Wastewater treatment plants play critical roles in the Washington DC region’s climate and sustainability planning.  The high-levels of energy used for their operations are very often important variables of local governmental budgets and climate plans.  The sustainable operations of water treatment plants also play a critical roles in the water quality planning of watersheds such as the Potomac River and its estuaries.  Navigating the policy and technical universe of greenhouse gas emissions reductions, energy efficiency, renewable energy applications, public engagement, economic savings and water quality improvements represent special policy and technical opportunities and challenges for the water treatment plants of the Washington DC region.   

Across the Atlantic, the City of Bottrop, Germany’s, “Innovation City” program has experimented with local climate, energy and watershed revitalization planning in which the sustainability and operations of the city’s (and Ruhr region’s) wastewater treatment has featured prominently.  Much of Bottrop’s special 20-year history of innovative economic redevelopment, climate and energy programs have made central the fusion of watershed regeneration and climate neutrality – and in the context of both, the operations of the City’s wastewater treatment plant.  As part of the Bottrop’s goals to attain climate neutrality by 2040, Bottrop aspires to make its wastewater treatment plant emissions neutral by 2035.  The City and plant’s policy tool box includes the deployment of innovative methane recapture strategies, sludge incineration and heat conveyance via district energy.  The plant’s energy strategy also involves substantial applications of solar and wind energy sources as well as a unique real-time display of its energy performance for the public to track and monitor.    

As local governments in the United States and Germany advance their energy and climate mitigation planning, the sustainable operations of critical water treatment infrastructure will form a central piece of their plans.  Creating more formal channels to communicate about mutually applicable technical and policy lessons about energy and water infrastructure can contribute to strengthening the progress of climate planning on both sides of the Atlantic. 

On Wednesday, May 12, 2021, from 12:00pm – 1:15pm (EST), please join the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), DC Water and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission for a webinar that features the work of DC Water’s Chris Peot (Director of Resource Recovery) and Bottrop’s Dr. Lars Guenther (Director of the Bottrop Wastewater Treatment Plant).  Mr. Peot and Dr. Guenther will share their work with sustainable energy management at the convergence of local level climate and sustainability planning.