Flagler Beach wastewater improvements to start with sludge
Published July 29, 2020
Orignal Article: https://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20200729/flagler-beach-wastewater-improvements-to-start-with-sludge
The first phase of Flagler Beach’s wastewater treatment plant improvement process will replace drying beds for sludge with a screw press: a machine that separates water and sludge by using screen filters and gravity.
After Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed over $1 billion worth of projects from the state budget, the City of Flagler Beach will not receive the $900,000 officials hoped for to help update the antiquated wastewater treatment plant.
While the city is moving forward with its plan for improvements, commissioner Rick Belhumeur said the funding was necessary due to the plant’s age. The plant itself was built in 1987, with recent modifications in 2001.
“Our (plant) is so antiquated that we actually take the sludge that’s separated from the majority of the water, and the sludge gets pumped into these containment areas that’s kind of like a block wall, four-feet high and waterproof, and you literally just wait for it to dry out,” Belhumeur said. “In the middle of the rainy season, that takes a while to dry out. That’s very antiquated. I don’t know how many other cities have that still.”
The water that’s separated from the sludge is then cleaned and filtered before it is discharged into the Intracoastal Waterway.
Because of the immediate need for funding, the city commission voted July 23 to approve a $900,000 State Revolving Fund Loan Agreement, an environmentally-focused loan from the Department of Environmental Protection. However, Belhumeur said it might be necessary to increase the loan.
The improvement plan includes multiple phases. A key phase includes removing the drying beds for sludge and replacing them with a screw press: a machine that separates water and sludge by using screen filters and gravity.
“That actually can speed up that final (separating) process, which in turn increases the capacity of what your plant can process,” said Larry Newsom, city manager for Flagler Beach. “That’s what we have to do as a city, we have to make sure our structures are in good shape.”
Although Belhumeur isn’t sure how long the it will take to finish the entire project, he said it should cost around $8.5 million.
According to a document on the wastewater treatment plant’s improvement plan provided by the City of Flagler Beach, other elements of the project include things such as a master lift station, more advanced screening and filtration systems, a new four-stage BNR system and an expansion of treatment capacity.
The document focused heavily on the four-stage BNR, or biological nutrient removal, system. The process removes phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater before that water is discharged. The city is currently deciding between two different BNR systems to determine which one would best fit the wastewater treatment plant.
In the future, Newsom also said he hopes to transition from discharging the cleaned water in the Intracoastal Waterway to using it as reclaimed water, which would hydrate areas such as golf courses and neighborhoods.
“When you go to reclaimed water, it does take a lot of pressure off your aquifers,” Newsom said. “What doesn’t go to the drying beds has to be discharged somewhere. Long term, what we do expect is for everybody to have to do reclaimed water.”
Newsom said he’s not sure how far in the future the transition to reclaimed water would be. For now, he said he’s focusing on the immediate goal.
“The plant is in good shape, I’ve got very good staff out there, but this is just a part of the planning process,” Newsom said. “The main thing is, I want to get our plant running in what I call ‘optimal position.’”