As one of the fastest growing cities in the state of North Dakota, the city of West Fargo, which borders Fargo, jumped from a population of 707 in 1940 to a current population of more than 33,000.

Under the surface, the booming city’s 1,057,661-foot-long sanitary sewer system includes more than 3,800 manholes, 95 gate valves, more than 200 clean-out structures, and 33 sanitary lift stations that pump wastewater for ultimate disposal at stabilization ponds. These stations include submersible duplex and wet well/dry well types. The storm sewer system contains more than 1.25 million feet of gravity pipe ranging in size from 12 to 60 inches. The system includes more than 4,600 manholes, more than 5,600 catch basins, and more than 50 storm lift stations. Managing all of this is West Fargo’s public works department.

Composed of more than 50 employees, the public works department is also responsible for overseeing the city’s buildings, streets and forestry. Dane Pranke, the city’s sewer foreman, leads a team of seven, including three equipment operators, to handle sanitary sewer televising, jetting and cleaning; storm sewer televising, jetting and cleaning; and storm and sanitary sewer lift stations. These activities are typically handled full-time from April to December, while lift station maintenance is a full-time, year-round task. 

A city employee for nine years, Pranke has served as the sewer foreman for the past two years. “We’re not a big group, but we get a lot of work done,” he says. His operators use their Vactor 2100i combination sewer cleaner on a daily basis to clean out lift stations, and to help clean, inspect and jet sewer lines. “We put our 2100i through its paces every day.”

Purchased in 2019, the city’s Vactor 2100i combination sewer cleaner with the positive-displacement configuration is loaded with innovative features, including the Vactor water recycling system, RDB 1015 rapid deployment boom, hydroexcavation kit, and cold-weather recirculation system.

“The Vactor 2100i has been a great workhorse for us,” Pranke says. “This machine saves us a lot of time, and we have no complaints. We looked at other types of sewer cleaners on the market, but nothing beats the design of the 2100i — and nobody else has the rapid deployment boom.” Pranke adds that his operators find the truck’s controls to be much easier to operate, compared to competitive models they’ve tried.

Water recycler system

The truck’s innovative water recycling system reuses water already in the sewer to clean sewer lines, providing the potential to eliminate the need for clean water and saving thousands of gallons of clean water during every shift 

“We wanted the water recycler system so we could continue working in the field longer and avoid having to run back and forth to get more water every 45 minutes or so,” Pranke says. “The truck’s water recycler has already saved us a lot of time on the job, while also saving on costs and providing our community with a better environmental solution.”

RDB 1015 rapid deployment boom

“The rapid deployment boom is a huge advantage for us,” he says. “Some of our lift stations are getting close to 50 feet, but with the RDB, we don’t have to stop work to add that extra 10-foot debris tube to get down to it. The RDB gives us the versatility to have the extra distance we need to go deeper without running out of room. The adjustability is a huge benefit.”

The rapid deployment boom telescopes 10 feet out and extends the debris hose an additional 15 feet down for faster cleaning of catch basins, manholes and lift stations. By maintaining a lower profile, the Vactor 2100i is able to clear low overhead obstacles and still reach needed depths. The RDB 1015 boom can stow with the catch basin tube attached on the truck, making it even easier to begin work immediately. 

Hydroexcavation kit adds greater versatility

The optional hydroexcavation attachment on the city’s Vactor 2100i removes more material faster, and with greater accuracy and control. Crews are able to hydroexcavate around a catch basin without disturbing a large area and can remove and replace the basin with minimal soil removal. Pranke says the added versatility of the hydroexcavation kit has turned the 2100i into a Swiss Army knife of sorts that other city departments have found useful.

“With the added versatility of the hydroexcavation package on the 2100i, our truck definitely gets around,” Pranke says. “Our electrical department uses the truck to locate broken wires for street lights. Our water department uses the truck to fix water main curb stop boxes, gate valves and water leaks. And our street department uses the truck for sink holes, road repairs and catch basin repairs. The Vactor 2100i serves a lot of purposes for us and helps us get a lot more work done efficiently around West Fargo than most people would realize.”

Winter no match for cold-weather recirculation option

West Fargo is no stranger to severe winter weather, including blizzards and brutally cold temperatures. The cold-weather recirculation option on the Vactor 2100i keeps the truck’s water flowing in freezing temperatures. “When the truck is in transit in freezing temperatures, it’s essential to keep the water in the tank from freezing. The recirculation option was a no-brainer,” Pranke says.

Training support an added bonus

“We worked closely with our dealer, Sanitation Products Inc., for hands-on training so our team knew how to safely operate the combination sewer cleaner,” he says. “We even had a few Vactor Manufacturing representatives come up to West Fargo to help out with training. Before we purchased our 2100i, I traveled down to Streator, Illinois, and toured the Vactor Manufacturing plant and got a feel for the machine.”

For more information on the Vactor 2100i combination sewer cleaner, please visit www.vactor.com or contact your local Vactor dealer.