New technology coming to Wastewater Treatment Plant will kill stench at landfill

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The city’s Wastewater Remedy Plant is one particular action nearer to a $40 million improve, a person that really should convey to an conclude the seasonal stench coming from the landfill in Woodlawn.

The project will get $15 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.

“This grant funding will permit for critical infrastructure upgrades that will benefit citizens and firms through the local community,” state Sen. Monthly bill Powers claimed in announcing the grant.

The massive job: Thermal dryers

The grant will assistance pay for a new 6-story developing made up of thermal dryers that will be constructed on the current wastewater plant web site, in accordance to Mark Riggins, typical supervisor for Clarksville Gas & Water.

Thermal dryers dry out the leftover sludge – a byproduct of the h2o therapy plant’s purification system – creating it a lot easier to properly dispose of in ways aside from just dumping it in the landfill, Riggins said.

Rhonda Fulton, marketing and advertising coordinator for Gas & H2o, explained the thermal dryer system.

“Dewatered wastewater sludge is tumbled in a rotary drum with an extra warmth resource to dry the sludge even further to generate a Course A biosolid. It will then get pelletized to generate a merchandise that is much easier to handle,” she said.

Right after the sludge is eliminated for processing, the purified liquid is emptied into the Cumberland River, and that has been the practice from the beginning. For individuals concerned about the overall health of the river, Riggins mentioned the purified wastewater is cleaner than drinking water.

The leftover sludge has been sent to the Bi-County Landfill. “The solids themselves, they are addressed, and there (are) different approaches that you can take care of all those and then dispose of individuals,” Riggins stated.

Damage from the flood

Prior to the 2010 flood, crews at the Wastewater Cure Plant processed the sludge to a course that they could be used to land. “And individuals use that as fertilizer,” Riggins stated. “We hauled it out there to a farm, or one thing like that, that they desired, and then we experienced a … manure spreader that people today could load into that and then unfold on to their farms.”

In accordance to epa.gov, the close product of wastewater cure vegetation is often a Course A humus-like materials with out a detectable stages of pathogens that can be applied as a soil conditioner and fertilizer to gardens, food stuff and feed crops.

But Riggins mentioned the flood caused key problems to the wastewater plant, and likely back again to the course of action of building fertilizer was heading to be costly. “That sludge … it’s (called) biosolids, proper now it is taken to landfill and disposed of.

“Now, back again then when that final decision was produced, the landfill was ready and pleased to take that,” he said.

But in excess of the final several yrs, the odor has turn into a problem. “There (are) a whole lot of complaints (from close by neighbors) about the odor at the landfill,” Riggins claimed.

Mark Neblett, govt director for the Bi-County Good Squander Management Technique, explained they get about 5 loads of sludge a day, and it smells really negative.

“The 0ther challenge is, it’s really hard to mix with the other squander to get compaction,” Neblett stated, noting that if there is way too much sludge blended in with the frequent refuse, it creates a type of quicksand, producing major gear to get trapped.

Prolonged-expression alternative

When on the lookout for a option, Riggins mentioned a consultant recommended Fuel & H2o haul the sludge to a unique landfill, at a expense of $15 million.

“I just felt like that was a waste of ratepayers’ dollars,” he said. “If I am likely to devote $15 million, I want this to be some thing that is heading to do the job for this plant for eternity.”

Riggins said that with the new thermal dryers, the output will be reduced by up to 70{5376dfc28cf0a7990a1dde1ec4d231557d3d9e6448247a9e5e61bb9e48b1de73}, and the approach will permit the sludge to be when all over again be classed to use as fertilizer for farmers.

“We are grateful to the Point out of Tennessee Office of Atmosphere and Conservation for their approval of our grant application,” Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts mentioned. “The funding will enable remedy a extensive-standing issue at our wastewater treatment method plant. Credit score to Mark Riggins and our employee spouse and children at CGW for their function in securing these money.”

The future move is for the job to go out to bid, and the job should be total in about two several years, Riggins reported.