City of Dallas Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Management

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SHOWCASE

More Than Just a Plan

City of Dallas Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant Energy Management Implementation Plan GRESHAM, SMITH AND PARTNERS

CITY OF DALLAS - SOUTHSIDE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT ENERGY MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

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LOCATION

Dallas, Texas

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power usage by 15 percent across the DWU enterprise by 2013. To help meet these goals, and also the City’s target to decrease electricity use by at least five percent annually, GS&P began discussions regarding methods to further improve energy conservation/reduction efforts through the implementation of a customized EMIP, which would be used as part of the UMS. “The City was very interested in putting together a plan that was not only very specific to energy, but would also track and measure targets and objectives,” says Chris Haney, GS&P senior vice president of water resources and principal-in-charge on the project. “They needed a plan that organized past recommendations from energy audits and previous studies into an Energy Management Implementation Plan that provided the needed budget, schedule and tracking mechanism to get these projects implemented. It took about a year to formulate the project and its scope, but after multiple revisions we came up with an EMIP that was more than just a plan; it was a living document—online, easy to access and Citywide— that contained multiple energy saving opportunities.”

SERVICES

Capital Project Planning Energy Management Planning Energy Conservation Greenhouse Gas Emission Planning Wastewater Treatment Operations Assessment Water and Energy Nexus Planning

TEAM PIC, PM Christopher M. Haney, P.E. PP Kenneth D. Baker PP Lauren J. Seydewitz, LEED AP BD+C

Amanda Smith, EI Phillip Galbreath Ron Abraham, P.E., BCEE David A. Johnson, P.E. Stephanie Houston

“They needed a plan that organized past recommendations into an EMIP that provided the needed budget, schedule and tracking mechanism to get these projects implemented.”

—Chris Haney

SHOWCASE SIX

ith an Environmental Management System (EMS) that covers 11 of its municipal departments—and most of its 13,000 employees—the City of Dallas stands as a national leader in its commitment to the environment.

The comprehensive use of an EMS not only represents the City’s promise to continuously make environmentally savvy improvements in every City department, but also within the job descriptions of every City employee.

As part of this EMS, the City of Dallas set a target to decrease electricity use citywide by at least five percent annually for a 10-year period.

Having assisted Dallas Water Utilities (DWU)—one of the largest water and wastewater utility systems in the United States—with the development and implementation of an ISOcertified Utility Management System (UMS), GS&P was able to identify an Energy Management Implementation Plan (EMIP) as a way for DWU to not only meet this annual target, but also achieve other key energy savings goals identified in the UMS. Through its UMS, Dallas Water Utilities empowers staff at all levels to manage, monitor and measure goals and objectives for improvement.

The system encompasses a number of primary initiatives including: a 50-year water supply plan that incorporates water conservation; a 20-year strategic master plan for wastewater treatment facilities; and an energy conservation goal to reduce

Water Resources

C I T Y O F D A L L A S - S O U T H S I D E W A S T E W AT E R T R E AT M E N T P L A N T E N E R G Y M A N A G E M E N T I M P L E M E N TAT I O N P L A N

City of Dallas Water Utilities

A CUSTOM-DESIGNED PLANNING TOOL GS&P’s innovative EMIP for DWU’s Southside Waste Water Treatment Plant included four distinct goals that encompassed: creating an industrybest template that could be utilized in all other City facilities; combining other energy-related recommendations into a single plan that could be managed and executed as a management system; developing initiatives that allow the plant to exceed the 15-percent energy use reduction goal; and providing an implementation schedule for each initiative that documents life cycle costs to implement (as well as savings after implementation).

“The EMIP essentially provides a tool for management that allows them to prioritize initiatives based on financial and environmental benefits, and even social impacts,” explains GS&P environmental scientist Lauren Seydewitz.

“The format of the EMIP is complementary to the City’s EMS and DWU’s Utility Management System by tracking progress and benefits, and communicating the schedule status for each project. In a nutshell, the EMIP provides a way for management to quickly determine the status of projects that are impacting electricity use at the plant.”

Customized for the City’s use, and also designed for utilization in other facilities, GS&P’s industry-best EMIP template included: background, description, applicable benefits; next steps; reference documents; project status; implementation schedule with cost/expenses; and more than 20 initiatives to help DWU meet its 15-percent energy reduction goal.

“The EMIP incorporates over 20 initiatives that define operational modifications, enhancements, and available capital projects to conserve

and reduce energy use,” explains Haney. “As initiatives are prioritized, scheduled and implemented, cost savings are updated on an EMIP template to document the return on investment. Each initiative, whether it’s an energy conservation measure or the opportunity for a new project, is posted on DWU’s intranet domain for access and usage as a management system.

“The EMIP provides a way for management to quickly determine the status of projects that are impacting electricity use at the plant.”

—Lauren Seydewitz “And there are tracking symbols that measure progress. Green means implemented, yellow means underway and red means not started. At any point, any of the stakeholders within the City who are tasked with managing and meeting energy reduction goals can have the current status right at their fingertips.”

Initiatives in the EMIP include improvements to Southside Waste Water Treatment Plant that will increase energy efficiency; reduce kWh/ million gallons treated; and utilize all on-site resources to reduce costs and resource consumption. Additionally, water conservation and operational improvements initiatives incorporated into the customized plan will help to save energy.

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An industry template customized for the City’s use that can be utilized by all other City facilities. This step develops the initiatives that allow the plant to exceed the 15 percent energy use reduction goal.

An implementation schedule was set for each initiative to document life cycle costs as well as savings after implementation. The return on investment (ROI) was then documented.

INFLUENT PUMP STATION

COGENERATION FACILITY

SIDE STREAM BLOWERS

Larger pumping systems are utilized to bring wastewater into the plant and send treated wastewater out of the facility.

Influent pump stations significantly reduce the power consumed.

The cogeneration facility utilizes biogas produced from the biological treatment process. The energy produced is utilized to support the energy demands on-site and reduces the energy used by the city.

Ken Baker (left) assesses the sidestream blowers for energy efficiency and performance. They provide aeration for the side-stream treatment.

EXISTING BASIN EXISTING FACILITY STRUCTURE FACILITY CURRENTLY UNDER DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION PLANNED NEW FACILITIES PLANNED FACILITY REHABILITATION

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LAND APPLICATION FIELDS

From the 150-mgd Bachman Water Treatment Plant to the 550mgd East Side Water Treatment Plant, the City of Dallas has a long-term goal to utilize GS&P’s EMIP template at its water and wastewater pump stations throughout the DWU system. Once completed department wide, the total

“The City of Dallas proactively promotes stewardship—both of the environment and the communityentrusted fiscal resources—to provide the best services available.” annual implementation plan can be assessed and then managed across the enterprise.

“I love the simplicity of this EMIP,” says Seydewitz. “It really is user-friendly. It doesn’t matter if you’re an operator or if you’re the director of the utility because it puts a focus on ‘this is why what we did matters, and these are the next steps.’”

“The City of Dallas proactively promotes stewardship--both of the environment and the communityentrusted fiscal resources--to provide the best services available,” adds Haney. “The EMIP is yet another example of this stewardship.” In addition to this goal, they had another very aggressive energy-related project— the development of a cogeneration

SHOWCASE SIX

Completed by GS&P, the first EMIP for the 110-mgd Southside WWTP will guide DWU through its ongoing energy reduction activities.

“GS&P’s EMIP identified opportunities for significant energy savings by looking at power-intensive unit processes such as pumping, aeration, solids-handling and disinfection,” says Chris Kaakaty, GS&P senior vice president of water resources and former assistant director of wastewater operation at DWU. “It also provided the utility with a template that can be used at any water or wastewater treatment facility.”

—Chris Haney

facility at Southside WWTP—that reduced its daily energy usage by 2.0 megawatts. GS&P’s EMIP keeps the City on the right track by addressing energy management over the longterm and accounting for the needs of management and operators.

“I think everybody recognizes that their energy bills are going up, and that their water and sewer rates are going up also,” continues Haney. “So when you look at an organization like the City of Dallas, which has one of the largest environmental utility management systems in the country, it’s refreshing to see a utility that is incredibly progressive and forward-thinking. Even though they don’t have to act right now, they recognize that by taking no action they’re hurting their chances to be more responsible and more sustainable in the future. So they’re taking a very proactive approach to controlling the energy security at Southside WWTP, and that will ultimately have far-reaching benefits with the Metro Dallas and North Texas areas. By helping the City significantly reduce its energy use, our EMIP is an important part of this pre-emptive approach, which will ultimately benefit citizens and customers by lowering the cost of service, and keeping the City in a financial situation where they can continue to take on new technologies and do the right thing for the environment.”▪

C I T Y O F D A L L A S - S O U T H S I D E W A S T E W AT E R T R E AT M E N T P L A N T E N E R G Y M A N A G E M E N T I M P L E M E N TAT I O N P L A N

So that previous work efforts weren’t duplicated, GS&P’s EMIP compiled prior reports and recommendations (from previous master plans, recent energy audits and GS&P’s recommendations), into the one implementation plan that could be tracked and measured. For example, an energy audit report

by Oncor Electric Delivery Company was one of several sources featured in the EMIP that outlined specific energy conservation measures.

“DWU staff at Southside WWTP was looking for a way to systematically bring together previously completed studies that related to electricity efficiency opportunities and energy conservation measures at the plant, and the EMIP does just that,” says Seydewitz. “By not doubling up on previous recommendations—and there have been some pivotal reports compiled in the past—the City will ultimately save money.”

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