Southeastern Public Service Authority staff reported Dec. 10 that the new leachate concentrator (evaporator) is operating and will substantially reduce the authority’s need to pump and haul leachate offsite.

Landfill engineering technician Jace Morris walked the board through the concentrator’s operation and shared capacity figures: about 55–56,000 gallons per day, roughly 388,000 gallons per week and a little over 1.6 million gallons per month when operating at full uptime. Morris said acceptance testing took place Oct. 1; October operation included limited downstream use while testing continued, and November resumed additional testing and operation.

Dennis Bagley told the board staff had toured the installation with Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) and that HRSD has approved the evaporator installation; the transcript records staff stating HRSD will pay SPSA $4,000,000 and that final QA documentation and invoicing were in preparation.

Bagley and landfill staff said the concentrator’s capacity should cover the leachate volumes the authority brings in, removing a significant operational risk associated with pumping and hauling. Staff proposed folding this reporting into routine monthly metrics so the board will receive ongoing performance figures rather than ad hoc presentations.

What’s next: staff will finalize QA documentation, submit invoices to HRSD as appropriate, and include concentrator metrics in future monthly reports to the board.