Wastewater Treatment Compliance is an extremely complicated and expensive endeavor for wineries. While non-compliance is not an option, the process of buying and operating equipment is painful.

Let's observe the current process of acquiring an onsite treatment system:

• Step 1 - Wastewater Study: Hire an environmental consultant to evaluate your situation including wastewater analysis, permit evaluation, process engineering, etc. The consultant responds with a binder full of information and may even write up an RFQ (request for quotation) for your team.
• Step 2: RFQ Solicitation Process: Since your wastewater treatment system requires various hardware, a winery needs to solicit various proposals from various vendors - you will need 6-10 vendors including: Multiple equipment vendors, general contractors, mechanical installers, electrical contractors, chemical suppliers, maintenance companies, on-going compliance consultants.
• Step 3 - Pick your Vendors: This process is very overwhelming. Either at your consultant's recommendation or driven by the lowest cost, you pick your 6-10 vendors. Different vendors are responsible for design, build, install, operate and maintain part of the project.
• Step 4 - Manage the Project: After the vendors are picked, the winery is responsible for overall project management. Your staff needs to ensure that each vendor delivers what they promised. From the design, build to the installation, the key responsible party will remain the winery.
• Step 5 - Startup the System: Now you cross your fingers and hope that the system you put together works as designed. If something breaks, you hope that the various vendors will work cohesively with each other to fix your problem!
• Step 6 - Operate and Maintain the System: After the system has been successfully started, it is the winery's responsibility to operate and maintain the system. Who do you call when a pump breaks? Do you call the vendor who designed it, installed it, supplied it?

As a winery, you're out a millions of dollars before treating your first gallon of wastewater! Oh, and wastewater treatment generates no revenue - it is not core to your business! 

Is this fair? Can this process be simplified? Your friends at Revida Water can help!