Energy Usage Analysis at Wastewater Treatment Plants

摘要

The annual cost of operating a wastewater treatment facility is made up of labor and energy. Energy costs, however, represent a major portion of this total annual operating cost. Because expenditures for operating wastewater treatment facilities constitute a major financial burden on municipalities, especially small communities, and because the costs of electricity and natural gas are rising, it is critical for utility managers and treatment plant operators to recognize and identify energy usage and emplement energy conservation measures without sacrificing treatment efficiencies. Significant opportunities do currently exist for energy conservation in existing wastewater treatment plants. Recognizing the need to assist small municipalities in Mississippi curtail energy usage and costs at existing wastewater treatment facilities, the Mississippi Bureau of Pollution Control sponsored the study reported here.