Case Study for the Remediation of an Industrial and Municipal Lagoon

City of Decatur Arkansas EQ lagoon. Formerly used for 35+ years as the anaerobic poultry sludge and grease lagoon as well as the receptacle for the local septic waste. The 4-acre lagoon was the subject of odor complaints and was filled with degrading poultry grease and septic sludge. The grease islands were approximately 18 inches thick and floated. The sludge was approximately 10 -12 feet deep. Faced with the prospect of dredging and hauling off the sludge which would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and constant odor complaints from the public the city contracted with Alden Group Environmental Services to design and implement a remediation plan.

After reviewing the historical influent constituents, performing a sludge bioaugmentation bench testing and calculating the volume of the lagoon a proposal was submitted to do the following:

1. Pre-treat the lagoon with SewperRx polymicrobial blend
   1. a. Liquid SewperRx was injected into the sludge below the surface
   2. b. Liquid SewperRx was Sprayed topically on the “grease burgs” or islands
2. Install (5) Lagoon Masters to maximize proper aeration, vertical mixing, and sludge circulation.
3. Re-treat with SewperRx every 6 months or as needed.

The day of the installation of (5) Reliant Water Technologies’ LAGOON MASTERS.

Note: The photo above shows that the water is black and has consistent grease sheen. Prior to installation of the Reliant Water Technologies’ Lagoon Masters a public notice was given via newspaper and social media notifying the public that the work that Alden Group Environmental Services was performing could release a temporary increase in odor and that it should subside in a few days. In fact, after installation, the mixing released strong odor for a day and a half and then reduced by 50%. After 3 days the odor was completely gone. For approximately two weeks the Lagoon Masters continued to pop up or lift sludge from the bottom and mix it with the water column. The SewperRx thrived, finding food and nutrients readily available in the lagoon’s water column that was now rich with oxygen.

This photo was taken 5 days after Alden Group Environmental Services installed the (5) Lagoon Masters. The odor is eliminated, and the color of the water has turned from black to brown, the indication of an aerobic ecosystem. The grease burgs are broken up and being consumed by the bacteria (SewperRx).

Installed 5 Stainless Steel Lagoon Masters and SewperRx Microbial Blend With the installation of the Lagoon Masters and introduction of SewperRx Microbes this lagoon has transformed into working EQ lagoon. After 8 months in operation Alden Group Environmental Services conducted a sludge survey with the City.
Results:

1. All major flotilla, including vegetation, grease, and sludge are gone. Two aerators had small debris flotilla, mostly consisting of plastic, fibrous wipes, rubber, and latex which were removed.
2. Subsurface sludge levels have been reduced significantly and we were only picking up a 12-18 inches of sludge in the corners.
3. The water column in the Sludge Judge sampler tube was clear when sampling with light fluffy sludge at the bottom, indicative of activated sludge.

Investing in the Lagoon Masters and SewperRx Microbes proved to be money well spent.

The Lagoon Masters are constructed with either stainless steel or coated aluminum frames, depending on the amount of industrial influence, and are built for decades of service life. They are powered by (2) two horsepower regenerative blowers and produce over 15 pounds of dissolved oxygen per hour. Alden Group Environmental Services selected the Lagoon Masters because of there energy efficiency. On average Alden Group Environmental Services saves their clients 83% of energy consumption by replacing or installing Lagoon Masters over vortex or paddle aerators. Furthermore, the Lagoon Masters don’t require maintenance, other than changing the stainless-steel air filters, since there are no moving parts.