The 91st Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant in Phoenix, Ariz., has a simple mission: meet permits; reduce chemical, energy, and biosolids costs; automate where practical; and innovate. Despite the lack of any large capital projects, the plant has achieved big savings, says assistant plant superintendent Jim Coughenour.
“Electricity has increased by 40 percent, chemical costs are up, and even the price for biosolids land applicators has increased. Still, our division has reduced overall cost for those three from $18.2 million to $15.2 million in five years,” Coughenour says. “We expect to reduce it by another $1 million this year. We’re trying to
