Reducing Energy Usage in Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities: A Tale of Two Cities

Water treatment facilities incorporate a variety of techniques when processing drinking water. No matter what individual techniques they use, all processes involve a series of pumps and motors to move water from a source (lake, stream, aquifer), through the treatment facility, into storage vessels to the public distribution system. Wastewater treatment facilities also use motors, pumps and fans to move the wastewater from the community to the facility, and to process and treat the wastewater once it enters the facility. These pumps, blowers, and motors require substantial amounts of energy, which makes them expensive to operate. This fact sheet describes energy conservation projects that ISTC did with the municipal water treatment facilities in Bushnell and Greenville, Illinois.