In 2020, a new automatic bar screen was installed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The scope of this project was to remove rags (paper products, baby wipes, etc….) and other debris that enters the waste stream. Rags and debris are a massive problem to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, (WWTP) by causing wear on the pumps, clogging piping, and downstream affecting processes. Excessive rag buildup caused failure of the mixers/aerators within the WWTP.
Prior to this upgrade, plant personnel manually removed rags that were captured on an industrial screen. They would then haul the debris by bucket up two flights of stairs. The automatic bar screen removes the rags/debris from the waste stream, washes them with clean water to remove any inert material, then compresses them to remove moisture. The clean compressed material is dropped automatically into dumpsters for removal. The automatic bar screen has a much higher capture rate, up to 85%, than manually removing material from the old screen.
In 2023, 21.3 tons of this material was removed from the WWTP. This has significantly reduced wear and tear on plant equipment and on plant operators who otherwise would have had to manually carry this up two flights of stairs.
