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Managing wastewater sludge

Managing waste product produced from wastewater treatment.

Wastewater treatment plants using activated sludge processes produce a material known as waste activated sludge (WAS).

This is because wastewater treatment relies on the growth of a diverse variety of microorganisms used to break down elements throughout the process. A portion of the excess biomass is regularly removed from the process to ensure that as these microorganisms multiply and form a biological community, they’re kept in balance to maintain effective treatment.

Disposal of sludge

WAS is dewatered using centrifuges at our treatment plants, which spin extremely quickly and work to separate solids from liquids. This allows for water to be removed before the remaining sludge can then be disposed of.

This process helps to significantly reduce the volume of the sludge, making transportation and disposal more cost-effective.

Currently, sludge from our wastewater treatment plants is transported to and disposed of at the AB Lime landfill near Winton.

Monitoring

Recent sampling results for WAS from Shotover Wastewater Treatment Plant and Project Pure Wastewater Treatment Plant can be found below.