Handling Sand Just Got Easier for Watco’s Decatur River Port Team

A new stacker-conveyor system operating at the Decatur River Port in northern Alabama is creating efficiencies and being kinder to the environment.

Six conveyors and a radial telescopic stacker were ordered to accommodate new business acquired in January 2021 from a sand customer. The system components were ordered from Masaba in South Dakota in March of 2021 and were due to arrive several months later. Meanwhile, the terminal used three dump trucks, two excavators, and two loaders to transport and stockpile the sand. When the conveyor system finally arrived in November 2021, one set of conveyors was damaged. After coordinating repairs with Masaba and an electrician, and working on the installation between freight shipments, the system was completed in April 2022.

The new equipment has freed up all three dump trucks, one excavator, and one loader for use elsewhere. Without those five pieces of equipment involved, “it’s a lot less handling of the sand,” said Terminal Manager Donnie Gunter, “which is a lot less emissions on that product transfer. And we expect it to be more efficient.”

The new system is on wheels. It has three 60-foot and three 70-foot conveyor belts, each 36 inches wide, that extend upward at an angle, carrying sand up to the stacker, which releases it into a stockpile.

The team is still getting used to the new equipment, but is already thinking about modifications for improvement. “It’s still brand new to us,” said Gunter. “But we want to add feeder hoppers to the conveyors to make the sand flow better,”. “I think the way it can stack, it’s going to be a big deal after we make sure we have everything like it needs to be.”