Sanderson Farms : Poultry Plants Honored for Excellence in Wastewater Treatment

The U.S. Poultry & Egg Association announced it has selected four poultry processing plants to receive the 2009 Clean Water Award. The awards, presented annually, recognize excellence in the operation of wastewater treatment plants.

Awards are presented in two categories, pretreatment and full treatment. The pretreatment category covers facilities that discharge pretreated effluent to publicly owned full treatment facilities, while the full treatment category covers facilities that fully reclaim wastewater prior to discharge into a receiving stream or final land application system. First place and honorable mention are recognized in both categories.

First place in the full treatment category went to Sanderson Farms in Moultrie, Ga. The wastewater facility includes a 1.7 million-gallon-per-day on-site pretreatment plant. A 15.4 million gallon covered anaerobic lagoon equalizes flow to the wastewater treatment plant and effectively acts as an odor-control system. After the wastewater is treated in an activated sludge treatment plant, a pump station and force main transfer pretreated effluent to the land application system for final treatment and nutrient utilization. The land application system provides irrigation for 400 acres of Alicia Bermuda grass for hay production.

The Tyson Foods processing plant at Noel, Mo., received honorable mention for full treatment. The facility was recognized for processes such as pretreatment polymer recycling, waste activated sludge processing and recycling animal fat for the complex's feed mill.

Tyson Foods' Monett, Mo., processing plant was selected as the winner in the pretreatment category. The complex completed a new $4.8 million wastewater pretreatment system in October 2008. The main components of the pretreatment plant include a primary dissolved air flotation system, a 900,000-gallon equalization basin and secondary dissolved air flotation system. Construction of the pretreatment plant, along with close monitoring of the dissolved air flotation system, has increased treatment efficiency. The result is lower operating costs and more extensive pretreatment of wastewater before it is sent to the city's system for final treatment.

Wayne Farms' Decatur, Ala., further processing plant won honorable mention for pretreatment. It was recognized for performance and efficiency as the result of projects including a combined waste stream, automated jar testing, polymer blend consistency and dual supervisory control and data acquisition monitors.

Source: Ann Bagel Stork, meatingplace.com