Sparta Public Works facing issues with sludge, specifically related to capacity.
Sparta Public Works Director Dillard Quick said the city has had nowhere to take the sludge since the landfill closed in 2022. Quick said the city is currently putting a band-aid on the issue by paying contractors to transport sewer sludge to Red Boiling Springs and water sludge from one basin to the next.
“We have two basins and one is completely full and the second one you know, we have about a year to where we’ll have to clean it out or send it somewhere because without being able to discharge the sludge we can’t make water,” Quick said.
Quick said the city is working with engineers on getting a sludge compactor that makes the sludge easier to transport. However, Quick said the landfill opening back up would be one of the best options.
“Hopefully, in the next you know, six months the landfill will open up,” Quick said. “You know, when we need to take our sludge down there hopefully, we can work out a deal with Waste Management to care of the issue.”
Quick said even if the city is able to strike a deal with Waste Management, dumping sludge in the landfill would still cost the city more money. The city previously had an agreement with the county when the county owned the landfill.
“They would take our sludge and we would take their leachate,” Quick said. “Now we are gonna be paying for our sludge to be taken care of or to be taken to the landfill.”
Quick said unfortunately sludge does not have many nutrients in it so it would not benefit farmers which makes it harder to get rid of.
