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BOSTON — A project in Lewiston-Auburn, Maine, was among four New England projects that repair and upgrade drinking water infrastructure that were recently recognized for excellence and innovation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority was given honorable mention for its anaerobic digestion and cogeneration units.
“The Clean Water State Revolving Fund program helps communities and water systems through low-interest loans that can be used to update aging infrastructure, create jobs, and protect the public health and the environment,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator Alexandra Dunn. “The scale and complexity of the projects that are being recognized show the determination and creativity of EPA’s partners in achieving water quality goals.”
The Lewiston-Auburn Water Pollution Control Authority needed new options to dispose of biosolids because of the rising costs of applying it to farm fields. The authority received a one percent interest state revolving fund loan to construct an anaerobic digestion plant to reduce the biosolids capacity. The project had the added benefit of producing significant amounts of electricity, which is used to power the water reclamation operation.
The project’s two 230-kilowatt biogas cogeneration engines produce an average of 200,000-kilowatt hours a month and have gone as high as 380,000 kilowatt hours in some months. The self-generated power significantly reduces the facility’s energy costs, and the low interest rate financing made this project affordable. The authority turned a problem into a success by converting a biosolid disposal issue into a process that now produces energy for the facility without raising rates.
The other projects were in Grafton, Mass., Newport, R.I. and Waterbury, Vt. They were among 30 honored nationwide as part of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund program.
For more information about the 2018 PISCES recognized projects, visit www.epa.gov/cwsrf/pisces.
