Bethany Beach, DE

Engineer: Stearns & Wheeler Permitted Plant Flow: 9 MGD Installation Date: December 2004

The South Coastal Regional Wastewater Plant serves Bethany Beach, Delaware and surrounding communities The facility is a 9.0 MGD activated sludge process that generates approximately 900 dry tons of biosolids prior to lime addition yearly. The Facility was the recipient of the US EPA’s Operation and Maintenance Excellence Award in 1999.

Prior to installation of the belt filter press and pasteurization equipment, the operators land applied 5 million gallons of Class B biosolids annually. Even though the facility has 3 sludge storage lagoons with a combined capacity of 1.9 million gallons, the staff had a limited time frame for liquid land application due to farming operations and weather conditions. The lime pasteurized product now called “South Coastal Blend” is returned to the earth in cooperation with about 16-18 farming operations. The product is used for soy beans, wheat and corn. The product can be stored at the facility or in the farmer’s field until ready for use.

Existing garage converted to a BFP and Pasteurization System Building. The product storage building to the left, was part of the new construction project. It provides about 3 months of product storage.

Two Ashbrook 2.0 meter BFP’s produce 18-21% cake solids prior to being conveyed to the Pasteurization system.

Serpentix conveyor elevates the dewatered cake from the Belt Filter Presses to the inlet point of the ThermoBlender™.

The quicklime addition screw conveyor work together to elevate the dewatered cake temperature to 158 degrees F and a pH of 12.0. Then the product is discharged into the Pasteurization Vessel.

ThermoBlender™ discharges into the Pasteurization Vessel™ which maintains a product temperature of at least 158 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Pasteurization System Control panel with HMI touch screen.

The operators log all product temperature displays once every hour of operation. This insures compliance with EPA requirements to maintain 158 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Winter wheat is ready to be harvested typically in first two weeks of July. This field has received two applications Sussex’s “Coastal Blend”. Application of the product results in the proper soil pH insuring the nutrient availability for the crops.

When we first stated producing “South Coastal Blend” we thought farmers would come and get our product. Well we had one come and he had some issues with getting our product out of his “farm style” dump truck plus he simply did not have the time to come and pick it up. So we had two 5 cubic yard dump trucks at that time and we used them to deliver “South Coastal Blend” to all our farmer customers. Two years ago we purchased a 20 cubic yard dump truck with a plastic bed liner and vibrators to increase our delivery efficiency. We now use this truck exclusively for “South Coastal Blend”. Our State allows farmers to store our product at their farm so we are no longer hampered by crop rotation issues.

According to District Manager, Loran George, “the EnVessel Pasteurization System has simplified our biosolids operation. We do not have storage issues anymore, in fact we have more farmers that want “South Coastal Blend” than we can produce. We simply deliver the product to the farmer who then applies our “South Coastal Blend” to his fields.”

Left Loran George, District Manager and right Paul Hignutt -Operator Level II