Wastewater Treatment
Environmentally Sustainable
Utilities
FY2023 Budget
Program Budget Overview
Overview of Program & Intended Outcomes:
Wastewater Treatment operates and maintains the Boulder Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) and the Boulder Lift Station. At the WRRF, raw wastewater from city residents and businesses is processed into clean water that is discharged into Boulder Creek according to the city's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. In addition to clean water, biosolids fertilizer and renewable natural gas are recovered at the WRRF.
Performance metrics tracked and evaluated includes:
- Pounds of nutrients discharged in the effluent to Boulder Creek. Nitrogen and phosphorus are the main two macro-nutrients that are regulated and have significant environmental and public health impacts. The WRRF strives to optimize treatment to minimize the pounds of N and P discharged, and decrease those values over time.
- Energy use and efficiency is established based on volume of wastewater treated (millions of gallons) and strength of wastewater (pollutant concentration) and normalized as a benchmark. Electricity is the prominent energy metric, and the WRRF aims to reduce overall energy usage (kWh) and demand (kW) to achieve wastewater treatment goals.