At the recent annual meeting of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), OCWA was honored to receive the Carbon Reduction Award from AWWA and the Great Lakes Protection Fund as part of the inaugural Great Lakes Water Utility Energy Challenge.
OCWA’s recent 2.4 mw solar installation at its Lake Ontario Water Treatment Plant was the driving factor in this most recent achievement. OCWA has significantly reduced its carbon emissions at its Oswego treatment and pumping facilities with this solar installation and is poised to lead the upstate region in carbon reductions and surpass its sustainability goals.
OCWA was able to provide the following emission reductions:
- 1,300,000 pounds of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) (16% reduction from baseline)
- 350 pounds of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) (15% reduction)
- 166 pounds of Sulfur Oxide (Sox) (13% reduction)
- 5.88E-03 pounds of Mercury (Hg) (15% reduction)
- 1.19E-02 pounds of Lead (Pb) (12% reduction)
The Energy Challenge also showcased two software programs (LEED and PEPSO) which aid utilities in deciding how to adjust their operation and production cycles in order to maximize emission reductions.
OCWA’s solar installation greatly enhanced its emission reduction profile and allowed it to beat out the other four finalists for the award, who were selected from a large number of applicants by an independent board of education, private business and industry professionals.
Mike Oemcke from OCWA’s Engineering Department accepted the award on behalf of OCWA. 