Sediment Management

Food Processing Facility, Rochester, New York

O’Brien & Gere was contacted to evaluate an existing lagoon’s storage capacity, and to construct a separation berm to control sediment and enhance the process water treatment system. Prior to constructing the berm and modifying the process water piping, O’Brien & Gere had to remove nearly 2,600 yd3 of process sludge and sediment. The waste sediment is a byproduct of the food preparation process and is a non-hazardous, biodegradable sludge, which was spread on the property. Upon completion of the sludge removal, O’Brien & Gere constructed a 12 ft high by 180 ft long separation berm and overflow structure using spoils from an on-site building expansion program. The utilization of on-site material saved the client considerable costs as compared to importing off-site borrow materials. O’Brien & Gere also installed 12-inch process water piping and valving to reconfigure the distribution system to allow for lagoon level control.