Sludge disposal to sea: settling, consolidation and erosion characteristics of sewage sludge

Hydraulics Research has been involved for many years in studying the behaviour of sewage sludge discharge into the marine environment. Approximately 25% of the sewage sludge produced in the UK is disposed of at sea at licensed dumping grounds such as that in Liverpool Bay. This report describes recent laboratory investigations into the effects of turbidity in the water column on the settling velocity, consolidation and eventual resuspension of sewage sludge obtained from Davyhulme Sewage Treatment Works.