Winxnet to Build Electronic Billing Application for City of Lowell, MA Septage Receiving System
Winxnet teams with Woodard & Curran to build an electronic billing application to facilitate septage receiving at the Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility.
MAINE, June 21, 2011 — The Lowell Regional Waste Water Utility (LRWWU) was looking for a better way for independent septage haulers to pay dumping fees at LRWWU’s Duck Island Waste Water Treatment Facility (WWTF). After assessing its needs, an electronic point-of-sale billing system was developed to replace the current paper-based system, which is cumbersome and inaccurate. The current paper-based system is based on nominal truck volume (rather than actual volume) and is labor-intensive to manage. A new credit-card based system will offer faster service to the haulers and reduce LRWWU’s billing efforts.
LRWWU management and the City of Lowell’s Management Information System (MIS) Department collaborated with engineering consultant Woodard & Curran (W&C) to devise a plan for providing an electronic billing system for a newly-constructed septage receiving facility at the Duck Island WWTF in Lowell MA. The septage receiving facility, designed by W&C as part of a large WWTF upgrade project, is intended to improve LRWWU’s ability to service its septage haulers. A key component of the new septage receiving facility is an electronic billing system – based on credit card transactions - that allows for real-time billing as haulers are emptying their trucks. This approach is similar to billing systems used extensively by gasoline stations. As LRWWU Engineering Supervisor Aaron Fox states, “The new billing system is like a gasoline pump system in reverse. Rather than paying to withdraw gasoline from an underground storage tank, haulers will pay to pump their truck contents into our septage storage tanks. Both systems rely on measuring gallons of flow and assessing a unit price for each gallon”.
Recognizing that the design team needed a company with expertise in designing and providing such electronic billing systems, LRWWU and W&C reached out to Winxnet, a Maine-based provider of customized and specialized application and development software and hardware solutions. LRWWU and W&C engaged Winxnet to develop an application that will allow individual haulers to pay real-time for septage disposal services at the Duck Island WWTF by charging fees to their credit card accounts.
To initiate the new billing system, the hauler will first enter a pass code into the septage control system to confirm that the hauler is a registered user of the system. Next, the septage hauler will swipe a credit card and Winxnet’s custom application will interface with an electronic fund transfer service. Once confirmation is received that the credit card account has the necessary credit available, the application will provide a signal to the septage control system, opening a valve that allows septage to be dumped. When offloading is complete, the septage control system will signal the application to provide the cost of the offloading service, based on measured gallons and a pre-set unit price. Winxnet’s application will then finalize the transaction, automatically billing the user’s credit card account. This convenient application will operate by interfacing with industrial controls developed by Woodard & Curran and financial transaction services provided by a third party.
This septage billing application for Lowell MA is just one example of Winxnet’s emerging national presence as a provider of application development services that support industrial facilities. “We are extremely pleased with Winxnet’s role in this project!” says Tom Schwartz of Woodard & Curran. “Their up-front assessment and in-depth understanding of the facility’s needs made for a very solid design. We are confident they can deliver on the final product.”
Winxnet COO Jason Lenardson believes this project proves Winxnet’s ability to establish application development partnerships that deliver high-quality custom solutions. “We provide effective solutions every time we take on a project. This venture with Woodard & Curran proves that our approach of truly understanding a client’s need allows us to develop a solution that is innovative and custom-made to meet that need.”
About Winxnet
A Premier Microsoft Certified Partner, Winxnet provides complete IT solutions for businesses, with a focus on Unified Communications (VoIP), .NET application design and development, SharePoint consulting and customization, and Systems Management (managed services). Founded in 1999, Winxnet has offices in Portland, ME; Chattanooga, TN; New Hampshire and Massachusetts. For additional information, visit www.winxnet.com.
About Woodard & Curran
Woodard & Curran is a privately held, integrated engineering, science, and operations company that serves public and private clients locally and nationally. Founded in 1979, Woodard & Curran works with a diverse clientele, including municipalities, industry, colleges and universities, the real estate community, and food and beverage manufacturers. For additional information, visit www.woodardandcurran.com.
About Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility
The Lowell Regional Wastewater Utility is an ISO 14001 certified organization with a staff of 46 employees. LRWWU operates and maintains the Duck Island WWTF, a 32-MGD facility designed to treat sanitary wastes, combined wastewater, and hauled wastes from the City of Lowell MA, its four surrounding towns (Chelmsford, Dracut, Tewksbury and Tyngsboro), and the Greater Lowell area. The Duck Island WWTF is located along the Merrimack River, near the Lowell-Dracut town line. The Executive Director for LRWWU is Mark Young and the Engineering Supervisor in charge of this project is Aaron Fox.