The small Pennsylvania community of Ralpho Township sits in the middle of septic-tank country, and there’s a need for its wastewater plant to process as much local septage as possible.

While the Ralpho plant has the treatment capacity, its vintage septage screen didn’t. The screen was constantly out of service for repairs, forcing haulers to bypass Ralpho and drive farther to discharge loads. Even when the screen was running, it did a poor job of capturing debris. There had to be a better solution.

Designed for debris

In May of 2018, a Ralpho engineer heard a presentation on the BEAST at a regional association meeting and requested more information. He learned that the BEAST was specifically designed to screen septage with large amounts of debris. Each design feature from the tank configuration to the dual-drive operation of the screen basket and extraction screw promotes fast truck unloading and high debris capture.

The engineer determined that a BEAST 800 had the correct capacity and would provide higher capture with its perforated plate screen. In March 2019, a BEAST 800 was installed and put into operation. 

The first load screened was a 3,000-gallon tanker with septage from a local nursing home. The BEAST processed the entire load in under 15 minutes, averaging over 500 gpm without pressurizing.

The plant operator is enthusiastic about the BEAST, and says he anticipates a reduction in maintenance along with an increase in downstream process efficiency. He also anticipates an increase in the number of septage haulers coming to the Ralpho plant.

Enviro-Care Co., a member of the WAMGROUP, supplies screening and solids/grit management equipment to the North American water and wastewater markets and is represented by Envirep in east-central Pennsylvania.

ecsales@enviro-care.com  |  www.enviro-care.com