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Clarifier Software
NEIWPCC is pleased to announce the release of Clarifier—Tools for Wastewater Operators. Clarifier was developed by NEIWPCC under a grant from the U. S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is the second generation of the program POTW_PAS, which was also developed under a grant from EPA.
Clarifier was developed to function as a stand-alone software package for Publicly-Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). The package provides tools for performing compliance self-audits and source reduction analyses and also includes tools to assist with the daily operations and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities. The primary target audience for Clarifier is wastewater operations personnel, including operators, management personnel, superintendents and maintenance personnel.
Base Functions
Clarifier's base functions help POTW personnel:
Base System Requirements
Contents of the Clarifier CD
The Clarifier CD contains a number of setup files created with the InstallShield installation software. The InstallShield setup files will create folders on the hard drive of your computer. The Install program places the Clarifier program and a number of other necessary files in the Clarifier folder on the "C" drive unless you specify another location. A shortcut icon will also be added to the desktop.
The install program creates an Adobe sub-folder in the Clarifier folder. The Adobe sub-folder contains a setup file that you can use to install Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. Acrobat Reader is necessary to allow you to read the Users Guide and the other documentation included with Clarifier.
The Clarifier folder contains the following three files in Adobe Acrobat format:
To download the complete Users Guide for the Clarifier Program click here.
Clarifier is available from NEIWPCC for the shipping and handling costs of $25. All recent (less than one year) subscribers to POTW_PAS will be provided with a free upgrade. To download an order form for Clarifier Software click here. If you have any questions, please contact NEIWPCC at clarifier@neiwpcc.org for more information.
Keep posted for a series of Train the Trainer workshops across the country on Clarifier!
About This CD
This CD was funded through a grant (#CP991563) provided to the New England
Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
NEIWPCC Project Officer:
Thomas W. Groves
US EPA Project Officer:
Curt Baranowski
Clarifier Developer:
Richard E. Darling, P.E., CET
A National Advisory Workgroup guided the development of Clarifier. NEIWPCC would like to thank the following individuals who contributed to this software: Dan Campbell, Joe Cheatham, James Clifton, Charles Corley, Tina Darrell, Kirk Laflin, Doris Roberts, David Sullivan and Ed Toby.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When trying to install the Clarifier Program, I am told that I am unable to install programs that change the Windows Registry?
A: On some networked PCs with newer Operating Systems (Windows 2000 +), the installation of software that changes the Windows Registry may be restricted. In this case, Clarifier will not correctly install the full program. A few of the features will not be available, but the majority of the program (95%) will work fine. To avoid this the program must be installed by someone who has "Administrator" privileges to the computer.
Q: Can I run Clarifier on a network and have multiple computers using the program and keep the data all on one computer?
A: Yes. Clarifier can be installed on multiple computers on a network and have all computers use the data stored on one machine. The instructions for setting up a network in this way are included in the Users Guide, which installs when you install Clarifier.
Q: When I try to run the Major Unit Process Evaluation (CPE) under the Diagnostics Menu, I get an error message that says, "Too Many Open Files. You may need to increase MAXFILEHANDLE limit in IDAPI configuration." What can I do?
A: When you install Clarifier, the program installs a program called the "Borland Database Engine (BDE)". If you have a version of this program already on you machine (it may be installed by other programs such as Word Perfect, Paradox or Report Smith), Clarifier should update the version of the BDE on your computer. If you don't have the BDE, the Clarifier setup files will install it on your machine. Part of the update or installation should increase the number of files that the BDE can open to a number sufficient to allow all functions in the Clarifier program to run properly. If your machine is part of a protected network that does not allow you to install software, the Clarifier software must be installed by someone who has "administrator" rights to the computer. This problem will only occur to computers where the user is prohibited from installing software. Most individual computers running any version of Windows will run properly after a normal installation.
Q: Can I use the data files I created in POTW_PAS in Clarifier?
A: Not directly. We are working on a translation utility that you will be able to use to translate the POTW_PAS data tables to the format used for Clarifir. If you have been using POTW_PAS and you wish to obtain this utility program, please contact us and we will provide the program to you.
Q: I don't see much of the data in some of the spreadsheet-like data entry forms. Is there anything I can do about this?
A: We recommend that you set the resolution of your monitor to at least 800 x 600. Even on a 15" monitor, most people find this resolution allows them to see and read the characters on the screen and it will allow you to make more of the data input grids visible.
Q: Is there a way I could transport the files between work and home? Or do I have to work off a CD?
A: You must first load the program on your home and work computers, you will need to copy the files in the "Data" and "Standard" folders that normally install as C:\Clarifier\data and C:\Clarifier\standard. Those folders contain all the data used by Clarifier. You also need to be careful to make sure the files are the same on both machines or you may run into trouble getting "out of sync". After installation, the "data" folder is about 1.5 MB and the "standard" is about 2.5 MB. Thus you need a zip disk or a CD-R to hold the data. The "data" folder will grow faster than the "standard" folder, since all the normal operating data goes into the "data" folder. One other alternative would be to use a compression utility like WinZip to compress the files. I tried "zipping" the two folders and came up with a 231 KB file, which would fit on a floppy. In my experience, zip compression is very good and data isn't lost and the utility can be downloaded free from the Web. It's an extra step to zip and unzip the files every time but it might also be a reminder to keep the two sets of files synchronized between the machines.
If you have a question, comment, or tip on Clarifier, please email us at clarifier@neiwpcc.org