As sludge is moved, stench rises temporarily in Cambria
A periodic stench that’s been wafting through the northern areas of Cambria, including parts of the West Village business district, can be attributed to work at the services district’s wastewater treatment plant, according to district sources.
It’s all because the Cambria Community Services District is finally moving more than 400 tons of accumulated biosolids, otherwise known as sewage sludge.
For those lucky folks who don’t know what this kind of sludge is, Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines it as “thick, soft, wet mud; a soft, thick material that is produced in various industrial processes (such as in the treatment of sewage).”
The dictionary doesn’t mention the smell.
John Allchin, wastewater systems supervisor, said Nov. 15 that the district is having the sludge hauled away.
“When the loader takes a scoop out of the sludge, it airs out the sludge on the bottom. This allows for some odor to escape the plant.
“I plan to have this completed and all of the sludge on the ground removed by the end of the week.”
Allchin said in the Nov. 15 email interview that this has been a long procedure. “I started processing sludge the week I started (in April). After this sludge is removed, we will no longer store sludge on site. The sludge will be held in trailers and removed from the site when the trailer is filled.”
Jerry Gruber, district general manager, explained further Nov. 10 that although the work “has resulted in an increase in odor,” the long-term benefits of operating the plant as designed “will result in improved plant operations and efficiency and reduced odor into the future.”
He said that, during his manager’s report at the district Board of Directors’ meeting that starts at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, he plans to share some photos of the work on the sludge digester units.
Allchin isn’t the only one whose work focused on the sludge and the digesters. Gruber said, “Upon my arrival as general manager, the digesters had grass growing completely across both … units and a scum blanket across the top that could have supported the weight of a Mack truck. We have been gradually emptying, cleaning and finally operating the digesters in a manner that represents operational and biological efficiency.”
He sent a message to district constituents: “I am so sorry for the odor coming from the plant and can assure you that it is short term.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 10:33 AM with the headline "As sludge is moved, stench rises temporarily in Cambria."