The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-24
new PROCESS
TO CUT CITY
sewage COST
Sanitary Board Plans to
Finish Dehydration Plant,
Idle Four Years.
WILL MAKE FERTILIZER
Milwaukee Experiments De.
velop Way to Turn Out
Profitable Product.

Announcement by the city of Mil
Waukee, Wis, that it has perfected
the process for dehydration of sew
age today resulted in declaration by
O. G. Ross, president of the In
dianapolis sanitary board, that steps
will be taken soon to put to prof
liable use the $205, 900 worth of de-
hydration equipment at the sewage
disposal plant here. This equipment
has lain unfinished and useless fol
four years.
Municipal sewage disposal plants
the world over still are in the ex-
perimental stage. Many features OF
the Indianapolis sewage plant have
been copied in America and foreign
lands, but the sanitary board here
struck a stumbling block in the de-
hydration plant.
Process in Fertilizer Making
After the $205,000 worth OF build
ing and machinery had been in
stalled the board decided not to at
tempt to operate it because it did
not believe the system would work,
Dehydration is the final process in
turning sewage solids into salable,
dry fertilizer, and is the step which
the board eventually hopes viii
make the plant pay its own way.
AS the situation has stood for fou1
years, the city has spent about
S2,500,000 and the plant merely
separates the solids and turns the
liquid back into White river, purl-
fed. The solids are carted to an
odiferous dump in the lower end OF
Sellers farm (city garbage and sew
age disposal site.)
The sanitary board has sought an
appropriation Of $4,000 with which
to experiment and complete the de-
hydration plant for four years, be-
ing turned down each year. Mean
while Milwaukee has gone ahead
and now appears to have solved the
problem.
Operating Costs Cut
Operating costs of the Milwaukee
plant will have been cut to virtually
nothing at the end Of this year
through sale of "Milorganite," the
fertilizer made from refuse, accord
ing to Ross. Revenue from the sale
of the fertilizr will total between
S600,000 and 100000 this year, Ross
learned in a, recent conference with
Robert Kramer, chief Milwaukee en-
gineer.
Kramer offered the indianapolis
engineers cooperation OF the Mil
waukee engineers and agreed to
supply complete data on the process
in return for experimental infor1na-
ton here.
Revenue from the Milwaukee fer
tilizer is expected to reduce if not
eliminate the operating deficit by
January.
1--WE have been like a man with
a new suit with no buttons or but
ton holes. We've got it, but can't
wear it, Ross said,
We'll ask for money in the 1880
budget. The request for an ap-
preparation was cut out last year
by Mayor Slack. The Chamber Of
Commerce opposed further expen-
diture last year until other expert
ments had been made. but I under
stand they will favor it this year"
Bond Issue Considered
Cecil Calvert, chief chemist, has
done some experimentation. but no
funds are available for Nextensive
study. Chicago and Milwaukee
spend more annually for research
work than the local sanitary district
does for the entire plant, Ross
pointed out.
The $4,000, which is needed to
finish the dehydration plant, may
be included in proposed bond is
sue which is contemplated for All
addition TO the sewage plant in
event the Broad Ripple sewage is
pumped to the main disposal plant
southwest of the city, Ross an
nounced.
Charles H. HUrd. consulting
engineer. who designed the dehy-
dration plant, would have super
vision of the addition under a con-
tract with the board. Ross declared