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Politics & Government

Pacifica's Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant Improves Efficiency, Saves Energy

Pacifica's water treatment plant already uses photovoltaic cells to save energy and plans on more improvements to increase savings.

Pacifica's Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant has something not many other waste water treatment plants have: photovoltaic cells. Since the installation of the 1,880 photovoltaic cells in 2006, the plant reports a savings in its energy costs.

According to Dave Gromm, director of the Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant, the $2.8 million solar panels have saved the plant about 15 to 17 percent in energy costs when he broke down the savings kilowatt per kilowatt.

Pacifica's only water treatment plant receives its funding from property taxes and is separate from the city budget. Although the photovoltaic cells have not resulted in a cost savings to residents, the cells have helped the plant stay within its limited budget, said Gromm.

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 "It was projected to pay for itself in about twelve years, and I'm sure it will," said Gromm. "It's on target to do that. It was definitely worth it."

The plant's energy costs have stayed at an average of $900,000 per year without much of a change.  Due to PG&E's rate increases over the years, the plant has been able to spend the savings generated by the photovoltaic cells and the plant does not have an increased power bill, which would have occurred if the cells were not installed.

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"When PG&E increased its rates, we haven't really felt it. It [the photovoltaic system] has kept the energy bill in check," said Gromm.

Because the plant's runoff goes into a wetland area, which the plant helped create and currently helps sustain, they could not use the typical chemicals other sewage treatment plants use, said Ellis Coombs, plant manager. Instead, it uses a unique ultraviolet light system to decontaminate waste water. This, in turn, means that the Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant uses more energy than other water treatments facilities.

"The water has to have almost drinking water standards," said Coombs.

Coombs also believes the photovoltaic system has helped decrease operating costs at the plant for everything that requires energy, from turning on a light in an office to the plant's entire water treatment system.

The plant is looking to replace existing equipment in order to further increase efficiency, and hopefully save more money. It is in the early stages of replacing its ultraviolet light system, which by today's standards is obsolete.

In order to accomplish this, Gromm has put in for a grant with PG&E.

"It [a new ultraviolet light system] will save us about $280,000 a year in energy costs," he said. "Anything that will save kilowatts, PG&E will pay for a part of."

The cost of the new UV system has not been established at this time, he added, as they are still in the planning stages.  

The plant also has plans to repair the system that collects waste water in Pacifica since the current pipes are about 50 to 60 years old, said Coombs.

"Our infrastructure in the ground is terrible and that could be said for every city in the Bay Area," said Gromm. "The state is mandating for us to improve them."

Although the court order to perform these repairs has not been made yet, the improvements have already begun with the particular focus on problem areas the plant has already seen within the collection system. The overall improvements to the system will most likely result in rate hikes for residents, to be established during the next fiscal year. Since the plant's budget for the next fiscal year has not been finalized, Gromm could not say how much rates would increase during these repairs.

However, Gromm said, replacing the aging pipes will keep the city from experiencing "environmental contamination and sewage spills."

Despite the need for ongoing upgrades and improvements, plant manager Coombs believes the current treatment plant, which has been in operation since 2001, is much more efficient and less costly than the old plant on Beach Boulevard that discharged its runoff into the ocean, which is how most coastal sewage treatment plants work. That method can be very costly if something goes wrong. Any repairs to ocean discharge pipes require divers and special equipment. Not to mention they need a lot of ongoing maintenance.

Coombs believes that Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant best reflects the city's environmental philosophy, too.

"The city's philosophy is to be green and use less power," he said. "A lot of the environmental activists were for having a wetland area. It is also important to the citizens of Pacifica."

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