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Council looks for solution for sludge
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: July 18, 2019

Talk at the Valley Center City Council meeting turned dirty July 16 as the city tries to figure out what it will do with the 30,000 gallons of sewer sludge residents create each week.

The council considered options ranging from $394,500 to $2.3 million and settled somewhere in between.

The city is in this spot because the City of Wichita plans to discontinue hauling the sludge to its wastewater facility, a long-standing practice that costs Valley Center 4 cents per gallon, by March 2020.

"We don't want to do it, but we don't have a choice," said council member Ben Anderson.

Although the city has a wastewater treatment plant, it does not include a dewatering system for the sludge that is produced. The city produces about 1.6 million gallons of liquid sludge per year.

PEC, the city's engineering firm, developed four options for the council to consider.

The first would be to buy a truck with a 3,000-gallon container and hire an additional employee to haul the sludge to Wichita's facility, which would require about five trips a week. Cost would be $394,500, including $190,000 for the sludge truck.

The second option would be to buy a truck with a 6,000-gallon container and hire an employee. Cost would be $546,100.

A third option would be to hire a private hauler at a cost of about $2.3 million.

A fourth option would be to install a dewatering system and haul the dry byproducts to the City of Wichita. Cost would be $2.1 million.

"Continuing to haul liquid sludge is perfectly fine," said Sara Unruh with PEC. "… You wouldn't have the equipment to repair and maintain. Hauling to Wichita is a good option to look at."

Rodney Eggleston, city public works director, suggested buying the larger truck, which would give the city the option to contract hauling services for the City of Sedgwick. Sedgwick found itself in the same boat as Valley Center because it uses Wichita to haul sludge.

The council leaned toward the second option of buying a larger truck.

Barry Smith, assistant city administrator, said the money to buy the truck would come from the sewer's budget reserve funds.

Smith said the city will develop a specific recommendation for the council to consider at a future meeting.

In other business July 16, the council:

•Learned that the Valley Center Ministerial Alliance is organizing the fourth annual Serve VC, which is set for 8 a.m. to noon Aug. 24. Community churches will go through Valley Center and work on various projects.

•Appointed council member Ron Colbert as delegate and City Clerk Kristi Carrithers and City Administrator Brent Clark as alternate delegates to the League of Kansas Municipalities.

•Discussed an increase in the fees that fireworks vendors pay for a city permit from $1 per square foot to $1.50 and extending the sale dates by three days. An ordinance will be considered at a future council meeting.

•Voted 4-4 with Mayor Laurie Dove breaking the tie to pay $517.97 to replace invisible dog fence equipment on Jarrod West's property at Meridian and Northwind Drive. The city damaged the fence while working on a ditch.

•Approved a request from Faith Church to use McLaughlin Park Aug. 4 for a church service and picnic.

•Learned that a well-replacement project is complete, and the city is pumping its full water rights and selling raw water to Wichita.

•Learned that Wichita State University had received 255 completed surveys as of July 16, about 10 percent of what was mailed out. The community surveys are due back by July 26.





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