WATER + STORMWATER
Rhode Island Airport Corporation Glycol Recovery System — The propylene glycol recovery system at the T.F. Green Airport, in Warwick, R.I., is one of only four de-icer management facilities in the world. Funded with $33 million from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, this world-class approach to capturing contamination from plane de-icing chemicals allows the airport to comply with its Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) permit. The system replaces the previous management technique of using vacuum trucks to capture propylene glycol from catch basins, which was only able to recover 20 to 30 percent of the pollutant. The new collection system achieves a 60 percent collection rate and has been sized to ensure the airport facility can grow and drive economic development. The system installed at T.F. Green Airport diverts stormwater runoff to storage tanks, where real-time sensors can detect de-icer contamination and divert, store, and treat the runoff using anaerobic digestion. Leav- ing no opportunity untouched, the system captures methane produced by the treatment process and uses it to pre-heat the incoming waste stream as well as heat the treatment facility, which reduces operations and maintenance costs by lowering natural gas use at the facility by 95 percent. This process prevents propylene glycol (known for lowering dissolved oxygen in waterbodies) from entering Warwick Pond and Buckeye Brook. Buckeye Brook is undammed and, along with War- wick Pond, serves as a spawning ground for many fish such as alewife and blueback herring that migrate into Narragansett Bay. The project protects the water quality for these fish species essential to the bay’s ecosystem and the local fishing industry, and received accolades from local watershed advocates. Regional Onsite Sewage System Loan Program — The Regional Loan Program (RLP) consolidates multiple county-level septic loan programs into a single public-private partnership (P3) between the Washington State Dept. of Ecology, State Dept. of Health, multiple counties and local health jurisdictions, and third-party lender Craft3. Ecology contracted with Craft3, a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), through a competitive procurement pro- cess, and created this P3 to administer a revolving loan fund. Funded with SRF loans, Washington State Centennial Clean Water grants, and private funds leveraged by Craft3, the RLP provides loan assistance to eligible property owners across the region to repair, upgrade, or replace failing or malfunctioning septic systems (or convert to sewers in some cases), protecting public health and water quality. Under this arrangement, Craft3 works with local authorities to approve individual projects. Craft3 assumes the financial risk associated with lending and is obligated to repay the SRF funds. The program leverages economies of scale and Craft3’s lending ex- pertise and infrastructure. This makes more funds available for loans, outreach, and education, with less needed for program administration. This allows local governments to reap the benefits of a SRF-funded program while receiving support in managing the local loan program. Low-income borrowers account for 36 percent of the projects, many of whom do not qualify for traditional financing. The new consolidated program streamlines and standardizes the process, making it easier for contractors to work across jurisdictions. Contractors are paid immedi-
ately once each system passes inspection. The RLP also lends to small businesses, helping to stabilize local economies. Honorable Mention The following five projects received Honorable Mention: • Phosphorus Recovery System — MWRD of Greater Chicago • Bee Branch Creek Project — City of Dubuque, Iowa • Implementation of Nonpoint Practices — Rock County, Minn. • Green Infrastructure CSO Initiative — City of Hoboken, N.J. • Septic Tank Gravity System — New Haven Public Service District, W.Va. Recognized Excellence The EPA included the following 18 projects in the Recognized Excel- lence category: • Biosolids Improvements for Energy Recovery — City of Albertville, Ala. • Biological Nutrient Removal — Boxelder Sanitation District, Colo. • Digester Project — City of Graceville, Fla. • Stormwater Retention — City of Hinesville, Ga. • Wastewater System Consolidation and Upgrade Project — City of Fruitland, Idaho • Three Rivers Protection and Overflow — City of Fort Wayne, Ind. • Wastewater Reuse Project — Town of Homer, La. • Southern Kent Island Sewer Collection System — Queen Anne’s County, Md. • Organics to Energy — Greater Lawrence Sanitary District, Mass. • Onsite Septic Remediation Program — Upper White River Basin Foundation Inc., Mo. • Montoyas Arroyo Improvement — S. Sandoval County Arroyo Flood • Control, N.M. • New Rochelle WWTP Upgrades —Westchester County, N.Y. • Green Infrastructure Project — Oklahoma Conservation Commission • Green Infrastructure — City of Philadelphia • 4th Avenue Ocean Outfall — City of Myrtle Beach, S.C. • Grand Lakes Reclaimed Water System — North Fort Bend Water Authority, Texas • Wetland Stormwater Retention System — City of Waynesboro, Va. • New Water R2E2: Resource Recovery & Electric — Green Bay MSD, Wis. For detailed descriptions about the projects, download the PISCES Compendium at www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2017-10/docu- ments/pisces_compendium_final.pdf.
Information provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov).
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csengineermag.com
february 2018
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