Abstract: A sludge scraper (10) for scraping sludge (107) from the bottom of a reservoir (100) is disclosed herein. The scraper includes a main frame (11) that provides for the mounting of a pair of skids (15), a scraper blade (17), and a pair of wheels (25). A first tow line (27) is connected between the frame and a first winch (109) mounted on a first shore (103) of the reservoir. A second tow line (41) is connected between the skids and a second winch (111) mounted on a second shore (105) of the reservoir. The first winch moves the plow over the bottom to plow sludge towards the first shore. The second winch causes the apparatus to rotate about the wheels so that the scraper blade is lifted off the bottom of the reservoir and the skids contact the bottom of the reservoir to facilitate movement of the apparatus toward the second shore for another pass.

Abstract: A method is described for making an aggregate mixture (32) from by-products of waste disposal plants to reclaim disturbed area (10) without the use of either native soil or similar trucked in earth materials. The waste materials used include water plant lime sludges, coal ashes (bottom and precipitated fly), wood ashes (bottom and precipitated fly), crushed or chipped concrete waste from ready-mix concrete plants, and yard waste compost. A disturbed area is reclaimed using the ashes or concrete waste materials in varying combination with the lime sludge. The pH characteristics and low permeability of lime sludge are used to prevent any heavy metals and other potential pollutants in the ashes from leaching into the ground water. The yard waste compost material (38) is then layered over the lime sludge/ash/concrete aggregate mixture to serve as a final cover and to support the growth of permanent vegetation (40).

Abstract: A sludge scraper apparatus for scraping a sludge sediment from an earthen bottom of a sludge reservoir, is described. The scraper apparatus is comprised of a main frame that provides for mounting a pair of skids, a scraper blade and a pair of wheels mounted on the apparatus. A first tow line is connected between the frame and a first winch, mounted on a first shore of the reservoir. A second tow line is connected between the skids and a second winch, mounted on a second shore of the reservoir. The first winch then moves the scraper apparatus over the earthen bottom of the reservoir from a starting position adjacent the second shore of the reservoir by spooling up the first tow line. This causes the scraper apparatus to move in a pass over the bottom of the reservoir, with the scraper blade plowing loose sludge sediment towards the first shore. Then, the second winch is used to move the sludge scraper back towards the second shore and the starting position by spooling up the second tow line.

Abstract: A sewage collection and separation tank (10) and method of construction is described. The sewage tank is built on a prepared earthen site (21) and is comprised of a tank floor (11) constructed from multiple wedge shaped concrete floor sections (13, 15, 17 and 19) that encase a first elastomeric gasket (37) mounted around the perimeter of a centrally located sump pump pit (23). A second elastomeric gasket (41) is mounted in a side (13c) of the first section so that half of the second gasket remains exposed. The tank floor is completed when the fourth section is poured. By the time the fourth section of the tank floor is poured, the first section has cured to the point that the first section will not seal against the wet concrete of the fourth section. However, a side (19e) of the fourth section, adjacent to the first section, encases the exposed half of the second gasket. This provides a liquid impervious seal between the adjacent first and fourth sections.

Abstract: A sewage collection and separation tank (10) and method of construction is described. The sewage tank is built on a prepared earthen site (21) and is comprised of a tank floor (11) constructed from multiple wedge shaped concrete floor sections (13, 15, 17 and 19) that encase a first elastomeric gasket (37) mounted around the perimeter of a centrally located sump pump pit (23). A second elastomeric gasket (41) is mounted in a side (13c) of the first section so that half of the second gasket remains exposed. The tank floor is completed when the fourth section is poured. By the time the fourth section of the tank floor is poured, the first section has cured to the point that the first section will not seal against the wet concrete of the fourth section. However, a side (19e) of the fourth section, adjacent to the first section, encases the exposed half of the second gasket. This provides a liquid impervious seal between the adjacent first and fourth sections.