Another stop with the individuals from Rensselaer, Indiana was the Summit Springs Regional Waste District’s Treatment Facility, located at Mt. Summit, Indiana where we were again met by the crew of Blue River Technology (Jerry, the Plant Superintendent was unable to meet us at that time). The Mt. Summit plant currently takes in two communities and will be adding a third in the very near future.   Summit Springs flow starts by flowing through a small comminutor or grinder then splits between two orbital activated sludge systems with center clarifiers and aerobic digesters as one of the sections. Following the activated sludge system was a series of 4 poured cement polishing ponds prior to ultra violet disinfection. For solids handling Summit Springs used the Blue River Technologies Container Bag System. We were shown how the bags are set up in the containers – across the bottom of the hopper you lay out pallets then a webbing material is placed over the top of the pallets. This webbing keeps the pallets in place (when the bag is dumped at the landfill) and that space between the pallets and the bottom of the container allows for more filtrate to be released while the bag is in the container. (I know it sounds like I am a walking commercial for this dewatering system and maybe I am or maybe it is because I know it works and works well!). One of the main differences between the Tower System we saw in Knightstown and the container system is the obvious, one is stands vertical and the other lays horizontally. Another difference is the percent solids of the final “cake”. The cake in the horizontal will be drier and more comparable to that of the cake from a mechanical process such as a filter belt press or a centrifuge, yet not as dry as a drying bed. In either case you will need a way to capture the filtrate (liquid from bags) and recycle it back to the head of the facility and you will need polymer just as you would in a filter belt press. Finally, one main drawback is these bags are not reusable so each time you fill one you have to replace it. But consider the cost of the bag to the cost of electricity and manpower to run mechanical devices. If you want more information regarding the Container Bag System check out this link: http://blueriverdewater.com/geotextile.htm

Influent Channel with Grinder or Comminutor

Orbital Aeration

Center Clarifier

Aerated Digester Portion of Orbital Tank

Concrete Polishing Pond Basins

Netting Set-up In Container for GeoTextile Bag System