The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognizes Noman M. Cole, Jr. Pollution Control Plant (NMCPCP) for achieving DOE 50001 Ready recognition. NMCPCP, managed by the Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services’ Wastewater Treatment Division, is a wastewater treatment plant in Lorton, Virginia. The plant treats sewage from over 400,000 residents of southern Fairfax County. About 40 million gallons of sewage are processed daily by NMCPCP and about 1.5 million gallons of reclaimed water are used daily for a cooling tower at a nearby waste-to-energy facility.
NMCPCP learned of 50001 Ready through the Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) Initiative, an extension of DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative. SWIFt’s webinar series made a strong case for 50001 Ready, and NMCPCP was inspired to do its part to minimize GHG emissions by exploring previously untapped energy savings opportunities.
NMCPCP found DOE’s 50001 Ready Navigator to be very helpful in documenting and implementing their energy management system. The Navigator’s Management Review task was deemed most helpful because it encouraged both documentation and maintained focus among the team, especially top management. Another task, centered around the identification of significant energy uses (made possible by improved documentation), was also helpful, as it led NMCPCP staff to discover that their incinerators were using almost as much energy as their aeration process – an issue the operations team was then able to remedy, reducing energy consumption.
Other wastewater divisions that fall under the purview of Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services’ Wastewater Management Program are also considering 50001 Ready as an energy management strategy.
Learn more about energy management at NMCPCP.