ALEXANDRIA, VA, Oct. 6, 2015 -- On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) recognized the City of Fort Worth's Village Creek Water Reclamation Facility (VCWRF) with its Award for Excellence in Innovation for its use of WERF research to guide the implementation of a series of sustainable facility upgrades.
In its fifth year, the WERF Award for Excellence in Innovation acknowledges organizations that have made improvements to wastewater and stormwater collection, storage or treatment operations, facilities, or processes by applying WERF research. The award was presented at WEFTEC in Chicago, Ill., during a celebration of WERF's subscribers.
VCWRF realizes that becoming energy self-sufficient is one of the most pressing challenges for water resource recovery facilities. In order to improve energy efficiency, enhance energy reduction and achieve energy independence, VCWRF executed a $35-million Energy Savings Performance Contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI). This project has significantly benefited the facility's goal of energy neutrality through improving electrical facilities, converting some processes to alternative energy sources, and improving methane gas production.
JCI has guaranteed the city that the project will pay for itself in no more than 12.5 years. To date, this project has reduced electrical consumption by an additional 39 percent, allowing VCWRF to meet up to 75 percent of its energy demand. The reduced electrical consumption has also lowered the facility's carbon footprint by nearly 58,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. The JCI contract allowed the plant to upgrade many systems while reducing its electrical cost by approximately $2.5 million annually.
A team of WERF volunteers, who themselves are some of the most recognized individuals in the water quality industry, selected the recipient from a field of many well-qualified organizations. Additional information on this award can be found at www.werf.org.
See also:
"WERF presents 2015 Paul L. Busch Award for water reclamation"
"WERF, WRF seek proposals to support energy research at water, wastewater plants"
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