Coal Ash Pond Decanter Skimmer

• Efficiently decant ash ponds at high flow rates — 1,200 GPM max per unit.
• Self-adjusting weir system automatically adapts to changing water levels.
• Removes surface water and floating debris 24/7 without stirring settled ash.
• Built for power plants, coal facilities, and industrial operations dealing with ground contamination.
• USA-manufactured quality with 30+ years of proven floating weir technology.
• Fits in SUV for easy transport — designed for deployment by crews or even a single individual.
• Works with any pump that can pull suction — only one moving part (hinged weir).

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Ash Pond Decanter Surface Skimmer Features

01

Design

• Built for harsh environments: self-adjusting weir intake with a floating body that maintains optimal skimming height despite water level fluctuations.
• Available in three discharge sizes — 4″, 6″, and 8″ for consistent surface water removal. Corrosion-resistant ABS industrial polymer construction handles ash pond chemicals, coal residue, and industrial contaminants.
• Only one moving part — the hinged weir — ensuring maximum reliability.
• Compact footprint (42″ × 38″ × 18″, 75 lbs) fits in SUV for easy transport to remote pond locations.
• Scaled-up from proven FWS technology — evolved from manifolding three of our largest FWS (FWS00A381) skimmers into the BASS platform (FWS00A3204 / FWS00A3208).

02

PERFORMANCE

• Continuous 24/7 operation with minimal maintenance requirements.
• Removes up to 1,200 GPM of surface water without disturbing settled coal ash below.
• Self-leveling design maintains consistent 1/8″ to 4″ skimming depth automatically.
• Helps facilities meet EPA discharge standards .
• Laminar flow design removes surface water without stirring up material under the water surface.
• Works with any pump that can pull suction — automatically self-adjusts to pump flow rate.
• Proven technology — floating weir skimmers on the market for over 30 years.

03

DEPLOYMENT & SUPPORT

• Each unit arrives pre-assembled and ready for installation.
• SkimOIL ® provides complete installation guidance and startup support.
• Operates in a variety of configurations , using different size pipes to meet the customer’s needs.
• Optional on- site commissioning available.
• Need more flow rate? Simply use more BASS units with a custom-made manifold or custom solution for your project.
• Designed for deployment by crews or even a single individual .

WHY ASH POND DECANTERS ARE BECOMING INDUSTRY STANDARD

FROM CONCEPT TO HIGH-FLOW SOLUTION

The Challenge: Power Plant Ash Pond Dewatering

We just had to scale up to deal with the large flow rates needed to efficiently drain ash ponds. There’s a LOT of water in/on these coal ash ponds. We needed over 5 times our normal oil skimming flow rates, so we manifolded three of our largest FWS (FWS00A381) skimmers together to get the high flow rates — and they were awesome, but not enough.

Back to the drawing board. We designed our new Big Ass Surface Skimmer (BASS) with a 35″ wide weir and 8″ outlet. We prefer not making these any larger due to ergonomics and the fact that they have to be deployed by crews or even a single individual. BASS units fit into the back of an SUV for easy transport.

Need more flow rate? Simply use more BASS units with a custom-made manifold or custom solution for your project.

The Evolution: Proven Tools For Modern Ash Pond Cleanup

The beauty of the Big Ass Surface Skimmer is that it has only one moving part — the hinged weir — and it can work with any pump that can pull suction. We’ve had the floating weir skimmers on the market for over 30 years, so they are a well-proven and reliable surface skimmer that automatically self-adjusts to the pump’s flow rate — allowing the operator to take as little as 1/8″ to over 4″ of water off the surface without affecting the underlying water or, in this case, the underlying settled coal ash. We now have floating weir skimmers working in several power plants dewatering ash ponds.

The Reality: Coal Ash Ponds Are A Long-Term Problem (keep)

Fast forward to today and we’ve learned that while it worked at the time (mostly), we see now it was short-sighted. The ponds and their contents leak, burst, and leach into ground water, presenting serious hazards today — and the ash that was so conveniently out of sight and mind now has to be cleaned up.

The ash pond problem mostly came to light when a large ash pond with a leaking 48″ storm water pipe dumped some 39,000 tons of coal ash and wastewater into a nearby river. After that incident, other problems kept surfacing involving heavy metals and other carcinogens leaching into ground water and drinking water sources. There’s a lot of bottled water being delivered by power plants to people affected by the ash ponds.

Coal burners were fairly efficient. Coal was cheap and readily available and kept a lot of people employed — from the mines to the transportation and the material-handling equipment manufacturers. The coal business isn’t so good today as power generation efficiencies have improved and lots of plants are switching to natural as. Bottom line: Coal ash ponds are and will remain a problem until they’re cleaned up — meaning decanted and dewatered, with safe storage of the actual coal ash. We’ve developed a reliable tool — the floating weir skimmer — that can greatly aid in the safe and efficient decanting of ash ponds.

Frequently Asked Questions