Oregon wastewater facility is now turning sewage into renewable energy

by Tanatchapoom (Tony) Mueantonthian

Since August 2021, Tri-City Water Resource Recovery Facility in Oregon’s Clackamas County has been using methane gas from human waste to generate renewable energy,  according to Good Good Good. 

The facility embarked on this novel approach after a wildfire threatened the facility in the summer of 2020. Engineers at the facility worried that if the fire shut down power to the facility, the facility could flood the nearby Willamette River with untreated sewage causing environmental damage. Now, through this new approach, they have unlocked a renewable source of energy that uses the resources already available on-site.

Perhaps wastewater treatment plants around the country can begin using this approach, making more efficient use of available resources while also bolstering resilience during disruptive events.