John Scarffe, Nederland.  The Nederland Board of Trustees heard the results of a Biosolids Feasibility Study for the Nederland Wastewater Treatment Facility during the regular meeting on Tuesday, July 7. Mark Van Nostrand, project engineer with the Town contracted engineers JVA Inc., presented an overview of the Biosolids Feasibility Study to the Board and public.

The Study was prepared to assist the Town of Nederland in selecting a long-term treatment and handling approach for the solids processed at the Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF).

The new Town of Nederland WWTF was commissioned in September 2013. The solids produced consist only of waste activated sludge.

Currently, the cost to contract haul and properly dispose of solids off-site is very expensive due to the trucking distance required through Boulder Canyon to land application sites. The low concentration of solids in the pond also requires contract dewatering to reduce the number of truck trips.

Currently, waste activated sludge is returned to the Integrated Surge Anoxic Tank (ISAM), where it combines with mechanically screened influent. Solids are pumped at varying intervals from the ISAM to an on-site solids holding pond.

Solids from the pond are contract dewatered and hauled as needed, though hauling has not been required since the commissioning of the new facility. The solids holding pond produces odors periodically, especially during the summer months and during contract dewatering.

The Town received a letter on February 23, 2015, with odor warnings from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) with a penalty of up to $15,000 a day if odors are not mitigated. The purpose of the biosolids study was to evaluate an economically and environmentally sustainable solution for long-term solids handling and processing.

The primary goals of the Town are to reduce odors, reduce operation costs, and improve sustainability. The solids process and handling facilities could be constructed in three phases, depending on the availability of project funding.

The first phase to produce Class B biosolids involves constructing an aerobic digester.  This phase includes a concrete tank, aeration grid system, blowers, and decant capability with all related controls.

Phase Two will provide mechanical or biological dewatering capability in order to reduce hauling frequency and associated disposal costs. The third phase will include a stage to meet time, temperature, and vector attraction reduction requirements to produce Class A Biosolids.

The Town must complete Phase One before progressing towards Phase Two. Phase Two must be completed before implementing Phase Three.

Each project is viable as a standalone project.  Each Phase meets some or all of the goals of the Town.

The Board approved the task order to conduct the study on October 21, 2014, for work in 2015. The study was included in the 2015 Capital Improvement Program as part of the 2015 Budget approved by the Board on December 9, 2014.

The biosolids study and project were included in the Master Infrastructure Plan as a near-term capital project. The biosolids project was identified and planned as part of Phase II of the Wastewater Treatment Facility project, which also includes the future installation of solar-based power facilities.

Presenter Van Nostrand told the Board that the State is poking around to see if the pond meets state requirements. The estimated cost would be $800,000 for basically a small concrete basin with a concrete lid.

Van Nostrand said the Town currently is hauling 95 percent water. The lagoon can be used to settle out the solids and get a thicker sludge. Right now the lagoon is operating as a digester.

“Now the state is telling us to see if it leaks,” Van Nostrand said. “We need to get rid of the pond and go with a digester.”

The next stage is dewatering or reed beds. The Town then can move into composting and make the compost available to residents and landscapers so it doesn’t leave the community. The sludge goes into a feedlot-type mixture with a bulking agent, one option of which is a slash pile. Mix the dewatered sludge with the bulking agent, stack it and aereate it.

It’s more economical to give it away, and people find it’s very valuable with a big public education and planning process. He thought the Colorado Department of Local Affairs would fund a grant for the project with a 50 percent match from the Town.

Mayor Joe Gierlach said the recommendation was to get to the reed bed as soon as possible. The presenter said the reed bed moves you closer to the compost.

The Board agreed to move ahead with the plan as presented. The next meeting of the Nederland Board of Trustees will be on Tuesday, July 21, at 7 p.m. at the Nederland Community Center.