WERF Presents Fort Worth Water Reclamation Facility with Innovation Award

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) recognized the city of Fort Worth, Texas’ 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 storm water collection, storage or treatment operations, facilities, or processes by applying WERF research. The award was presented at WEFTEC in Chicago 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 benefited VCWRF’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%, allowing VCWRF to meet up to 75% 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 Energy Savings Performance Contract allowed the facility to upgrade many systems while reducing its electrical cost by approximately $2.5 million annually.

Source: Water Environment Research Foundation