Throughout the United States, many citizens rely on wastewater management plants to deliver clean water to their homes. In turn, each wastewater treatment plant relies on an energy source for continuous operation.

In most cases, that source is an energy grid. (It’s most often electricity that powers pumps and filtration equipment.) When the power source is unavailable, the treatment plants can’t operate properly, if at all. Unfortunately, this situation presents a significant health risk for local residents.

Wastewater Disasters Are Becoming the Norm

If this scenario sounds familiar, it’s because it’s happened before in parts of the country affected by major storms. For example, Winter Storm Uri famously shut down the Texas power grid in February 2021, leaving millions without access to clean water and hundreds of thousands without water at all.

These residents experienced “boil water” advisories for days on end. Many can attest to the fact that this wasn’t the first time a storm had spelled disaster for water treatment:

• In 2022, Hurricane Ian knocked out power to 33% of Polk County’s pumping stations, pushing tens of millions of gallons of wastewater into the community
• In 2012, Hurricane Sandy damaged treatment plants in New York City, leading to multiple sewage spills totaling hundreds of millions of gallons of wastewater

When wastewater treatment plants can’t function, the contaminated water simply backs up in the system until it starts running again, causing contaminated water to flow into the community. This doesn’t just impact households — it can shut down critical life-saving resources like hospitals and fire services. It can also negatively impact the plant itself.

Microgrids Have the Potential to Restore Order to the Chaos

Clearly, finding a solution to this problem should be a major concern for all municipalities. Fortunately, one is close at hand: the North Fort Bend Water Authority can cosign the power of microgrids to save the day in such emergencies.

During Hurricane Beryl, the agency used six microgrids from supplier Enchanted Rock to keep pumps and filtration systems running when power was scarce. Jurisdictions without adequate backup sources didn’t fare so well.

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Fortunately, wastewater facilities across the country are starting to pick up on this industry-shifting solution.

Wastewater treatment plants in California and Washington D.C. have invested heavily in microgrids. Many have experienced what it’s like for a plant to be without power during a severe weather event and would rather not take the chance of it ever happening again.

Generating Power Without Harming the Environment

One of the best things about microgrids is that they don’t rely on fossil fuels the way some other grid systems do. Instead, they provide clean, renewable energy sources to serve as backups for malfunctioning power systems.

Although lawmakers and agencies may not be ready to move away from traditional utilities altogether, having a mix of traditional power systems and sustainable microgrids can offer an acceptable compromise.

Using the power of collaboration, wastewater plants can ensure that their facilities and the residents they serve are prepared to weather any storm.

To learn more, read the original article by Lisa Cohn.