pump that generates
right. pressure and flow of 2,000 psi and 80 gpm; front-mounted reel that
Looking back 20 years later, the owner of Magnum Manhole and carries 600 feet of 1-inch-diameter hose; and 10-foot telescoping
Underground Co. in Garland, Texas, says her decision to leave the boom that rotates 270 degrees for maximum coverage.
construction field and tackle an emerging market for cleaning and One reason Lingle continues to invest in Vac-Con vac trucks
inspecting sewers and lining manholes with epoxy coating worked is the continual improvements in technology that make the trucks
out great. And Vac-Con has been with her more productive and easier to operate. The
every step of the way.
Today, Magnum employs 20 people,
By Ken Wysocky former helps boost Magnum’s bottom line
while the latter makes it easier to train op-
serves customers throughout the sprawl- PHOTOS BY OLIVIA OGREN-HREJSA erators.

14 VA C - C O N IV T
 MIDWESTERN DISTRIBUTORS

ABM Equipment AgCon Best Equipment Company

(952) 938-5451 (204) 255-4772 (317) 823-3050
abmequip.com agconequipment.ca bestequipmentco.com
Minnesota and North Dakota Manitoba, Canada Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky

Enviro Tech Equipment Frontier Equipment

E.J. Equipment (800) 381-9134 (405) 354-2611
(800) 522-2808 frontierequipmentsales.com
envirotechequipment.net
ejequipment.com Wisconsin Oklahoma
Illinois and Eastern Missouri

Henard Utility Products, Inc. Red Equipment Company TranSource Truck & Equipment
(501) 268-1987 (816) 231-2005 (605) 336-2000
henardutility.com redequipmentco.com transourcetrucks.com
Arkansas Iowa , Kansas, Nebraska and Western Missouri South Dakota

VAC-CON.COM
855.336.2962
e-mail: [email protected]
 Chris Hill, laborer,
uses the Vac-Con’s
hydroexcavation
capabilities to locate
underground utilities.

Magnum Manhole and

Underground Co. Inc., Garland, Texas
Owner: Jennifer Lingle
Founded: 1999
Employees: 20
Services: Cleaning and inspecting underground
utilities, hydroexcavating, epoxy-lining of manholes
and other structures, pipeline pressure- and
deflection-testing
Service area: Dallas-Fort Worth metro area

“Every time I buy a new truck, it’s been im-

proved, especially for the operator,” Lingle says.
“They’re very user-friendly machines. If we’re
training someone with a good aptitude, we can
sometimes cut the training time in half because
the truck isn’t very complicated to run. And since training ties them, and they’ll do anything to help you.”
up a (veteran) operator, it’s a big deal if we can cut training time As an example, she cites an instance five years ago when one
in half.” of her trucks was suffering from persistent engine and transmis-
sion problems that were hurting her reputation for great cus-
GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE tomer service.
The three Vac-Con trucks are used primarily for municipal Lingle called Jerry Sonnier, her longtime Vac-Con sales rep,
work and it’s hard to underestimate their value in terms of build- to see if she could quickly buy a used or demo truck. But there
ing business relationships and retaining customers, Lingle says. weren’t any in stock. “So I asked for a quote on building a new
“When people need a vacuum truck on a job, they’re usually one,” she says. “Jerry called me back the same day. He told me
begging us for help,” she points out. “When we get there, they act he’d talked to [executive vice president] Todd Masley and said
like the cavalry just arrived.” Vac-Con would have a new truck to me in four to six weeks.
Whether the trucks are cleaning sewer lines as part of a “That meant a lot to me because I felt like they were stopping
planned maintenance program, handling emergencies like sew- everything to take care of me,” she recalls. “And I actually re-
er backups caused by clogged lines, hydroexcavating to safely ceived the truck in about 3 1/2 weeks. That was so critical to my
expose underground pipelines or cleaning newly laid sewer ability to take care of my customers. It was either that or tell cus-
lines prior to inspections, the Vac-Cons get the job done. More- tomers that I understood if they had to go elsewhere. Jerry has
over, Lingle says the company’s customer service is every bit as taken care of me since the day I met him more than 20 years ago.”
reliable as the trucks.
“Vac-Con’s customer service is outstanding — their people CAREER U-TURN
are unbelievable,” she says. “They’re always there when I need Lingle moved into cleaning and inspecting sewers in a

16 VA C - C O N IV T
 Jennifer Lingle, owner of Magnum
Manhole and Underground Co., knows
the importance of staying on top of
technology; which is why she buys
Vac-Con trucks. The up-to-date tech not
only improves efficiency, but improves
operator experience as well.

Right: The Magnum Manhole team,

from left: Conner Dunlap, dispatcher;
Lingle; Charlie Cox, operations manager;
and David Daniel, field superintendent.

“When people need a vacuum

truck on a job, they’re usually
begging us for help. When we get
there, they act like the cavalry
just arrived.”
JENNIFER LIN GLE

roundabout way. She initially got a job 24 years ago in under- from her years at her prior job. After three or four years, she ob-
ground infrastructure work. She started out as a runner for crews tained certification from the state of Texas as a woman-owned
laying sewer lines, getting parts and other items for workers, and business enterprise, which put the company on bidding lists as
then moved up into actually laying pipe. a minority-owned contractor.
“I just loved the work,” she says. “I felt like it was one job “All of a sudden I had a lot more business,” Lingle says. “But
where you were judged by how hard you worked — and I don’t I was very fortunate because my accountant always advised me
mind working hard. to take baby steps. I wanted to grow because I saw the work out
“In many other jobs, you get judged by things other than there. But I followed his advice and limited myself to buying only
that,” she continues. “I never thought of myself as a woman out so much equipment a year. So I grew slower than I really wanted
there, just as someone with a job to do. And nobody cared if I to, but in retrospect, it worked out great.”
was a woman; they just wanted the work to get done.
“Everybody respected each other,” she adds. “And if anyone FURTHER GROWTH EXPECTED
put obstacles in my way because I am a woman, it made me into Looking ahead, Lingle expects continued growth, but at a
what I am today. So it was a good thing.” manageable pace that enables the company to keep providing
In 1999, Lingle decided to make a change and saw that in- good customer service. “I need to grow and want to grow,” she
specting and cleaning sewers was a necessary service that would says. “We’ve grown every year. And the forecast for 2019 is every
always be in demand. Furthermore, there wasn’t much competi- bit as good as it was last year.”
tion back then, which made the field even more attractive. As Lingle recalls Magnum’s humble beginnings, she con-
So she invested in a used camera van and used Vac-Con cedes she’s a little surprised at how well things turned out. “I
combo sewer truck. Why Vac-Con? Lingle had heard the vac truly thought that when I started the business, it would end up
trucks have a great reputation for reliability and ease of opera- with myself and a couple of other employees,” she says. “But it
tion. “And I already knew Jerry,” she says. “Now it’s nothing but evolved into all this. I’m a little surprised, but on the other hand,
the best for my company. I order a new Vac-Con vac truck every I worked very hard for everything. And I’ve been very fortunate
three or four years.” to find great employees and great customers.” And great equip-
Initially, Lingle had just three customers — people she knew ment, courtesy of Vac-Con.

VA C - C O N IV T 17
 The Change-Up
Flooding no longer vexes one Texas water
district thanks to its two vacuum trucks

T
he combination of flood-prone climate, clogged
lift stations and aging infrastructure would be
troublesome for any utility. A water district in
South Texas manages it all with fast response times
and powerful equipment.
For the Lower Valley Water District, located
in El Paso County, the dry region’s shallow water tables and growing
population density highlights the need to stay on top of flooding. The
district’s location, wedged between two ports of entry — one with a siz-
able permanent immigration camp — means its lift stations take the
abuse of added debris, compounding the challenges of keeping water
off the streets.
“We’re right in the valley. You’ve got the Rio Grande here, and the
Ruben Orozco (left),
water table average is about 7 to 10 feet. There’s really nowhere for that field operations manager,
water to go,” says Phillip Marin, field operations supervisor and com- and Phillip Marin, field
pliance officer. “We service three different cities, and it’s less of a rural operations supervisor, at
area than it used to be. They really don’t have any space where we can the Lower Valley Water
District field operations
afford to have water running all over the place.” yard in Clint, Texas.

By Jared Raney PHOTOS BY BRIAN KANOF

18 VA C - C O N IV T
 SOUTHERN DISTRIBUTORS

Ingram Equipment
Ingram Equipment
(205) 663-3946 Ring Power
Adams Equipment (205) 663-3946 Utility Equipment
ingramequipment.net
(770) 745-0819 ingramequipment.net
Alabama and Central Tennessee (904) 448-5438
adamsequipmentco.com Alabama and Central Tennessee
utility.ringpower.com
Georgia and Northwestern Florida Georgia and Florida - Construction/Utility

Southern Sewer Equipment Southern Vac

(800) 782-4134 (803) 358-0221
southernsewer.com southern-vac.com
Florida North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee

VAC-CON.COM
855.336.2962
e-mail: [email protected]
 The Lower Valley Water District crew includes,
from left, Phillip Marin, field operations supervisor
and compliance officer; Jose Chacon, bid specialist;
Miguel Velasquez, lead operator; Ricardo Gutierrez
and Chris Nieto, utility pipe layers; and Ruben
Orozco, field operations manager.

Lower Valley Water District

Customers/connections: 53,000 customers
Service area: 210 square miles; southeastern El Paso
A TOUGH SPOT County, Texas, encompassing the city of Socorro,
The Lower Valley Water District is relatively new, founded in the community of San Elizario, town of Clint, and the
1989. But, according to Marin, the area has developed rapidly, colonias of Spark’s Addition and Sand Hills
and increasingly dense residential areas bring a host of issues for Lift stations: 16
its approximately 53,000 customers.
Website: www.lvwd.org
“Our biggest issue is that older waterlines are starting to need
repairs and are breaking. That’s where vac trucks really come in
handy, because instead of flooding out a neighborhood, we get Runoff from a heavy rain event recently flooded out a length
the vac trucks ready, we get them out there and they prevent a of 12-inch waterline supplying new subdivisions. The district
lot of the headaches.” was able to shut off the line before much damage was done, but
The oldest pipes are asbestos cement and PVC C900, both will soon replace it by going down 15 feet under natural arroyos,
getting to the point where line breaks are not uncommon. The or dry creeks, to ensure its safety from future floods.
vast majority of the district’s customer base is in Socorro, a city
that is 80 percent developed and growing. Any kind of water ac- MITIGATING IMPACTS
cumulation in such tight quarters can mean significant property Running a water district in the deep south of Texas is diffi-
damage. cult, but hugging the border brings a whole host of additional
“Because it’s mostly populated now, any kind of line break issues for the Lower Valley Water District.
is going to flood the homes, where before it would go out into The district manages both water and sewer systems for its
the cotton fields — of course, the farmers weren’t happy about service area, which includes a half-dozen communities. Its 16 lift
it, but we weren’t looking at structural damage. Since El Paso stations require more maintenance than normal due to debris
County doesn’t get a lot of rain, when it does, it doesn’t really passed into its system from a nearby immigration camp near the
soak into the ground too well, so it accumulates quickly.” Tornillo port of entry.

20 VA C - C O N IV T
 Left: Lower Valley Water District’s
field operations crew vacuums
Type II wastewater from a
20,000-gallon holding tank.

Below: Ricardo Martinez services

grease fittings on one of the district’s
Vac-Con trucks.

“We are a nonprofit public

water system. With the Vac-
Cons, consumers see where the
funds are being invested and
how it improves the quality of
life for the community.” haul offsite, either to a manhole in the El Paso sewer system or
to use for jetting sewer lines. It takes eight trips to empty the stor-
PHILLIP MARIN age tank completely, but the upside is a much smaller environ-
mental impact.
“We’re getting a lot of rags and stuff that are coming in from
the port of entry,” says Ruben Orozco, field operations manager. MORE THAN A MACHINE
“The water they’re using out there, they’re bringing it over here A challenging system requires reliable equipment, but the
and dumping it into our lift stations.” Vac-Con trucks, and the significant investment that they repre-
The new Vac-Cons have a separate tank for enzymes and sent, are more than just a solution. For Marin, the units repre-
degreaser agents and an electro magnet foot for picking up man- sent the ideals of a utility that strives to improve the lives of its
holes, which helps with jetting operations. consumers, whether that’s through keeping the system up and
“I would say 80 percent of the time we’re using the vac trucks running or vacuuming up floodwaters.
to jet and keep our sewer lines clean,” Marin says. “There is a benefit to the visibility of the trucks, because
sometimes people don’t have any idea what we do, due to the
A VERSATILE TOOL fact that most of the work maintaining the system is under-
The district took ownership of two new Vac-Con units last ground or behind gated water tanks and lift stations.”
April, and the units have been a game-changer for all of the ar- Beyond managing water and sewer systems, the district of-
ea’s particular challenges. ten takes its vac trucks out after big rain events to clear water
In addition to keeping the lift stations clear and being an ef- from less-equipped areas in member communities that have
ficient rapid-response solution to flooding from line breaks or frequent water accumulation.
rain events, the Vac-Con units arrived just in time to assist with “At times, we also help some of the public water systems that
the replacement of a small sewer plant managed by the district. are neighboring, because they’re smaller, so they don’t have the
“It’s a decentralized sewer system on the edge of our district financials to get the equipment we have, so we’ll go over and help
in a rural area, so it’s not feasible to run sewer lines and lift sta- them,” Marin says. “If they’ve got an emergency and they’ve got
tions to where the rest of the system deposits,” Marin says. some flooding, those vac trucks come in handy and we’ll send
With the difficulty of connecting the remote station to typical the operator out there. Those vac trucks are on standby 24/7.”
discharge areas, the district had been dumping the Texas-des- It’s a public service that is no small commitment for the oper-
ignated Type II wastewater into a nearby canal. But with the ators, but brings incalculable goodwill among their customers.
1,500-gallon Vac-Cons, the district now has the capacity to move “We are a nonprofit public water system. With the Vac-Cons,
that wastewater without overtaxing its staff. consumers see where the funds are being invested and how it
The site has a 20,000-gallon storage tank, which operators improves the quality of life for the community.”

VA C - C O N IV T 21
 A Dual
Purpose Martin Noriega,

El Paso Water found a much-needed workhorse with Vac-Con’s P.E. CFM, stormwater
operations/fleet and

vac trucks as maintenance and first-response vehicles building maintenance

division manager,
stands in front of
By Giles Lambertson PHOTOS BY BRIAN KANOF
El Paso Water’s vac unit.

I
n arid West Texas, El Paso Water needs all the help
it can get balancing sand, salt and water. Customers
rely on the utility to get the balance right, provide
clean water, and then collect the wastewater. A fleet
of vacuum trucks helps keep water flowing there
and back again.
El Paso sits on the northern banks of the Rio Grande, the mean-
dering, border-defining river that separates U.S. soil from Mexico.
An image of the city drawing water from the storied river is only
partly accurate. In fact, the melted snow-fed river that originates in
Colorado is tapped by every riverside municipality above El Paso
and is a much-depleted water source by the time it reaches West
Texas. In drought years, it sometimes goes dry.
Consequently, the city’s water sourcing is relatively complex El Paso (Texas) Water
and includes reliance upon two large aquifers deep below the
surface. However, drawing from them exclusively is not sustain- Customers: Approximately 206,000 water,
able either, especially since three-quarters of one aquifer contains 196,000 wastewater
brackish water. Service area: 256 square miles
El Paso Water has an award-winning and efficient system of Daily water volume: 104 mgd
water distribution and collection. To utilize the salty water be-
neath, the city joined with nearby Fort Bliss army post and built a Daily wastewater volume: 59 mgd
$92 million desalination plant. The plant is the world’s largest in- Infrastructure: 2,691 miles of water mains,
land desalting facility and produces 10 mgd of potable water, well 2,311 miles of wastewater lines
below its production capacity of 28 mgd. The technology ensures Fleet maintenance employees: 25
that El Paso Water will be able to provide commercial and residen-
Website: www.epwater.org
tial users with the water they need in future years.

22 VA C - C O N IV T
 SOUTHWESTERN DISTRIBUTORS

Balar Equipment CLS Equipment

(602) 944-1933 (972) 479-1335
balar.com sewertools.com
Arizona North Texas

Heil of Texas
(713) 923-7600
www.heiloftexas.com
South Texas and New Mexico

Covington Sales & Service MME

(225) 664-7427 (916) 922-1101
covingtonsales.com source-mme.com
Louisiana and Mississippi California

VAC-CON.COM
e-mail: [email protected]
 Stormwater provides
a unique problem in
El Paso’s mostly dry climate.
Monsoonlike summer rains
inundate the city’s storm
sewers and pooling is
common. The El Paso Water
crew uses vac trucks to
extract the pooling water.

“The primary reason we

switched to Vac-Con is because
the manufacturer of the trucks
that we used to buy got away
from using dual engines. All the
Vac-Cons have dual engines.”
IVAN IBARRA

The other notable freshwater production component in the

city’s water story is a facility that treats wastewater to a reusable
state. Indeed, it is one of few such plants in the world whose
product meets human consumption standards. For now, 6 mgd
of reclaimed water is delivered to industrial cooling towers, in-
jected into an aquifer, pumped into park irrigation systems, and
used for flushing fire hydrants and cleaning streets.
fleet maintenance chief. “All the Vac-Cons have dual engines.”
FINDING THE RIGHT FIT The latest Vac-Con rig wearing an El Paso Water logo essen-
El Paso Water is distributed through almost 2,700 miles of tially is the same model as the five trucks previously acquired
pipeline and collected as wastewater through more than 2,300 from the manufacturer: a V312LHAE/1500. The combination
miles of pipelines that crisscross the city’s 256 square miles. sewer cleaner has a 12-cubic-yard debris tank, a Little Giant
The extensive infrastructure is maintained and kept clog-free pump that can move 80 gpm at 2,000 psi, an overarching four-
by operations and maintenance supervisors employing a range way hydraulic boom and a high-pressure hose reel mounted on
of heavy equipment. Martin Noriega manages El Paso Water’s the front end of a 2018 International 7600 chassis.
700-piece equipment fleet. This includes 250 pieces of special- Plus, of course, the truck is configured with two engines.
ized machinery comprised of backhoes and motor graders, a Besides giving the big rig its motive power, the primary diesel
Gradall, a Caterpillar bulldozer and 16 vacuum trucks. engine in the truck chassis drives the unit’s hydrostatic variable
The city purchased the first of these vac trucks in 1992. Norie- displacement piston pump and the fan or vacuum. The auxiliary
ga has worked with one division or another of the city for 21 engine — a standard 220 hp, 10-cylinder gasoline unit — can in-
years, so he can’t quite say why the city turned to the technology dependently operate the vacuum and water systems. This means
27 years ago. “But usually they get into it to maintain a system, to water can circulate while the truck is standing still or moving.
flush out sewer pipes.” Over the next 15 years, the city acquired So far, the vacuum rigs have not been employed on the util-
nine more vacuum units from various manufacturers. ity’s waterlines or pump stations. “We haven’t needed them for
However, in 2007 the vacuum fleet profile changed when anything on the water side,” Noriega says. “We do need them to
the city acquired its first Vac-Con truck. In 2018, the utility pur- clear out our stormwater and wastewater lines.”
chased a sixth Vac-Con unit. “The primary reason we switched Bernie Cardenas, sewer maintenance supervisor, says the
to Vac-Con is because the manufacturer of the trucks that we trucks are used daily in his division. “When we have emergency
used to buy got away from using dual engines,” says Ivan Ibarra, calls in different parts of the city, we use them to clear the lines,

24 VA C - C O N IV T
 WESTERN DISTRIBUTORS

Enviro-Clean Intermountain
Enviro-Clean Equipment (801) 413-1413
(503) 491-3393 envirocleanequip.com
envirocleanequip.com Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana
Oregon and Western Washington

Municipal Maintenance Equipment Rollins Machinery

(916) 922-1101 (604) 533-0048
source-mme.com rollinsmachinery.ca
California and Northern Nevada British Columbia, Canada

Superior Truck Equipment, Inc. Williams Equipment

(403) 263-9776 (303) 573-0149
superiortruck.ca williamseqpt.com
Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada Colorado - Municipal

VAC-CON.COM
855.336.2962
e-mail: [email protected]
 El Paso Water general services lead
Horace Martinez (left) vacuums stormwater
while equipment operator Norberto Sandoval
runs the controls on the Vac-Con.

but we also use them daily to flush and maintain lines.”

Joey Paz, stormwater operations supervisor, echoes
Cardenas: The city’s trucks are first-response vehicles in
emergencies as well as in daily maintenance. “We have
a daily routine for our trucks — cleaning pipelines to
prevent backup when it does rain (the city averages less
than 10 inches of rainfall a year). We also use them for
water extraction on the streets.”
Water extraction — the vacuuming up of water
pooled in public areas after occasional summertime
monsoon downpours — poses some hazard to the vac-
uum trucks because of the sandy nature of the desert
community’s soil. While clean water is used in the trucks’ on- al-engine combination machines offer an excavation package,
board tanks, so as not to expose the pump to salt or sand, the wa- the city so far has not opted to buy it. “In the past, there hasn’t
ter sucked into the debris tank from flooded streets can abrade a been a real demand for the hydroexcavation package. But now
truck’s 3/16-inch steel collection tank. we have decided to look into it for the future.”
“We haven’t had any maintenance-type issues,” Ibarra says. Looking into it won’t mean a cross-country trip for mainte-
“But when we do water extraction in areas where it is particu- nance officials: Heil of Texas, the local Vac-Con cleaner and hy-
larly sandy, it does create an effect in the tank. So we decided to droexcavator dealer, has a new facility in El Paso with eight ser-
perform a test to check the thickness of the debris tank wall to vice bays and a staff of technicians for support. “They just opened
see if the continuous exposure to sewer water, sand and rocks up down the street, a 10-minute walk from here,” Noriega says.
had any erosion effect on the metal. So far, they always have That’s convenient for a utility that has grown reliant upon Vac-
been within the specs.” Con trucks. As Cardenas says, “Vac-Con is a big workhorse for us.”
The infrastructure the fleet of trucks is trying to keep un- Most of El Paso Water’s fleet maintenance happens in-house
clogged ranges from 6-inch PVC or clay wastewater and storm- under Ibarra’s supervision in a facility built in 2016 at a cost of
water pipes on up to 32-inch wastewater lines and 60-inch $3.4 million. Two dozen technicians work there. The new facility
stormwater mains, with a few 10-foot box culverts maintained in replaced what the city acknowledges were “extremely outdated
some areas of the city as well. Most clogging occurs from residual buildings and workspaces,” and introduced modern, more pro-
buildup of wastewater material at joints or low spots. Cardenas ductive maintenance systems. With the utility keeping pieces of
says tree roots in the arid landscape also cause problems from heavy equipment for as long as 15 years before replacing them,
time to time, with high-pressure nozzles and cutters utilized to fleet maintenance is a key component of its operating plan.
eliminate them. “We don’t see that a lot, but once in a while.” City water, sewer and stormwater equipment operators are
With the U.S. economy reviving, El Paso, like other cities, cross-trained on several kinds of equipment, including backhoes,
has seen a surge of construction work. According to Ibarra, the Bobcat track loaders and all 16 vacuum trucks. In addition, Vac-
construction work sites contribute to the pipeline maintenance Con technicians come in to train El Paso crews on vacuum clean-
crew’s workload because of runoff. “When we get a monsoon ing. Ibarra says of the in-house sessions, “We’re trained how to rev
rain, we end up getting a lot of construction debris in our storm- the engines to make sure they’re utilizing the water efficiently and
water lines. That’s where the lines really take a beating.” how to use the different nozzles and cutters that we need here.”
Some operators have been sent on to vacuum truck opera-
A CULTURE OF SUPPORT tion schools as well. It’s all part of El Paso Water’s commitment
El Paso Water’s Vac-Con trucks are not employed in hydro- to provide and conserve clean water. “We are doing our due dili-
excavating lines to expose and repair them. Though Vac-Con du- gence,” Noriega adds. “More knowledge is always a benefit.”

26 VA C - C O N IV T
 THE VAC CON
®
•

DUAL ENGINE COMBINATION MACHINE

BIG POWER.
- 44% Fuel Savings
- 43% Decrease in Vacuum System Operating RPM
- 25% Increase in Airflow

LITTLE NOISE. - 16-30% More Horsepower

- 8% Decrease in Noise Pollution
- 5% Increase in Overall Vacuum Pressure (lift)

Find Your Dealer Today! www.vac-con.com/dealer-search/

Contact us for a Demo - Toll Free: 1-888-920-2945
International: +1-904-493-4969 | Email: [email protected]
COLE PUBLISHING INC., PO BOX 220, THREE LAKES WI 54562 ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED
PRSTD STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
COLE
PUBLISHING INC