2016 US Water Prize Winners
DC Water—Walter F. Bailey Bioenergy Facility
Innovation is key to creating a one water future, which is why the US Water Alliance selected DC Water to receive a 2016 US Water Prize. DC Water’s Resource Recovery Program – the first of its kind in North America and the largest in the world – has captured attention around the globe by producing a net 10 megawatts of electricity from the wastewater treatment process. This clean and renewable energy offsets the energy needs of the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant by approximately one-third. The project broke ground in 2011 and is the product of extensive research and piloting by DC Water’s award-winning wastewater and resource recovery team. The facilities include a dewatering building, 32 thermal hydrolysis vessels, four 80-foot tall concrete digesters and three turbines the size of jet engines. The energy is created by using innovative technology that had never been used in North America.
Dow—Minimal Liquid Discharge
By 2025, Dow committed via its Sustainability Goals to deliver at least one major industry breakthrough collaboration project to advance a circular economy in water reuse. Dow’s commitment to global water conservation for a more sustainable one water future is why the US Water Alliance selected the company as a 2016 Water Prize winner. Dow’s Minimal Liquid Discharge model, based on proven water filtration technologies, is a sustainable and cost-effective way for companies to improve their water footprint – enabling recovery of up to 95 percent of liquid discharges. The company is confident that it can achieve its goal if it stays focused on its priorities – to lead courageous collaborations, offer options that facilitate water reuse to access new sources of clean water, and deliver technologies that close the loop on water.
Emory University—WaterHub: Campus-scale water reclamation system
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy called the WaterHub at Emory “a model for us all” when she visited the facility in 2015. The first system of its kind installed in the United States, the WaterHub is a campus-scale water reclamation system serving Emory University’s main campus in Atlanta, Georgia. The WaterHub utilizes an eco-engineered treatment process to recycle nearly two-thirds of campus wastewater production – reducing the use of potable water by up to 40 percent. This generates an alternative water supply for critical heating and cooling operations, while consistently providing significant cost savings for utility operations. Moving the field of water reclamation forward by recycling 400,000 gallons of water per day, the WaterHub project serves as a model for sustainable water management for bulk water consumers, which is why Emory University is a 2016 Water Prize winner.