For immediate release
First LEED Silver Pump Station at Clean Water Services Facility
Hillsboro, OR — May 15, 2009 —
The first wastewater pump station to earn LEED Silver certification is the new influent pump station at Clean Water Services’ Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility at 16580 SW 85th Avenue in Tigard, Oregon. The U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) ranks buildings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the design and construction of the world’s greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings.
Clean Water Services (the District) staff worked closely with consultant MWH to design innovations that would earn LEED Silver and also save money while conserving energy and resources. The facility’s energy efficiency earned the District a check in the amount of $415,791 from the Energy Trust of Oregon this year, and will continue to produce annual energy savings of about $76,750 which is enough to power 109 homes while also reducing carbon emissions equivalent to 1.4 million miles driven. The new $33 million structure is the largest of the District’s pump stations and has a peak design capacity of 200 million gallons per day to meet the needs of the growing community and wet weather demands.
Mark Poling, director of the District’s Wastewater Treatment Department, said, “Building a LEED certified pump station demonstrates that Clean Water Services is thinking about how we go about protecting public health and the environment by focusing on more than water quality. Our staff and the consultants did a superb job of building a large process facility sustainably.”
Design elements that earned the LEED Silver for the pump station focused on energy and water conservation, site selection and stormwater management, and the use of recycled, local or regional, and low-emitting materials. Electricity usage is dramatically reduced by computerization of the massive pumps, which include one 1,000 horsepower pump and two 600 horsepower pumps in each of the facility’s two wet wells, and variable frequency drives that operate the pumps at maximum efficiency. The air handling unit, also with variable frequency drives, keeps the pump motor control room at the optimal temperature and pressure, and automated pressure sensors control return air fan speeds. Another variable frequency drive pulls odorous air from the wet wells and delivers it to a biofilter for treatment. A number of premium efficiency motors were also installed throughout the facility to maximize energy efficiency.
The LEED Silver certificate will be presented to District staff at the Board of Directors/Washington County Commission meeting on May 26 at 6 p.m. at the Public Services Building at 155 N. First Avenue in Hillsboro. This is the District’s second LEED certification, as its Administrative Building Complex at 2550 SW Hillsboro Highway is LEED Gold certified.
Clean Water Services is a water resource management utility for more than 500,000 people in urban Washington County and small portions of Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Lake Oswego and Portland. Clean Water Services operates four wastewater treatment facilities, constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects, and manages flow in the Tualatin River to improve water quality and protect fish habitat and leads watershed-wide water supply planning in close cooperation with other entities throughout the region. Although Clean Water Services maintains a close working relationship with Washington County government, it is a separately managed and financed public utility. For more information, visit www.cleanwaterservices.org.
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