Albany utility board authorizes removal of sludge from anaerobic digester, awards disposal work

The Albany Utility Board voted Nov. 13 to authorize staff to enter a contract for the removal, hauling and disposal of material from an anaerobic digester at the city wastewater treatment plant.

Chair introduced the item and staff said the work involves removing an estimated 170,000 gallons of accumulated sludge and grit from a roughly 1,000,000‑gallon digester. Utility staff explained the process: a hydraulically lowered pump is used and a worker enters the tank to hose and remove settled material, an operation staff estimated would require about five days of onsite work.

Staff said the city has an existing relationship with the biosolids vendor that performs permitted disposal and that disposal work must follow regulatory permits. Board members raised technical questions about how frequently digesters must be cleaned (staff said about every 15 years for the unit in question) and about whether mobilization/demobilization fees were included in the $140,000 estimate.

According to staff, the $140,000 figure reflects removal charges (at $0.50 per gallon on the 170,000‑gallon estimate); a separate mobilization/demobilization line of about $55,000 was described in discussion as distinct from the removal estimate. The board moved to authorize staff to contract with the vendor that handles the removal and disposal; the motion was seconded and approved on a roll-call vote.

The board recorded no further conditions on the contract in the meeting minutes. Staff told the board the work is intended to return the digester to normal operation and that similar cleanings have been performed in the past by the same contractor.