The City of Summerville is continuing work to improve how sludge from its wastewater treatment plant is handled, with officials reporting progress on a long-term solution.

During a recent city council meeting, Mayor Rickey Hughes asked for an update on what City Manager Jason Winters described as the city’s ongoing “sludge haul-away” process.

Wastewater Treatment Plant Director Jeff Keen said the retirement of Cross Brothers, which had previously managed the city’s land application program for sludge disposal, forced the city to find a new approach. With no remaining land application option available, Summerville is now transporting sludge to a permitted landfill in Alabama.

Keen said the city has contracted with David Fletcher’s company to handle the hauling after another private hauling permit in Alabama expired. Officials said the new arrangement began last week and has been operating smoothly.

Winters also praised the recent completion of the city’s new sludge storage pad, which allows sludge to be temporarily stored and managed on-site before being transported. He said the new facility has made the hauling process more efficient and described the overall effort to restructure the city’s sludge management system as a multi-step project that has been underway for more than a year.

Winters thanked Keen and the City Council for their work and support, saying the city is now in a much stronger position moving forward.