This invention relates to cleaning systems and apparatus, in particular a vehicle used for pumping waste from a pond, pit or other area.
In many industrial settings certain areas have been used to dump various solid and liquid wastes. These areas are often ponds or pits and contain a mixture of water, nonaqueous liquids, suspended solids, flowable wastes and solid trash such as bottles, old tires and used drums.
It has become painfully evident that such waste sites can create a severe environmental problem due to leaching of substances into the earth. Even if leaching is not a problem, such sites can create serious problems if simply filled in with soil once the site is no longer needed. Accordingly, there has been an increased interest in cleaning these sites, collectively called sludge ponds in this application. However, because of the physical makeup of sludge ponds, substantial obstacles hinder cleanup. There are problems associated with the process of physically removing and separating the water, muck, trash and other material, collectively termed sludge, found in the sludge pond. The wide variety of toxic and noxious materials often dumped into or which leak into sludge ponds creates substantial health risks to those removing the sludge.