Webinar Announcement

Energy and Nutrient Optimization for Municipal

Wastewater Treatment Plants

Presented by:  EPA Region 4, NC DEQ, Waste Reduction Partners

What: Activated sludge plants across the country have been able to reduce energy costs and improve nutrient removal by making simple, low-cost operational changes. This course will equip operators with the foundation to identify opportunities to reduce energy costs and optimize nutrient removal.

Attendees will:

• Review the fundamentals of biological treatment and nutrient removal
• Understand how to maximize performance and minimize electrical costs
• Learn to recognize plant capabilities beyond what is in the O&M manual

Who:

Dr. Larry Moore has 45 years of wastewater treatment plant design and troubleshooting experience. From 1983 until 2018, Dr. Moore taught undergraduate and graduate environmental engineering courses and conducted applied research at the University of Memphis. Over the last decade, Dr. Moore helped conduct energy conservation projects for approximately 60 municipal wastewater treatment plants in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Georgia, and Mississippi. These projects were funded by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of South Alabama in 1973 and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Mississippi State University in 1974 and 1983, respectively.

Grant Weaver is a licensed wastewater operator and professional engineer. Born in Kansas, Grant now lives in Connecticut. Grant is a contrarian who gets pleasure from empowering wastewater operators to make treatment plants work better than those who design and regulate them believe they should.

When: Thursdays from February 11 – April 29, 2021 - 10:00 to 11:45 a.m. EST

You must register to attend these free webinars.  

Continuing Education Credits: CE credits will be made available to North Carolina wastewater operators. Attendees must attend the two-session groupings shown below to receive the credit hours indicated. Operators seeking CE credit outside of North Carolina may receive supporting documentation upon request.

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (404-562-8018) or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (828-707-2834)   

Agenda Topics 

Additional Resources:

Nutrient Removal Optimization: Case Studies
Pilot Partnership for Optimization Pays Off, Streamlines, December 2019

EPA Case Study: Alexander City, Al. December 2016 

Energy Management Guides

Wastewater Energy Management BMP Handbook 2019

 COVID-19 Response: Utility Management Resources

Webinars

Energy Saving Strategies during COVID-19

The latest incentives and energy management resources by Duke Energy and Dominion Energy for business and institutional customers

8/12/2020 Webinar Recording 

Controlling Utility Costs during COVID-19: NC Hospitality and Tourism 

5/7/2020 Webinar Recording

Demystifing Cleaning in the Age of COVID-19

5/5/2020 Webinar Recording

Managing Energy during Facility Shutdowns

For Public Facilities

3/26/2020 Webinar Recording

Managing Energy During Curtailment and Shutdown

For NC Manufacturers

4/14/2020 Webinar Recording

Presentations and Guidance

Updated 4/23/2020 COVID-19 AHU Recommendations - Appalachian State Energy Programs

State of North Carolina Comprehensive Resource Site: COVID-19 Response

Including Executive Order 124, pertaining to Utility Provider prohibitions

https://www.nc.gov/covid19 

ASHRAE FAQ Guidance on Building Shutdowns and Occupant Re-entry 

AIA Re-occupancy Assessment Tool

Restoring Water Quality in Buildings with No Use - EPA Guidance

WRP Services During COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the WRP team is serving clients with virtual technical consultations to help address specific energy, water, environmental and cost-reduction project goals. The following lists review some the services that the WRP technical team can provide as adaptations of our on-site, holistic assessment visits:

Energy Management Services During the Pandemic

WRP virtual energy assessments may be easiest to accomplish when the client has specific project needs as opposed to our normal “holistic” approach. A successful virtual assessment will be dependent upon a client furnishing needed information which may include the following, depending on the specific project:

• 12-month utility history (always needed)
• Lighting layout (count) and fixture types
• HVAC information (many times photos of nameplates will work)
• Building size and layout
• Operating hours and occupancy count

Virtual assessments require more interaction and correspondence with the client via email, video and conference calls than normal site visits. PDF’s of lighting and HVAC system inventories and layouts can be valuable, if available, as well as site photos of equipment and nameplates.

Remote technical assistance/assessments we can provide include the following:

• Utility review, facility benchmarking
• Lighting upgrades
• HVAC replacement evaluation
• Recommissioning needs
• Water heating replacement evaluation
• Motor replacement evaluation
• Other equipment replacement evaluation
• REAP energy assessments
• Maintenance review

Water Efficiency Assistance – Virtual Assistance

Many of the WRP Water Team on-site assessment activities can still be performed remotely with client cooperation with pre-assessment data requests and some extra communications via conference calls for information sharing. Here’s a partial list of activities and services.

• Analyze water-use information to determine if usage is in a normal range and benchmarks with similar organizations, as well as identifying anomalies.
• Create water balance charts to further define where water is being used and determine if unaccounted for water indicates a leak.
• Calculate water use on existing equipment, fixtures and appliances such as cooling towers, parts washers, toilets, sinks, dishwashers, clothes washers, and drinking fountains through photographs/descriptions of name plates. Provide performance standards for new equipment.
• Reevaluate the appropriateness of meter size for current water use.
• In conjunction with customer personnel, measure toilet, shower heads and sink flows and determine cost/benefit analysis of upgrades.
• Conduct interviews by phone with customer personnel to ascertain possible problem areas.
• Address current outdoor irrigation practice and review opportunities for improvements.

Solid Waste Assistance – What We Can Do for You Remotely:

The WPR Solid Waste Team is still able to serve you effectively remotely to address many of your waste reduction and recycling objectives.

• Discuss your facility’s by-products and explore potential recycling outlets or other management solutions.
• Provide a list of service providers that serve your geographic area.
• Share best management practices (BMPs) and case studies regarding what other businesses have done to develop a green team, reduce waste and/or improve their recycling program.
• Share resources that will help you reach your particular solid waste reduction goals.

It is important the that the client provides the following information to assist our team’s remote research:

• Copy of one month’s solid waste and recycling service billing.
• Estimates of volumes or weights generated.
• Pictures of the by-products your facility hopes to divert from the waste stream.
• Product specifications, safety data sheets, or other information to help understand the composition of waste streams.