The stormwater retention basin at Oldham County Stone Quarry overflowed its banks and flooded two adjacent mine shafts secured by the Department of Defense for records and materials storage. A site survey estimated that approximately 18,000 cubic yards of aggregate sediments @ 40% dry weight solids had accumulated in the basin, decreasing its storage capacity by greater than 50%. The objective of this project was to dredge the stormwater retention basin to its bedrock bottom and simultaneously increase the stormwater retention basin’s berm height by seven feet, protecting Department of Defense storage shafts from future flooding events. Kentucky Dredge and WaterSolve were contracted by Rogers Group to dredge 18,000 cy of aggregate sediments from their stormwater retention basin and dewater the residuals in 1,100 linear feet of 45’ circumference Geotubes® located between the basin and storage shafts. Sediments were chemically conditioned (Solve 9350) in-line with WaterSolve’s WSLP-2400USF and initially dredged into four Geotubes® (45’ circ. x 100’ long) @ 850 gpm over three days.

WaterSolve, LLC was tasked to evaluate a light industrial facility's lagoon sludge (Elwood, IL) for a chemical conditioning program and potential use of Geotubes® for containment, dewatering, and either landfill disposal or land application of sludge cake as an alternative to their current residuals management strategy. WaterSolve completed installation of three 60’ circ. x 100’ long Geotube® containers, temporary piping, and polymer make-down & feed equipment in May 2006. Liquid residuals at 2.0 to 4.0% dry wt solids were chemically conditioned (300 ppm of Solve 9248) and pumped into the three Geotubes® over 60 d. The facility consolidated and dewatered 1.0 MG of residuals for approximately $0.04/gallon (without disposal costs) after this first year of operations. Geotube® dewatering applications were an economical and operational option for this industrial facility, providing a four season alternative to their current management strategy.

WaterSolve identified a dual polymer chemical conditioning program and subsequent application of Geotube® containers for containment and dewatering of construction and mining residuals during pipeline installation. Filtrate from the Geotube® treatment system met State discharge permit limits and allowed for continuous operations of all three drilling sites for the term of this project. In addition, Michels and Lunda were able to contain and dewater a full year of residuals production into one Geotube® container at each site and minimize excavation and hauling costs.

An alternative method for containment and dewatering was sought by the Ligonier, IN WWTP contract manager (EMC), that not only reduced the costs associated with biosolids processing but required less facility resources to operate. Biosolids from this facility were traditionally dewatered with six drying beds and a truck-mounted belt press was rented twice a year at an annual cost of $45,000.00 to dewater the remaining biosolids from a 275,000-gallon storage tank. WaterSolve completed installation of a Geotube® container, temporary piping, and polymer make-down & feed equipment in June 2005. Heavy sludge (275,000 gallons) at 5-6% solids was chemically conditioned (Solve 9248) and pumped into the Geotube® container over three days. As a result of WaterSolve and EMC’s resolve, the municipality will save nearly $25,000.00 after this first year of operations with the first Geotube® container and greater than $35,000.00 annually in subsequent years.

Approximately 1 MG of sludge (4-6% solids) was pumped, contained, and dewatered from the Cambridge WWTP using Miratech’s Geotube® Dewatering Technology and polymer (WaterSolve). Cake solids (20% solids) were excavated and transported to the local landfill after 45-d of drying, saving the city valuable time and money while pouring and storing biosolids simultaneously.

WaterSolve teamed up with a local contractor to perform a pump-out of an infiltration basin at Lake Michigan Water Filtration Plant that was clogged with 9,000 cy of alum sludge. Compared to previous dewatering operations, dewatering with eight 60’ x 100’ Geotube® Containers to > 50% solids reduced the cost of disposal by 60%.

Eight 30’ x 50’ Geotube® Containers and polymers are being used annually to contain and dewater 3 MG of municipal biosolids (1% solids) at the city of Eatonton, GA’s two 350,000 gpd wastewater treatment plants. The city chose Miratech’s Geotube® Dewatering Technology for rapid removal of solids because it offers high volume containment, effective filtration, extremely high quality effluent, 85% reduction of BOD in the effluent, no capital expenditure, no special equipment, and was easy to operate by existing staff.

As part of the normal water treatment process, the City of Escanaba used aluminum sulfate to sequester impurities in the raw water prior to disinfection and distribution throughout the City’s drinking water system. On a normal basis, this sequestered material would collect in the bottom of the filtration tank until the excess required removal. Infrastructure Alternatives and WaterSolve, LLC utilized 45’ circumference and 30’ circumference Geotube® Containers as part of a pilot study to determine the viability of the Geotube® Dewatering Technology as a dewatering process for the alum sludge. The pilot study was so successful that upon design for a plant upgrade project, Geotube® Containers were implemented into the permanent process for the water treatment plant.