Bakersfield Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 – Innovative, Sustainable, and a Good Neighbor

Bakersfield Wastewater Treatment Plant 3 (Plant 3) Upgrade and Expansion Project aimed at addressing capacity, process reliability, renewable energy and regulatory requirements. Prior to upgrades, Plant 3 violated its effluent discharge permit because the inflow exceeded the rated capacity and the plant lacked the required treatment. Several innovative, out–of–box process modification, and costs and energy–saving ideas were incorporated into the design such as conversion of decommissioned trickling filters to biofilters for odor control, an extensive and creative odor control for “Zero Odor” plant, conversion of old secondary clarifiers to covered primary clarifiers, integrated renewable energy system with biomass energy and PV solar energy for significant GHG reduction, and LEED–type buildings. This sustainable project earned more than 7 million in rebates/grants/incentives. The annual operating cost savings are estimated at 556,000. Completed on time with excellent team effort and safety record, Plant 3 has outperformed all regulatory requirements.