$1M equipment upgrade at Erving wastewater plant would reduce hauling costs

Welcome signs along Route 2 in Erving Center. STAFF FILE PHOTO
Published: 07-16-2025 10:58 AM |
ERVING — Erving Industries Inc., which operates the Erving Center Wastewater Treatment Plant on Route 2, hopes to install new flash drying equipment to reduce sludge hauling costs.
The proposal to install an IEC Thermo-brand attrition flash dryer was detailed to the Selectboard last week, with Erving Industries CEO and President Morris Housen and Plant Engineer Tawandah Musengi discussing the equipment and a timeline for completion. The town contracts Erving Industries to run the town-owned facility, located 500 yards west of the paper mill at 97 East Main St.
The attrition flash dryer would be able to take the sludge from municipal wastewater and reduce its moisture content from 55% to less than 10%. This would reduce annual tonnage of 35,000 pounds by 50%, thereby cutting hauling costs. Housen said this would also reduce the number of trucks passing through town to haul the sludge away.
The equipment and installation is estimated to cost $1 million, with no impact to the town or residents.
“We pay about $198 for 1 ton of hauling,” Housen said, with Ethan Covelli, who runs the treatment plant, confirming there are about five truckloads per day, with around 32 tons contained in a single truck.
Thus far, the company has made trips to test attrition flash dryers in Connecticut and Indiana. Eighteen tons of Erving sludge was treated with the Indiana attrition flash dryer located on a turkey manure processing plant in November 2024.
“We witnessed the test, and our sludge was dried from 42% thereabouts to 88% to 92% in dry solids by weight,” Musengi explained.
The product from the attrition flash dryer comes out as a fluffy material that Covelli said is like “blown insulation.” The final product would be compressed and able to fit into trucks that would only visit the plant once or twice a week to haul material away once the new equipment is in use.
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Environmental scientists hired by Erving Industries concluded there were no emissions from the water vapor released that fell outside of regulations, and confirmed later that a “baghouse” would be installed — a piece of equipment that can collect any dust or particulate before it is emitted into the atmosphere.
The project could be completed in a year, contingent on state environmental permitting and the Selectboard’s permission to make changes to the facility that include installing a gas line through an existing bridge over a railway that already holds electrical and sewer communication lines. Musengi noted fire marshal and building inspector permission is also needed.
Selectboard member William Bembury asked if there would be any cost to taxpayers if the treatment plant needed to be altered as part of this project. Musengi and Housen said the facility and water treatment operations would not be altered, keeping project costs off taxpayers.
“We’re excited — I’m excited,” Housen said, adding, “We’ve been working for a long time to try and find a way to minimize this expense, and managing the process.”
The Selectboard, as well as Water and Wastewater Superintendent Peter Sanders, agreed to review the proposal again at a future meeting. They anticipate future discussions will be held during the Monday, July 21 meeting.
Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.