Grand Marais Public Utilities Commission (PUC) members received a 2017 report about the wastewater treatment plant from Tom Nelson, water/wastewater superintendent, at the board’s Tuesday, Dec. 6 meeting.
In 2017 Nelson began a bioaugmentation program which uses microorganisms, a unique blend of bacteria that consumes soluble organic matter in wastewater and converts it into carbon dioxide, water, and energy to produce new cells.
“The main objective of the bug experiment was increased settle ability in the aerated digester tanks so we could implement a decanting program,” Nelson said. “The end goal was to save money on bio solids disposal costs, which have been increasing substantially mostly due to the increase in fees that Western Lake Superior Sanitary District charges for accepting the bio solids.”
This year the city saved about $25,000 through the new program, Nelson said. “I considered the experiment successful, even with the fact that there were some odor issues related to decanting. I’m positive we can achieve even better results and cost saving as we learn to adjust the process.”
Leave a Reply