DATE: Monday, April 14, 1997                TAG: 9704140047

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B9   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   44 lines

DOG FOOD KEEPS SEWAGE PLANT RUNNING UNTIL NEW SCHOOL CAN MAKE MORE WASTE

What does a school district do when its kids don't generate enough waste to support a new sewer treatment plant?

In southern Chesapeake, where the school district is coping with new students, new schools and no sewer service, they turned to dog food.

Since the end of February, the Chesapeake School District has purchased 500 pounds of dry dog food. That's $229.50 worth. And for the record, the school district doesn't own a dog.

The food was for the new sewer treatment plant serving three isolated schools in sewer-less southern Chesapeake.

A new $1.02 million sewer plant opened in September behind Southeastern Elementary School. It can handle a maximum of 176,000 gallons per day but will only process 44,000 gallons per day for the four schools it will serve - Southeastern Elementary, Hickory High School, Hickory Elementary and the soon-to-open Hickory Middle School.

But the microorganisms in the plant haven't had enough to eat, mainly because the local school kids haven't been providing enough. And without enough waste, the microorganisms can't get a good running start at breaking down the muck.

The school district had the option of using sludge from the local sanitation district to get the thing roiling - a risky move according to Steve Gilbert, the district's director of operations.

``There's a potential for another set of problems,'' he said. Such sludge, believe it or not, might contain contaminates that could then spread to the new plant.

In the end, the solution was kibble - and some sugar.

School district officials say it's common practice to add a food source when the microorganisms in the treatment plant don't have enough to eat.

For now, the dog food feedings have stopped and probably won't be continued, according to Rod Hussey, plants coordinator for the school district.

The dog food was a means to stave off down time as the plant awaits the opening of Hickory Middle School and an expected enrollment of 1,300 students.

With that opening, district officials say, the plant should have enough solid waste to stop relying on dog food. KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS SEWAGE PLANT

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