The new wastewater treatment facility is complete, but there are a few glitches that need to be ironed out that are causing some offensive odors for the neighbors.
The facility is a multi-stage activated biological process, or MSABP, an innovative process for treatment of municipal wastewater based on spatial microorganism succession and trophic hydrobiont chains...The process continuously receives raw wastewater which has been finely screened and degritted....and is then fed to the bioreactor, according to the Aquarius Technologies website.Aquarius Technologies is the company that designed the process.
In this process, there is a large tank that accumulates the solid waste material and, according to Tom Yennerell, Mancos town administrator, the tank is too big for the amount of solid waste that comes through it.
It was designed for about 200,000 gallons; we only have about 80,000 gallons, he said. So the waste has been collecting, and staying, in the corners of the tank.
Once they figured out what the problem was, the designers and the construction company are reducing the size of the tank by putting a slanted bottom in it. That way, the solid waste material wont accumulate in the corners of the tank, causing the odor.
It is common for there to be some odor, but not that much, Yennerell said.
They found the problem back in July, but its taken until now to figure out how to remedy it, get the part in and then install it.
The work should be done on the tank by the end of the day Monday, Sept. 17.
Its a process to get something done like this, said Yennerell.
Yennerell and the public works crew welcome any comments or complaints about the new facility, in order for them to be able to correct any problems.