New process would save hauling, create fertilizer

Peachtree City’s Water and Sewerage Authority is looking for a different, and cheaper, way to handle sludge disposal.

Sludge, the solid remains leftover after the water treatment process, is currently trucked from Peachtree City to a site in Plains where it is disposed of. The cost is $48.50 a ton, paid to a private company that handles the hauling and disposal.

But WASA is investigating a process that would allow the sludge to be dried on site in a rotary kiln with the byproduct a sellable fertilizer, said WASA General Manager Larry Turner. The kiln would be owned and operated by a contractor and not by WASA, though it would be located on WASA property.

The potential savings per ton is $8, Turner said.

Turner briefed WASA on the proposal at Monday’s regular board meeting.

In other business, the board voted to give Turner a one-time bonus of $11,000. Turner said he was not privy to the board’s reasoning as he did not attend the executive (closed) session in which they discussed the matter.

Turner plans to retire at the end of the year and the authority will soon be advertising for a replacement in the hopes that person can be on board for budget time and get to “learn the ropes” before Turner leaves Dec. 31. The authority’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.