Mena Water Implements New Geotube System at Sewer Plant

Mena Water Utilities was able to put their new geotube system to the test last week when they used the system to pump sludge from the ponds at the Mena Sewer Plant. This is the first time for the utility to use the system and Manager, Charles Pitman said all went as planned.

The reason for the new system is that the sewer plant is 43 years old and it takes extra chemicals to treat the sewage properly, costing the city more money. The geotube system will not only be economically sound for the city, it will also keep added traffic off of the road to the sewer plant. Pitman said that the last time sludge was removed from the sewer pond, it took 3,300 18-wheeler loads, costing $1.3 million dollars plus an extra $200,000 that was paid to the County for the repair of the road that those 18-wheelers traveled. With the new system, the sewage is pumped into geotubes and dried before being hauled away and used for fertilizer, a process that will only require a dump truck. Pitman explained that the sewer pond could now be cleaned once or twice a year instead of once every 10-20 years.

Pictured are the one of the new geotubes that will store the sludge until it dries and the pumper used to fill the tubes from the sewage ponds.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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