Dirt particles, or sediment, that is removed from the water during flocculation and sedimentation processes settles in the base of the mixers and plate settlers. That content has to be washed out quarterly to avoid over build-up in that area.
Our operators work as a team and flush out the extra sediment regularly to provide for a more efficient water treatment process. Each quarter they drain and empty one of the 3-train tanks, then remove the tarp covering. They use high power hoses to flush out the thick sediment to be pushed to the sediment removal portion of the BDD facility. The operators gown-up and go down into the muddy “floc” and “sed” tanks to push the water from one end of the tank to the other. Other operators work from above hosing the sediment through drains.
After all the sediment is washed out of the tanks, the operators pull back the large tarps to cover the tanks to prevent additional debris, and wind blowing sand back into the processed water.