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Every year the Texas Public Works Association (TPWA) recognizes excellence in community improvement projects that demonstrate environmental protection and have a positive public impact.
We are thrilled to share that the City of Clute Wastewater Treatment Plant Refurbishment Project has received the APWA Texas Chapter Project of the Year for 2015 award. The award was presented last night, June 26, 2015, at the annual TPWA conference.
Clute faced a number of challenges in managing its energy and water efficiency, including a growing population and aging infrastructure. The city underwent a comprehensive energy improvement project, in partnership with Schneider Electric, to completely rebuild its wastewater treatment plant which includes a high-efficiency, fine bubble diffusing aeration system that greatly improves the plant’s operation and denitrification efforts while also improving the quality of the effluent and satisfying the state requirements for water quality.
The city also installed new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) “smart” water meters throughout the city, increasing meter reading efficiency and accuracy and virtually eliminating the need for manual rereading. In addition to meeting the 2014 EPA low-lead requirements, the new system detects leaks more quickly, minimizing revenue lost due to leaks of treated, but unbilled, water. For Clute, that amounts to capturing $250,000 annually in lost water revenue alone.
Water and wastewater projects are a significant undertaking and can be essential to a city’s financial and environmental success. Thanks to the upgrades implemented by Clute and Schneider Electric, the wastewater treatment plant will save 57 percent in annual energy costs due to the reduction in wasted water and energy used to regulate the city’s water supply. These energy savings equate to the removal of 229 cars from the road or planting 33,800 trees each year. We congratulate Clute, TX on its long-term commitment to the environment and the community.
The project in Clute is part of a larger movement across the country for cities to upgrade their outdated systems and save on water and costs associated with the sanitation and distribution of water. What would you do if you could cut your annual energy costs in half?
Click here for more details on the City of Clute performance contracting project.
