Sha’ar Ha’amakim wastewater treatment plant based on semi-extensive technology requires highly basic operation including, as part of its operational activity, removal of the sludge from the sedimentation ponds. At the Shaar Haamakim wastewater treatment plant, after many years of operation without being emptied, the ponds became almost completely blocked. Lab results showing that the treatment process was not taking place as expected and the effluent quality was not meeting the regulatory requirements. It was necessary to remove the sludge from the ponds, preserving the pond walls, piping systems, pond coating etc. It was also necessary to treat the sludge in order to meet the regulatory standards. The initial reason for performing the work was the implementation of a completely new reclamation system for the kibutz due to the planned route of Highway 6.
Work details
- Dismantling the pipeline, sheeting and fences.
- Pumping the water into an adjacent pond.
- Removing the sludge to a drying pond using a backhoe.
- Loading the sludge onto trucks and transporting it to a compost site that treats and recycles the sludge for different uses.
A total of 500,000 thousand tons of sludge was removed from the sedimentation pond, including drying and pumping the water.
