Sunnyvale celebrates milestone in 20-year Cleanwater Program
Government officials tour city's wastewater treatment plant.
Having secured $635 million in federal loans for Sunnyvale’s 20-year Cleanwater Program, city staff on May 24 took the opportunity to show federal and local environmental officials what they’ve achieved with the funding so far.
The low-interest loans are being used to rebuild Sunnyvale’s aging wastewater treatment plant, which was originally built in 1956 and is one of the oldest on the West Coast.
“Today we’re celebrating the completion of stage 1 and the beginning of stage 2,” said Mayor Larry Klein to the small group that toured the Donald M. Somers Water Pollution Control Plant at the end of Borregas Avenue.
The tour highlighted projects that have received federal funds through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014.
Radhika Fox, the Environmental Protection Agency’s assistant administrator for water, said Sunnyvale is a “power user” of federal funding.
“Because of the president’s vision and leadership, this is an example of thousands of projects around the country,” Fox said, adding that the Sunnyvale project “supports a resilient water supply.”
The first stage of the project was budgeted at $102 million and involved the construction of new headworks and primary treatment facilities for removing solid material from wastewater and reducing diesel emissions and odor. Construction is complete, and major equipment has been installed. New electrical service is in progress, and initial testing and commissioning of the new headworks and primary treatment facilities is underway.
This stage replaced two large engines used to convert methane gas into heat and electricity for the facility, which needed frequent repairs because of their age. When they were out of service, the unused methane gas was flared, polluting the air. The plant was also paying millions for external electricity instead of using its own renewable energy.
“Hopefully, efficiency will be much higher than before,” said Rohan Wikramanayake, Sunnyvale’s water pollution control plant division manager.
Sunnyvale officials estimate that modernizing the engines will reduce the city’s carbon footprint by 4,400 metric tons annually; reduce external electricity costs by $2.5 to $3 million and operating and maintenance costs by $500,000 annually. The upgrade should also help the city achieve its climate action goals by keeping methane gas out of the atmosphere and using renewable energy.
To help generate the energy needed to run the facility, the plant converts methane gas from its digesters and an adjacent closed landfill into electricity and heat. Stage 2 of the Cleanwater Program, set to break ground late this year or early in 2024, involves expanding this system to accept the 12,000 tons of food waste collected in Sunnyvale each year. City officials said using locally produced renewable energy sources will have significant operational, financial and environmental benefits.
For more information on the Cleanwater Program, visit SunnyvaleCleanWater.com.