Innovating to save costs and prevent pollution - NEW Water - The brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District - 2021 Annual Report - Report - Page 9
Innovating to save costs and prevent pollution
Innovating to Save Costs and
Prevent Pollution
NEW Water is committed to saving costs for customers.
In 2021, due to staff diligence on proactively managing
energy usage and costs, NEW Water produced about
40% of its energy needs for the Green Bay Facility.
Staff proactively seek grants to offset costs, as well as
subsidized loans through the state of Wisconsin, saving
our community anywhere from thousands to millions of
dollars per initiative. Additionally, pollution prevention
initiatives upstream not only save costs, but better
protect the environment and public health.
In 2021, NEW Water joined forces with municipal
partners to address pollution prevention of materials in
the shared sewer system, which they report has reduced
the number of maintenance calls due to blocked or
damaged equipment. Additional innovative measures
from staff included the installation of infrared heaters
on final clarifiers to prevent ice buildup, avoid potential
equipment shutdown, and save maintenance costs;
installation of backup engines to ensure continued
reliable service; completion of a tertiary filter initiative to
address aging infrastructure and capacity needs, which
also resulted in cost savings and better water quality.
Staff also completed a Lean Project (inset photo of
the Team) for unit projections for billing and budgeting
purposes, creating additional work efficiencies.
NEW Water
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ANNUAL REPORT
9