Rio Dell’s City Council voted 4-0 on Aug. 18 to approve Resolution 1681-2026, amending the wastewater capital budget and authorizing the purchase of replacement rotary unions for the city’s biosolid dryer, according to the council minutes.
Wastewater Superintendent Moore told the council the dryer had been out of service for four to six weeks, leaving the wastewater treatment plant overloaded. The rotary unions carry thermal fluid used to regulate the dryer’s temperature. When the unions failed, the dryer reached about 752 degrees Fahrenheit before staff shut it down, Moore said, creating a safety concern.
The city’s meeting recording shows Moore described the replacement parts as costing about $11,000 per union. He said BCR Environmental was the sole source for the parts because the company acquired the original dryer manufacturer, ThermoFlite, and no other supplier could provide the needed components. Moore also said the unions had been replaced about 1½ to two years earlier, but he was unsure of their intended service life. The meeting recording is available online.
Council Member Wilson asked whether the plant was experiencing an operational problem. Moore said the plant itself was running well, while the dryer outage had increased the plant’s workload. The available minutes and recording do not specify the total appropriation, the number of replacement units approved or when the dryer is expected to return to service.
