Troutdale to Update Aging Wastewater Treatment Plant

Troutdale’s wastewater treatment plant, constructed 20 years ago, is starting to show its age.

“It’s in its middle age,” said Fred Ostler, Troutdale public works director.

But the facility is about to get a facelift.

The city contracted with Ameresco, an energy efficiency company, to replace a few of the plant’s systems for $2.2 million. The upgrades will include replacing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit and retrofitting the plant’s lights with energy efficient light efficient diode (LED) bulbs, and replacing the plant’s ultra-violet (UV) disinfection system.

The plant uses a green UV system to disinfect the water in the final stage of the treatment process. The UV bulbs break frequently, and are expensive to replace, Ostler noted. A newer system will help the bulbs to last longer.

Ameresco also will replace the plant’s blowers (used to give micro-organisms oxygen to help eat bugs, in turn cleaning the water), and add ultra-fine bubble diffusers. Both replacements will speed up the wastewater treatment process by providing the organisms more oxygen.