On:
In: Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Success Stories

After years of clean-up efforts, the Ashtabula River in Ohio is no longer considered one of the “most environmentally degraded” areas in the Great Lakes Region thanks, in part, to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) funding. The cleanup was a large integrated effort between the EPA, U.S. Corps of Engineers, Ohio EPA, the Ashtabula City Port Authority, and others, and included the removal of massive amounts of contaminated sediment from the bottom of the river, the installation of 2,500 feet of fish habitat, and remediation of the Fields Brook Superfund site.

“This is a clear example of how federal funding is producing results in local communities toward safe, clean drinking water, increasing recreational opportunities, and accelerating clean-up efforts in some of the most polluted communities in the region,” said Laura Rubin, director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition. “We are thrilled with the delisting and realize that there are other toxic sites around the region that continue to pollute the water, poison drinking water, and make the fish unsafe to eat. The additional $1 billion for the GLRI in the recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will continue and expand this important work for the health and safety of the region.”

The post Ashtabula River in Ohio Removed from Areas of Concern List appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/ashtabula-river-in-ohio-removed-from-areas-of-concern-list/

Jordan Lubetkin

On:
In: Policy, Success Stories

Communities across the Great Lakes are struggling with aging drinking and waste water infrastructure that is vital to providing safe drinking water, and nonstop wastewater treatment services that protect public health.

Thanks to federally funded programs such as the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (SRF), communities that struggle with aging water infrastructure can get low-interest or no-interest loans to upgrade these systems and protect communities and habitats over the long term.

These federal programs use an innovative financing structure that ensures a long-term supply of low-interest or no-interest loans for towns, cities and municipalities that need infrastructure improvements. Green Bay, Wisconsin is one success story of the SRF put into action. NEW Water, the brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, is perched at the edge of the Great Lakes, and serves about 236,000 residents, and cleans about 38 million gallons of water each day.

More than ten years ago, NEW Water realized that its solids handling facility was nearing the end of its useful life. Leaving things be was not an option; a compromised system would have jeopardized the nonstop service Green Bay residents and businesses had come to expect.

Leveraging SRF funding, NEW Water addressed this community need by building a new solids handling facility, called Resource Recovery and Electrical Energy, or R2E2.  Now that the project is complete, NEW Water is producing electricity, recovering and reusing heat, and is also recovering phosphorus in the form of struvite to be reused as a slow-release agricultural fertilizer. This project has shifted the utility from that of a consumer of resources, to that of a producer. In 2019, NEW Water’s biogas engine generators produced enough electricity to power about 1,560 average homes for an entire year.

“NEW Water-82” – To the right is the new solids building, part of the R2E2 facility, which features a state-of-the-art air pollution control system.

R2E2 enables NEW Water to continue providing clean water services for its community. NEW Water has recently received a Platinum Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for 17 years of consecutive, 100% permit compliance for wastewater discharge at its Green Bay Facility. Additionally, R2E2’s state-of-the-art air pollution control system allows NEW Water to meet and exceed stringent standards for air, which means cleaner air for the community.

“Thanks to the State Revolving Fund, we were able to save money for our ratepayers,” said Tom Sigmund, NEW Water Executive Director. “This added help is critical for communities like ours to protect valuable water resources and keep rates cost effective for the families, industries, and businesses who rely on us.”

The contributions of the SRF are many. The SRF staff at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources were critical in helping guide the NEW Water team through the funding application process. In large-scale projects such as R2E2, which cost approximately $180 million, approximately $144 million of which was funded through SRF, technical assistance can serve as a roadmap through the complexities of funding, which can involve multiple sources.

Green Bay’s success is one example of the sorts of benefits that communities can get from the State Revolving Fund Program. But more work needs to be done. The Great Lakes communities face an infrastructure backlog of over $188 billion, and the State Revolving Funds provide communities with the means to chip away at that. That’s why The Healing Our Waters—Great Lakes Coalition is advocating for additional water infrastructure funding (link to water infrastructure factsheet). With additional funding for the State Revolving Fund more communities facing problems like Green Bay did can get the help they need.

The post Waste Into Fuel: A Water Infrastructure Success in Green Bay appeared first on Healing Our Waters Coalition.

Original Article

Healing Our Waters Coalition

Healing Our Waters Coalition

https://healthylakes.org/waste-into-fuel-a-water-infrastructure-success-in-green-bay/

Pavan Vangipuram