Treatment Plant Modifications to Conserve Energy and Improve Performance

Collins, Floyd; Eckley, Paul; Detweiler, Jack; ,

Treatment Plant Modifications to Conserve Energy and Improve Performance

by Floyd Collins, Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment, Plant, United States,
Paul Eckley, Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment, Plant, United States,
Jack Detweiler, Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment, Plant, United States,

Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Environmental Engineering

Abstract:

Creative funding along with thorough planning and design contributed to the successful energy conservation program at the Willow Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant, Salem, Oregon. By funding the $4.59 million project with a combination of State of Oregon energy conservation grants and loans, Salem made major plant improvements without increasing sewer rates. The loans are repaid by the $500,000 annual savings that the projects yield. The plant master plan identified the energy improvements as the initial phase of a 20-year plant expansion program. Innovative treatment process design provides a new level of plant operating flexibility. The plant uses a pure-oxygen activated sludge process to handle high-strength wastewater from the seasonal vegetable canning industry. During the remainder of the year, the plant uses a coupled trickling filter activated sludge (TF/AS) process for maximum energy efficiency. In its first year of operation, this arrangement reduced electrical consumption by 30 percent. Besides conserving energy, the TF/AS process produces the best quality effluent that the plant has ever achieved.

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