When mechanical failures disabled two digesters at the Idaho Falls (Idaho) Wastewater Treatment Plant, sludge had to be transferred to an 18-million-gallon storage lagoon. There, partially digested material floated to the surface, formed a scum layer, and decomposed under the summer sun.
“The odor was immediately evident downwind from the lagoon,” says supervisor David Smith. The staff had to deal with the odor and find a way to skim off and control the solids.
Research convinced Smith that a Geotube® container from TenCate Geosynthetics — a flexible tube made of high-strength, permeable, engineered textile — could contain and dewater the high-moisture-content sludge.
He
