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Solids-Management-Plan_2

The Solids Management Plan project addresses a reality that more and more municipalities are facing with their water treatment residuals and biosolids. Landfill disposal costs are increasing significantly while the availability of open areas for land application is decreasing. This is especially true in western North Carolina, where steep slopes and mountains make open land scarce. For the City of Hendersonville, landfills began rejecting water treatment residuals and biosolids due to concerns over excess leachate production and slope stability due to the water content of the solids. The City hired McKim & Creed to develop a solids management solution that would: • limit capital, operation, and maintenance costs • produce Class A biosolids • provide a broader range of disposal options • provide avenues for beneficial reuse of processed solids, and • limit electrical and natural gas usage. After exhaustive research, evaluation and analysis of various alternatives, McKim & Creed recommended that the City implement a combination of thermal drying and third-party residuals management. This recommendation aligns with the City’s goals and: • provides the lowest total net present value of all alternatives evaluated, • separates biosolids and residuals to maximize nutrient content and marketability of the thermally dried biosolids product, • provides beneficial reuse of residuals at significantly reduced capital cost, • reduces operating and permitting burdens at the water treatment facility, and • can be expedited quickly due to low capital cost associated with contracted dewatering, hauling and disposal/land application of water treatment plant residuals. Hendersonville Water and Sewer provides water service to over 31,000 homes and businesses in Hendersonville and Henderson County as well as sewer service to over 10,000 homes and businesses. Over 72,000 people are being served with water and over 21,000 people receive sewer service. The Hendersonville Solids Management Plan won a 2022 Grand Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina (ACEC/NC).