Veolia and the SWBNO have worked together for more than 30 years, rebuilding and expanding treatment processes at the city’s two wastewater treatment plants, improving water quality and operational efficiency, while also providing operational support during hurricanes and natural disasters. Now, a new five-year agreement will set the partnership on a new path toward reimagining what wastewater treatment can do for the future of the city.
The reinvented partnership will save almost U$$2 million a year, reduce energy and chemical consumption, cut carbon emissions and install new technology for better environmental performance.
Veolia will install its cutting-edge digital monitoring and analysis tools to continually optimize the performance of New Orleans’ wastewater system, allowing it to perform better, use less energy, generate less waste, emit fewer greenhouse gases, and reduce the potential generation of unpleasant odors.
New digital monitoring systems will make it easier for plant operators to manage changing conditions and optimize the treatment process, providing real-time monitoring of wastewater treatment for the first time.
A new system for receiving, storing and treating sludge at the East Bank facility will improve efficiency, provide more odor control and help generate additional revenue in the future.
New pumps, bar screens and other equipment will help both East Bank and West Bank plants improve operations, while new bleach storage capacity at the West Bank facility will upgrade its disinfection capability.
Veolia will also install a new system to dissolve oxygen into the aerobic digestion process of wastewater treatment, eliminating the need for three truckloads a week of costly liquid oxygen supplies delivered to the plant. The new system will save almost US$2 million a year, reduce chemical costs and power use by at least an estimated 10%, and eliminate an estimated 12 metric tons per month of carbon emissions.
Karine Rougé, CEO of Veolia North America’s Municipal Water division, said: "Veolia has been proud to support New Orleans’ dedicated efforts to modernize its wastewater treatment infrastructure since 1992, and our partnership is now focused on implementing a new generation of physical and process improvements that reimagine this vital city service. We are glad to partner with SWBNO to envision a forward-thinking plan that is a major step toward delivering newer infrastructure and better public service.”
Ghassan Korban, executive director, SWBNO, said: “As part of our utility’s commitment to infrastructure reliability and resiliency, as well as technology modernization, this investment will make our East Bank and West Bank wastewater treatment plants far more efficient and effective.”
