FR to get new press

FORT RECOVERY — Say goodbye to lime sludge.

Utility department workers will be receiving a new filtered press in about a month to dispose dry lime, which is usually dumped in sludge form with water twice a year into the pond beside the water plant.

Village administrator Randy Diller explained that the water treatment process includes using lime. Twice a year, workers empty and clean the clarifier tank, which holds about 50,000 gallons of water. All that water being treated with lime goes into the pond.

About every five to seven years, workers have to clean the “sludge pond,” which turns green and filmy. Utility workers have gone through the same process since the building was constructed in 1984.

“It’s not an easy process — it’s not a cheap process to do,” Diller said.

Utility workers have been looking at cheaper, more efficient and environmentally friendly options, he explained. About four months ago, they found a filtered press.

A lime filtered press removes most liquid from lime-concentrated water, turning it solid. Diller estimated the clarifier tank usually holds about 90% water and 10% lime. When it first comes out of the press, it has a consistency similar to Play-Doh, said water plant utility supervisor Ryan Thien.

Once the lime “cake” has dried, it becomes rock-hard.

“You’d have to hit it with a hammer to break it,” he said.

Thien and other workers tested a mini filter press about year ago. They made some hard lime, and he found it easy to handle.

Diller added that it will be a trial and error process for about a year, particularly because utility workers don’t know how exactly much dry lime will be produced. After the lime has been pressed, he said it becomes “like lime you would buy in a bag,” although the product has already been used once.

Utility workers aren’t sure how they’re going to handle disposal yet, but Diller said other facilities either donate the product to farmers — lime helps to reduce the acidity in soil, among other benefits — or take it to a dump.

“It’ll be basically an easy product to get rid of,” he said.

The filtered press costs about $40,000, which is about $5,000 less than village council approved for the equipment. The extra funds may be used during installation or toward disposing the first six months’ worth of dry lime. Plans are currently to dispose it in a large dumpster. Depending on how quickly or slowly the dumpster fills, that may change.

Utility department workers will get the press installed and running this year, and next year, they will clean the sludge pond, Diller noted.