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In this final segment of the 4-part new Richmond Wastewater Treatment Plant, we take a look at two cutting edge approaches to water treatment. In the past water needed to be chlorinated before it would be allowed to enter the Sauk River. To do this required an expensive combination of chemical processes that required the use of potentially dangerous chemicals. The new system uses ultraviolet tubes that disinfect the water as it passes by the lighted bulbs.
Another new approach in the treatment process incorporates the use of "reed beds" to deal with the heavy sludge that collects on the very bottom of the clarifiers. This sludge is now run through a tank called a digester and the final sludge liquid is spread across a bed of living reeds. These reeds end up feeding off the organics in the sludge and heavy metals remain in the bed. The beds will need to be cleaned once every 10 years. The residue that accumulates in the reed beds can be disposed of at any standard waste disposal landfill.
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