Updates
August 2004 Update
No odor is detected away from plant.
Odor Identification and Control Study is complete.
July 13, 2004 Update
No odor is detected away from plant. Sludge is dewatered and taken to a composting site as it is generated. This process will continue in order to keep odor low.
A draft of the odor control study is being reviewed.
May 3, 2004 Update
No odor is detected away from plant in spite of temperature inversion and lack of wind. Sludge is dewatered and taken to a composting site as it is generated, keeping the amount at the plant low. This greatly reduces odor.
April 23, 2004 Update
No odor was detected away from the plant Thursday. Sludge inventory is at 500,000 gallons.
A consulting engineer is expected to begin the odor control study by the end of April. The completion target is late June 2004.
April 7, 2004 Update
Odor occasionally migrates from the plant, especially in early morning hours with no wind. Dewatering and trucking of sludge occurs as necessary to keep digester inventory low and odorless. Total volume is 650,000 gallons, which is less than what a small digester holds.
The Town continues seeking proposals for an odor abatement study. Several odor control experts interested in performing the study have visited the plant.
A follow-up letter summarizing odor control efforts so far has been sent to customers near the plant.
April 1, 2004 Update
Digester 3 is empty and clean. All sludge from this problematic digester has been moved from the plant. No odor was detected off site except for a very slight odor along Interstate 40.
Dewatering and trucking of sludge for disposal is occurring as necessary to keep digester inventory low and odor free. There are no plans to store sludge at the plant for application on farmland. The total volume of sludge at the plant is 595,000 gallons. The amount was 3.5 million gallons when reduction efforts began.
The Town has begun soliciting proposals from consultants for an odor abatement study that will be completed as soon as possible. Next week, utility customers near the plant will receive a follow-up letter summarizing what has been done to date and abatement efforts that continue.
March 30, 2004 Update
Odor was not detected at the plant Monday. Staff members are within days of transporting all Digester 3 sludge from the plant. They will determine the level of sludge that produces the least odor and maintain that level.
March 29, 2004 Update
Odor was slightly
noticeable along Interstate 40 at times. It was more of a problem Sunday
along Weston Parkway and near businesses because of wind direction.
Odor is directly related to digester cleaning, which is ahead of schedule
and should be completed by Wednesday. Cleaning would be finished even
sooner had repairs to the sludge press and conveyor not been needed
over the weekend.
March 25, 2004 Update
Dewatering and trucking away of sludge continues all day and night except Sunday. Sludge that meets federal regulations for land application has been removed. Total volume of sludge at the plant is 600,000 gallons, which is 750,000 gallons less than last Friday.
The plant staff is working around the clock, making every effort to finish cleaning out Digester 3 by next Wednesday. Digester 1 is empty and will be serviced after Digester 3.
March 24, 2004 Update
Land application of sludge will cease today since Digester 1 has been emptied. Total volume of sludge at plant is 700,000 gallons, which is 650,000 gallons less than last Friday.
Digester cleaning will be completed this week. As soon as possible, only one digester will be in service. Sludge will be processed and removed as soon as it is produced, with storage of what is necessary for sludge press operation.
Town staff is preparing to seek proposals for an odor abatement study as quickly as possible. The results will include recommendations for any capital improvements.
March 23, 2004 Update
Digester 3 is empty. Digester cleaning will be completed this week. Odor may increase during cleaning, but will improve dramatically afterward. There will be only one digester in service, and the plant staff will process and remove sludge as it is produced.
Dewatering of sludge continues around the clock six days a week. Land application of sludge resumed Monday.
The volume of sludge at the plant is 1 million gallons, which is down 350,000 gallons from last Friday. The amount of sludge was 3.5 million gallons when reduction efforts began.
March 18, 2004 Update
Odor from Digester 3 continues to be a nuisance. Town staff are working hard to empty the digester and remove it from service.
Farmland may dry sufficiently to allow land application to resume next Monday if not much rain falls in the meantime.
Total volume of sludge at the plant is 1,350,000 gallons, which is down 50,000 gallons from Wednesday. Town staff continues moving sludge from digester to digester for maximum aerobic conditions.
March 17, 2004 Update
Digester 3 continues to cause odor problems as the plant staff works hard to empty the tank. The timetable for cleaning out Digester 3 has been delayed by a week because of two snows and 1.9 inches of rain.
Dewatering of sludge is going well and will continue around-the-clock except for Sunday. Land application of sludge is on hold until fields dry out.
The volume of sludge is down by 100,000 gallons from Monday to a total of 1,400,000.
March 15, 2004 Update
Digester 3 continues to be
a nuisance. As Town staff work hard to empty the
digester, odor may worsen temporarily as the level of sludge drops below
the aeration zone.
Land application continued
at a face pace through Saturday with the removal
about 552,000 gallons. No hauling is allowed on Sundays. The rain has
forced suspension of land application until farmland dries sufficiently.
Dewatering of sludge will continue around the clock at the plant through
Saturday.
The volume of excess sludge
has been reduced to 1.5 million gallons from a
high of about 3.5 million gallons. (The plant produces about 200,000
gallons of sludge each day.)
Odor control sprays
at the plant use combinations of orange, pine and clove
oils; oil of cinnamon; acetic acid (vitamin C); and nonyl phenol
ethoxylate. According to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), no protective
equipment is required for plant workers who have intermittent contact
with
the sprays directly. Therefore, there is no danger to the public.
March 12, 2004 Update
Odor is improved today, mostly because of dispersing winds. Digester 3 continues to be a problem.
Contractors removed 200,000 gallons of sludge Thursday and were planning to haul the same amount to farmland on Friday and on Saturday. No hauling is allowed Sundays. The Town has arranged to increase the pace of dewatering and land application next week by disposing of sludge at a landfill in addition to a composting site.
The total volume of sludge has been reduced to 1.9 million gallons from a high of about 3.5 million gallons. Digester 2 is almost empty. Digester 3 may be emptied on schedule if the weather holds and farmland remains available.
March 10, 2004 Update
Odor is very noticeable this morning in the immediate area of the plant, including commercial and residential areas. Digester 3 is the source. Every effort is being made to remove solids from it so that pipe repair can occur. The digester is approximately half empty.
Contractors will be at the plant today, removing liquids from Digester 1 and Digester 2 for application to farmland during daylight.Dewatering continues at the plant around the clock. More hauling to the composting site is occurring since capacity there has increased.
March 8, 2004 Update
Forty-five percent of contents have been removed from Digester 3, the one with the broken pipe. Odor around the plant is not a problem today.
Hauling for land application will not occur before digester sludge meets federal regulations for disposal. Contents from Digester 3 are being processed through mechanical pressing and composting at a remote site.
March 4, 2004
Haulers of liquid sludge
removed 250,000 gallons from Digester 2 on
Wednesday for application to farmland. Similar progress is anticipated
today and Friday.
Twenty-five percent of contents
have been removed from Digester 3. Digester
2 should be empty by the end of the week.
Odor was limited
to the plant site this morning except for a slight odor on
Interstate 40.
March 3, 2004 Update
Haulers of liquid sludge
have found dry farmland on which to apply it and
are at the plant today removing liquids. Crews are now addressing the
odor
problem with two sludge presses and land application of liquids. If
the
great weather continues, crews should be able to dramatically reduce
the
sludge backlog.
Twenty percent of contents
have been removed from Digester 3, the broken
one. Pipe repairs can begin when the digester is empty. Dewatering is
proceeding well.
Little or no odor
was detected Tuesday in areas surrounding the plant
except for some odor on Interstate 40.
March 1, 2004
Ten percent of contents have
been removed from the broken digester
(Digester 3). Pipe repairs can start when the digester is empty. Freezing
weather halted full-time sludge dewatering over the weekend. Land
application of sludge can resume when farmland dries out.
One odor complaint was received over the weekend.
Feb. 26, 2004
Odor has not diminished in Digester 3, the one with
the broken pipe. How
noticeable the odor is near the plant depends on wind and other weather
conditions that day.
Digester 3 cannot
be emptied through land application because it does not
meet federal sludge disposal regulations. Therefore, the slow process
of
emptying the largest and most offensive digester must occur through
pressing water from the sludge and composting, at least for now.
Feb. 25, 2004
Sludge haulers have been
hauling liquid from the plant to land application
sites during daylight hours since Monday morning. This will continue
until
precipitation forces hauling to be suspended.
The second sludge press goes
into service today. Two sludge presses will
run constantly except during maintenance.
Digester 2 will be empty by day's end.
Feb. 23, 2004
Strong westerly winds prevented odor buildup over the weekend. No complaints were received by the plant manager or operator.
The first belt press operated over the weekend. The backlog of solids was reduced. The second belt press is scheduled to arrive Tuesday. Haulers of sludge liquid are on site today to remove liquids from the plant until precipitation arrives later in the week.
Letters have been sent to all customers in the area surrounding the plant about the odor problem and what is being done about it.
Contact
For more information or to provide feedback, please contact:
Robert (Rob) Bonne
Utilities director
Public Works and Utilities Department
Town of Cary
PO Box 8005
Cary, NC 27512
919 469-4303
919 469-4304 (fax)
rob.bonne@townofcary.org