Wastewater Energy and Electrical Resiliency Project

The Wastewater Energy and Electrical Resiliency (WEER) Project would modernize and replace aging electrical infrastructure at the City Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) to improve electrical system reliability, resiliency, operational flexibility, worker safety, and emergency preparedness. Most of the electrical distribution systems at the facility were installed in the 1980’s and 1990’s. While well maintained, it has exceeded its useful life and creates operational and maintenance challenges. The project includes replacement of deteriorated underground electrical distribution lines, completion of a redundant facility-wide electrical loop, replacement and consolidation of substations, transformers, and switchgear, construction of a new main electrical building, demolition of the existing maintenance building, installation of a new centralized standby power generation system, and upgrades to electrical equipment serving treatment processes such as interstage pumps and aeration blowers. The project would also replace obsolete medium-voltage equipment with modern electrical systems, incorporate upgraded controls and variable-frequency drives to improve operational efficiency, and provide infrastructure capable of supporting long-term WWTF operations. Replacements and upgrades are needed to improve reliability, safety, maintainability, and alignment with current standards to establish a 30-to-40-year service lifespan.