Montpelier Water Resource Recovery Facility 

Aging Infrastructure/Organics-to-Energy Project

City of Montpelier Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF)

Aging Infrastructure/Organics-to-Energy Project

Current WRRF Site

 

 

 

 

The City of Montpelier has partnered with Energy Systems Group (ESG), a leading energy and water resource recovery provider, to serve as the prime contractor on a multi-phase Aging Infrastructure / Organics-to-Energy (AI/OE) project that will include improvements to its 2 million gallons per day (GPD) Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF), which is over 50 years old and in need of aging infrastructure upgrades. In addition to upgrading inefficient and outdated equipment, the project will include significant upgrades to the WRRF’s sludge treatment systems that will increase hauled waste revenue and renewable energy production, and reduce biosolids disposal costs.

The first phase of the project centers on improvements to the WRRF’s anaerobic digesters and biosolids dewatering systems. The improvements will increase the WRRF’s capacity to accept organic waste, produce additional biogas, and reduce the volume of biosolids that require landfill disposal. The project will result in approximately $400,000 in additional annual revenue from organic waste tipping fees and over $250,000 in average annual energy, water, and sludge disposal cost reductions. The second phase of the project will utilize the biogas to produce energy on-site through a combined heat and power (CHP) system. The WRRF’s new ability to produce energy on-site will make it an energy Net Zero facility by producing more energy than it consumes, and will create a new source of revenue for the City through the export and sale of electricity to the utility grid. 

Improvements

Description: Improve receiving station to allow an increase in volume and diversity of hauled wastes

Current construction status:
Complete 

Description: Development and guarantee of organic waste feedstock supplies including nationally recognized dairy producers, FOG, and food waste

Current construction status:
Under construction 

Description: Upgrade dewatering and anaerobic digestion systems to increase capacity, enable the co-digestion of sludge and high strength organic waste streams, increase gas production, and reduce sludge disposal costs

Current construction status:
Under construction 

Description: The replacement of fuel oil with biogas to reduce energy costs

Current construction status:
Under construction 

Description: Upgrade to UV system to allow for automated operation to reduce power consumption

Current construction status: Under construction 

Description: Replacement of grit classifier, grit pumps and grit washer

Current construction status:
Complete 

Description: Replacement of primary clarifier internals

Current construction status: Complete 

Description: Replacement of SCADA computer

Current construction status: Under construction 

Benefits

Many Vermont wastewater treatment plants of similar age have or will go through significant aging infrastructure upgrades to ensure future treatment performance and permit compliance. The OE project will enable Montpelier to accomplish its upgrade in a manner that increases revenue while reducing the WRRF’s operating costs and environmental impact.

Financial Benefits
At a cost of $16.5 million, the OE project, which is inclusive of the $13.4 million planned aging infrastructure upgrade, is expected to generate approximately $400,000 in additional annual average revenue through increased tipping fees, and save over $250,000 in average annual energy, water, and sludge disposal costs. Accordingly, compared to a stand-alone Aging Infrastructure upgrade, the OE project is expected to generate nearly $290,000 of annual financial benefit over its 20-year performance period. Moreover, under its energy performance contract with the City, ESG has agreed to provide the City with an insurance-backed performance guarantee that the project’s annual revenue and savings will exceed the annual debt service of the stand-alone Aging Infrastructure upgrade.

AI/OE Project Revenue and Savings Comparison Graph

Climate Protection
By implementing these infrastructure and energy related measures, the City will reduce the WRRF’s greenhouse gas emissions by 115 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, which is equivalent to planting 34 acres of forest or removing the emissions from 25 passenger vehicles. After methane gas energy conversion, the emissions will be reduced by an additional 2,000 metric tons annually, which is equivalent to planting 385 acres of forest or removing emissions from 450 passenger vehicles.   

Water Quality Benefits
The OE project will have a positive impact on water quality in Lake Champlain and its watershed as the WRRF will process and remove phosphorus from high-strength wastes that would otherwise be discharged as a non-point source. This would include food wastes that are either land applied or placed into commercial digesters whose digestate is land applied as fertilizer and septage, which contributes phosphorus to the ground water flowing into the Lake. Additionally, the improved sludge digestion and dewatering systems will reduce the amount of sludge that is transported and disposed of in landfills.  

FAQ | Media

At a cost of $16.5 million, the proposed Organics-to-Energy (OE) Project will include all needed Aging Infrastructure improvements in addition to upgrading the waste receiving and energy conversion equipment, which will enable the City to lower operating costs and increase tipping revenues through improved organic waste digestion. The stand-alone Aging Infrastructure improvements would cost $13.4 million over the next 10 years and increase the annual debt service by $580,000. The OE improvements are projected to reduce the debt service increase to approximately $300,000, resulting in an annual savings of $280,000 for the city and its rate payers.

Currently, the WRRF accounts for approximately 30% of the City’s municipal energy use, from both electricity and heating oil (used to heat the digesters in the winter months). By increasing the production of biogas through improved anaerobic digestion, the WRRF will be able to heat its facilities with 100% biogas, eliminating fossil fuel use for heating (In FY16 the WRRF used over 13,000 gallons of heating oil!). In addition, Phase 2 of the project will include cogeneration to generate electricity, which will nearly double the amount of electricity the WRRF consumes, making it a Net Zero facility and bringing Montpelier significantly closer to reaching its citywide Net Zero goal by 2030.                                 

Water Resource Recovery Facility Upgrade Project (WRRF)

About ESG

Learn more about ESG’s leading energy and infrastructure improvement solutions for water recovery and wastewater treatment facilities.
ESG Website