New technology received $193,390 in rebates
New technology received $193,390 in rebates
“Bring me every school kid in the county. They need to know what happens when they flush the potty!” Roxanna Chomas’ enthusiasm for her role as Operator of Whitefish’s new Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is nothing less than contagious.
If you tour the new facility – and Chomas hopes you will – you’ll learn all about her beloved “bugs,” or the microorganisms that break down the bio-solids that arrive at the WWTP after you’ve flushed. It’s a surprisingly fascinating tour, and Chomas will explain aerobic granular sludge to you in a way that will excite you even as you’re mystified by your own excitement.
Whitefish replaced its previous wastewater lagoon system with a mechanical treatment plant due to tighter constraints in its wastewater discharge permit. The new AquaNereda wastewater treatment system is a cutting-edge technology that is becoming more common in Europe, but the Whitefish system is one of only four in the United States, as of January 2023.
During its research, Whitefish consulted with Flathead Electric Cooperative to determine if energy efficiency upgrades and incentives were available to make the new system more affordable. Don Newton, Energy Services Supervisor at the Co-op, was responsible for determining the previous and projected energy consumption at the plant, along with verifying the project’s potential energy savings. He worked closely with Craig Workman, Whitefish Public Works Director, who shared, “energy savings was weighed heavily during the City’s evaluation process and was one of the factors that pushed AquaNereda to the top of the list.”
As Chomas shows off the new plant, she talks about how the AquaNereda treatment process is a time-managed, activated sludge technology. It relies heavily on aeration to promote anoxic/aerobic and anaerobic environments, which is another way of saying that it requires large blowers to operate constantly so that the “bugs” have oxygen as they work to break down bio-solids. The two, 40-horsepower blowers required for this 24/7 oxygenation use quite a bit of electricity – but not nearly as much as the old blowers used to dry the lagoons.
The City of Whitefish and the Co-op determined that upgrades to the blowers and sequencing batch reactors would result in significant energy efficiency gains. In the end, upgrades to the plant’s high-efficiency sequencing batch reactor are projected to save 352,151 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. In addition, the sludge blower system upgrade is projected to save 216,314 kWh per year.
Together, the upgrades will save 568,465 kWh per year — that’s enough energy to power 40 average-use area homes. As an industrial member of the Co-op, the Wastewater Treatment Plant can expect yearly cost savings of about $34,000 due to these energy efficiency upgrades.
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) incentives were available to help bring down the costs of the $1M+ in new technology and upgrades. Newton’s Energy Services team worked diligently with the City of Whitefish to realize a $193,390 rebate from BPA for this energy efficiency project. Newton reflected, “Thanks to the City of Whitefish’s interest in energy efficiency that kicked off the project and BPA’s Energy Smart Industrial Program that provided technical support for the project, everyone was able to move forward and bring this project to completion.”
To learn more about residential and commercial energy efficiency efforts and opportunities, call the Energy Services Department at (406) 751-4483 or visit our Energy Solutions page.
