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Rogue River attacks sludge with solar process By SANNE SPECHT for the Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER - The city will become one of the first in the nation to implement new wastewater treatment technology when it opens its Solar Sludge Drying Treatment Facility next week. Designed in Florida and manufactured in Germany, the new system culls the latest in technology from across the globe. It was assembled in Rogue River. "We're really excited about getting this new system up and operating," said Public Works Director Ken Johnson, who researched the project and recommended the system to the city. "It will save the city money and it's better for the environment." The new system's solar greenhouse is 40 feet by 90 feet and holds 22,500 gallons of sludge. It uses technology and the sun to reduce 20 truckloads (30,000 gallons) of sludge generated by the city per month to one or two truckloads. Formerly, the city delivered the watery sludge to Department of Environmental Quality-approved agricultural land for beneficial reuse. But no sludge has been removed from the wastewater treatment plant since 1997, instead accumulating in the facility's lagoon and awaiting a new system. Next week, approximately 16,000 gallons of the liquid waste will be pumped from the lagoon into the solar greenhouse. Once inside the dryer, computer sensors will monitor the drying process by carefully adjusting humidity and temperatures, while a rototiller automatically and continuously mills through the sludge. Drying time fluctuates between 20 and 45 days, depending on weather conditions. The rototiller, about half the size of a small Volkswagen, is affectionately called "My Little Pig" by facility manager Rick Cushman because of its job and the material in which it works. Once the sludge water is removed, the remaining material will be made into pellets on site and used for agricultural purposes. Because the technology is so new, Rogue River received discounts on the equipment of up to $130,000. Manufacturers hope the city's successful operation of the new plant will encourage other cities to follow suit and purchase similar plants. The estimated project cost is between $120,000 and $140,000. City Administrator Mark Reagles is pleased that the project is finished and is eager to see what happens when the pumps start up April 5 or 6. "We've waited a long time getting this project completed because of all the different factors involved," said Reagles. "It's going to be really exciting to see what happens when we start it up." Sanne Specht is a free-lance writer in Rogue River. Reach her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.