“Backwashing” is a process that cleans the rapid sand filters that remove impurities from drinking water during the treatment process. Critical components of the backwash process are actuators that control the opening and closing of the backwash water valves. The current actuators at West Parish Filters are over 50 years old and are in critical need of replacement. A failure of an actuator can risk the entire filtration operation and the plant’s ability to produce treated water.

Replacement of the actuators will help modernize the backwash operation and prevent failures that threaten the plant’s ability to treat water. Such an incident occurred in the spring of 2020, when an actuator for Rapid Sands filter 2 failed in the middle of the night. Due to the quick work of staff at West Parish Filters – and the strength of pipe wrenches and crow bars – a system failure was prevented.