[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/EW-03-04-14-Power-from-Sewage.mp3|titles=EW 03-04-14 Power from Sewage]
Located on the banks of the Potomac River, the Blue Plains wastewater treatment plant serves over two million people in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. It is also the largest consumer of electricity in the District of Columbia.
Built in the 1930s, the facility sits on the lowest point in nation’s capital. Its location leaves it vulnerable to the storm surges and sea level rise predicted to result from climate change. As a preventative measure, the facility is erecting a 17-foot sea wall to protect the water treatment facility from a Superstorm Sandy-type weather event.
Blue Plains is also building an on-site anaerobic digester. Each day, it will convert 120 tons of treated solid waste into enough natural gas to keep the plant running – even if extreme weather were to knock out power. This solid waste used to be sent to nearby farms for use as fertilizer. Now, it will be digested by bacteria in airtight tanks, producing enough biogas to generate 10 megawatts of electricity.
When the digester goes online this summer, it is poised to trim $10 million a year off electric bills. Longer term, Blue Plains will also install 8 megawatts of solar panels.
A growing number of waste treatment plants around the country are working to lower their carbon footprints. DC’s Blue Plains sewage treatment plant is a good example of a facility that is taking steps to protect the environment and its customers in a changing world.
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How D.C.’s Sewage Will Soon Generate Electricity
Photo, taken on June 16, 2009, courtesy of David via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.