The reactor basin at Eden’s wastewater treatment plant is 14 feet deep. Brush aerators ran constantly to try and mix it all, but they could only mix and aerate the top half. The results were a high, wasteful level of dissolved oxygen at the top of the basin, and a mass of sludge at the bottom that wasn’t impacted by the treatment process. Superintendent Melinda Ward sought a “green” solution for these problems, and she found exactly what she needed in SolarBee® mixers.

In 2009 Ms. Ward installed Eden’s first SolarBee SB10000 unit, and big improvements were immediate. “We could actually see the solids moving,” she said. “It’s amazing how the SolarBee brings them to the top of the basin!” The SolarBee provided improved mixing of the entire basin for better oxygen utilization, and the ability to maintain high suspended solids throughout the basin while reducing the aeration run time to the minimum needed for a healthy DO. An unexpected but welcome benefit was better sludge settling at the clarifier, leading to reduced effluent BOD and TSS.

Superintendent Ward was so impressed, she ordered two more SolarBees to achieve even better results and more energy savings. These solar-powered units work 24/7 virtually for free. And now, because the costly aerators are operated less, the facility’s electric bill has been cut nearly in half!