Water Treatment Questions

Tracking and Trucking the Mud
How much mud and sediment could be expected from proposed water treatment plant?

Large volumes of sediment are present in the Englishman River water particularly during high flow events. These sediments composed of clay, silt, algae, decomposed fish and other non soluble contaminants have to be removed from the water during the treatment process.

Sludge  particles settle to the bottom of a sedimentation basin, a layer of sludge is formed on the floor of the tank which must be removed and treated. The amount of sludge generated can be significant, up to 3 to 5 percent of the total volume of water to be treated. The cost of treating and disposing of the sludge can impact the operating cost of a water treatment plant.

At a recent meeting, the presenter mentioned a situation on Vancouver Island where Cowichan River water that is cleaned for industrial uses, generated about 300 truckloads of sludge per year.

Clay Bank Upstream
The reason the sludge question is very important is partly because of the eroding Clay Banks upstream of the new proposed intake.  
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Sludge Truckin

The interesting questions are:
 
  • How much sludge is anticipated from the treatment plant?
  • How / where will the sludge be processed and disposed of?
  • Is the sludge considered a toxic substance?
  • How much will the sludge situation cost the taxpayers?
  • How long will the membrane filters last?
Aquifer storage questions

The proposed new system with the ASR storage will require water to be pumped several times before distribution. How many times the water will be pumped and will the water require a secondary treatment after pumping from the ASR wells?