The Village of Saugerties sewer plant has been in the process of clearing sludge from one of its digesters, and the plant compliance record over the past few months has been good over the past three months, “which illustrates the importance of getting that sludge out of there,” plant operator Joe Myers told the Village Board. He explained that the plant has had some issues with equipment over the past few months, especially with the belt press, which squeezes the water from the solids in the final step. “We have had some downtime with that device, but we have made up some time, also.”
Given the scope of the work and the mechanical problems, the plant will probably run over-budget this year, Myers warned. “I’ll give you guys a heads-up as we come into the budget season, but I think we will be a little high.” The plant has had no compliance issues for the past three months, he added, “and I attribute that to letting the digester do its job by removing the sludge.”
Odor has been a continuing problem, eliciting complaints from neighbors. “We had a meeting on January 10 with Don [trustee Donald Hackett]; Mike Hopf [plant manager], Dennis Larios [engineer] was there, Mike Karashay [special projects] was there, and we discussed some compliance issues that we’ve had in the past 12 months, and also: How can we move forward with this upgrade?”
On the odor complaints, Myers said he has been at the plant since February of last year and did not experience any complaints until March. “They’ve been hot and heavy ever since. Typically people think that odor means the system isn’t working, but it has actually been doing pretty well – these past three months specifically.”
Since the lid has been taken off the secondary digester, “We have a machine that stabilizes solids down to a point where it makes a pretty nice end product. But we’ve had an issue with processing. I’m not just talking about the last 12 months; it has been going on for the past ten years at least, so we have quite a mass.” With the lid off, the mass inside can be broken up with a high-pressure hose and removed, Myers said. Removal of the lid has also allowed the plant operators to determine the condition of the various pumps inside the digester.
More modern plants use a different process for treating the waste that reduces the potential for the release of sulfide gases, which in turn reduces the odors from the plant. Describing the secondary digester, Myers called it a “Lamborghini among composters,” but it does have mechanical problems now. It reduces sludge to a material that could be used as compost if a buyer, or even a user who would take it for free, could be found, he said.
Trustee Vincent Buono asked about the potential upgrades the Village will have to do to the plant to meet new permit requirements, which the state is now in the process of formulating. “That will direct us on how we should redo this plant, is that right?” he asked. Myers agreed, but noted, “We do have some hope they won’t require a significant change.”
Join the family! 
