Town of Ashland Removes Nearly 1200 Dry Tons of Sludge from Wastewater Treatment Lagoons

BANGOR, Maine - Aug. 21, 2018 - PRLog -- The Town of Ashland recently contracted with Merrell Brothers, a biosolids management corporation from Kokomo, Indiana to remove, dewater, haul, and dispose of nearly 1200 dry tons of sludge from three municipal wastewater treatment lagoons.

The wastewater treatment lagoons in the Town of Ashland were built in 1963 and were in urgent need of cleaning to stay in compliance with state and federal regulations. After 55 years of operation, the lagoons were experiencing a rapid growth of algae that promoted an increase of solid sludge, which could potentially become an environmental and public hazard.

The Town of Ashland Water & Sewer District was able to raise nearly $2 million dollars for the project from a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and a DEP Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) grant. The project went to public bidding nationwide in December of 2017 and was awarded to Merrell Brothers in the spring of 2018.

"I am very impressed by Merrell Brothers' work ethic and professionalism," says Frank Martin, Superintendent of Ashland Water & Sewer District, "their team and heavy dredge equipment arrived at the work site on June 9th and the entire process was completed on July 16^th, more than two weeks ahead of schedule. They didn't play around. Their workers were very focused and meticulous. They did a great job for us."

"The cleaning process is quite intriguing," says Brayden Merrell, Project Consultant of Merrell Brothers.  "It begins on the surface of the lagoon, where a hydraulic dredge pumps a thick slurry of sludge from the bottom of the lagoon floor to a mixing tank, where the slurry is kept consistent and thoroughly mixed. Equipped with individual pumps, each filter belt press machine draws sludge and cationic emulsion polymer onto the machine's top deck. Mixed with sludge, the polymer acts as a binding agent, locking onto solid molecules while repelling liquid molecules. The material begins to coagulate and proceeds through a series of rollers that provide pressure on the material. This allows for solids to be captured and conveyed directly to roll off boxes or semi-trucks (which take the material to be properly disposed), all while returning clean water directly back to the lagoon. It's an exciting process and something we are passionate about as a company."

The Town of Ashland Water & Sewer District learned a great deal from the process and are now in the process of completing additional restorations at the bottom of the lagoons.  An aerial video of this project can be viewed at  bit.ly/AshlandME


Merrell Brothers, a biosolids management corporation from Kokomo, Indiana, was founded in 1982. For more information visit merrellbros.com or call (800)663-8830.