The Illinois EPA Office of Energy is teaming up with SEDAC and the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) to help local municipalities reduce the cost of wastewater treatment. SEDAC and ISTC provide free energy usage assessments to publicly-owned wastewater treatment plants.

"The cost of wastewater treatment can be a significant burden for municipalities, especially when the infrastructure is aged or inappropriately sized for the community it serves," says Illinois EPA Director Alec Messina. "This partnership will help municipalities identify ways to improve their systems and realize cost savings for their communities."

Assessment reports break down recommendations for energy efficiency improvements at each facility. This includes information such as upfront costs for equipment upgrades or retrofits, estimated time it will take for the upgrade costs to pay-off in energy savings, and the resulting energy and monetary savings that could result from upgrades and retrofits. Similar assessments would ordinarily cost municipalities between $6,000 and $12,000.

Eligibility

To qualify for an assessment, a wastewater treatment facility must:

1. Be located in Illinois and owned by the State of Illinois or an Illinois unit of local government;
2. Allow SEDAC and ISTC access to the treatment facility;
3. Be willing to share facility information with SEDAC, ISTC and Illinois EPA; and
4. Share the final assessment report with the Illinois EPA.

Application

Apply now for the Wastewater Treatment Plant Assessment program.

Resources

IEPA has released a Grant to fund Energy Efficiency at Waste Water Facilities - Due 2/12/2019 at 5pm.

Illinois EPA is funding energy efficiency improvements at waste water treatment plants.  Potential applicants must have completed an energy efficiency assessment for the waste water treatment plant and be GATA pre-qualified.  Illinois EPA will dispense up to $3,000,000 for this first round of energy efficiency improvements. The deadline to apply is February 12, 2019.  Find the Notice of Funding Opportunity and application instructions here.

Check out our Wastewater Treatment Plant Assessment Program Brochure. 

Read SEDAC's Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Smart Tip

Read a case study from Carthage, TN on how they reduced energy and saved money.

Events

IEPA held a workshop at the SIU School of Law on October 26, featuring energy efficiency for wastewater treatment facilities. Please see the event presentations below:

• Combined Heat and Power for Wastewater Applications - Graeme Miller, Assistant Director, US DOE Midwest CHP Technical Assistance Partnership
• Carbondale Wastewater Treatment Facility - Adam Decker, Plant Superintendent, City of Carbondale
• Village of Cambria - Danny Rowatt and Bruce Hagler, Village of Cambria
• Advancing Energy Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment - Ben Bolton, Energy Programs Administrator, TN Department of Environment and Conservation
• IEPA Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Assessment Program -  Cassie Carroll and Ryan Siegel, Smart Energy Design Assistance Center (SEDAC) and Mike Springman, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC)
• Energy Efficiency Programs and Incentives - Byron Llyod, Public Sector Energy Advisor, Ameren Illinois

*Funding provided in whole or in part by the Illinois EPA Office of Energy.