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Council approves rental of trailer‑mounted belt press to reduce outsourced sludge removal costs
Summary
City will rent a trailer-mounted belt press from Merrill Brothers for up to $389,750 to test in-house sludge dewatering at the wastewater treatment plant; staff said county will continue to accept disposal and that the change should reduce haul frequency and costs.
The council approved a resolution awarding a rental contract for a trailer‑mounted belt press for the Fairhope wastewater treatment plant to Merrill Brothers, with a not-to-exceed cost of $389,750 for an initial 10-month rental in FY26 plus an amount budgeted for FY27 to complete a 12-month trial.
Staff said the belt press will allow the city to dewater sludge in-house instead of contracting out sludge removal, with the county remaining the disposal location. The presenter said anticipated benefits include a drier product, fewer loads, and lower overall costs if in‑house processing proves effective. The city budgeted funds for both a rental trial and continued conventional removal if the trial is unsuccessful; staff said they chose rental over purchase to evaluate performance.
Council members asked about odor impacts; staff said the current headworks odor issues are being addressed in a separate construction project and that the belt press trial would not materially change long‑term odor once the headworks work is complete.
Council approved the contract as budgeted.
