Knox Board of Works members received an update about the disposal of bio-solids from Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons when they met last week.
Clemons informed board members that the reed beds where an excess amount of wastewater plant sludge was being stored have finally been emptied onto fields.
As a reminder, it is a common, state-approved practice for stabilized wastewater sludge to be applied to fields. However, the Department had to wait to perform the procedure because the material and the fields themselves were too wet to apply to at first and then they were all planted in.
Before the material could be hauled, it also had to be dried out. Clemons said the Street Department provided them with 18 loads of mulch to help dry it up.
Once the mulch was applied, Superintendent Clemons said crews had to sift through the material to remove any large debris such as rocks, trash, and metal. She said it took about 6 days to finish that and they ended up with a truckload of debris.
In addition to that material, another 102,400 gallons of bio-solids was recently hauled and applied to fields. Clemons said J&K provided a truck and driver to haul the material at a cost of $6,144.
She said by removing that, it should get them through until late November or early December. Clemons noted that as long as the field next to the plant is not too wet, they will land-apply there when the time comes.
Clemons mentioned that the reed beds have been removed so they won’t have any place to store excess materials so they’ll need to come up with another solution. She added that a company will be coming into the plant soon to demo a fan press.
