Lafayette, IN Wastewater Treatment Plant

The Lafayette Wastewater Plant is an activated sludge facility with a design capacity of 26 MGD and peak of 52 MGD.  The facility utilizes anaerobic digestion and land applies its biosolids. The facility is well-operated.  They were awarded the EPA Region V Class IV plant of the year in 1996.

WSI conducted a Process Energy Audit (PEA) at the Lafayette, Indiana WWTP in 2007.  The audit followed a traditional energy audit sponsored by Region V EPA (conducted by Siemens and a group associated with Purdue).  The EPA sponsored audit identified a potential electrical savings of $8000 per year.  The WSI audit resulted in annual electrical savings of $198,000. This represented a 23% kWh reduction from the previous 12-month period.  The total annual savings realized in the 12-month period following the audit was $536,000.  This savings was accomplished by process changes alone.  The utility did not spend any capital on equipment or upgrades.  The plant also realized treatment performance improvements in all effluent parameters.  The audit also increased available digester hydraulic capacity by 24% by dramatically reducing the volume of plant solids produced.