The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission (MetCom) has won an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. MetCom is one of the 2010 winners of the 6th Annual Performance and Innovation in the SRF (State Revolving Fund) Creating Environmental Success (PICES) Awards.
According to the EPA “the awards recognize projects identified by state Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) programs as examples of innovation and sustainable water quality financing. The projects represent the CWSRF’s commitment to well-managed traditional wastewater and sewer infrastructure as well as creative low-impact, energy-efficient, and water-efficient projects funded through CWSRF.”
MetCom, the county’s water and sewer authority, was the winner of the award for EPA’s Region 3. According to the award announcement, the MetCom project is described as follows:
“The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission utilized a SWSRF loan under ARRA (American Resource and Recovery Act) for an energy reuse project. The goal of this project was to reduce atmospheric discharges of methane gas from the sewage treatment process while simultaneously lowering energy costs. The $3.6 million in CWSRF funding will contribute to the construction, administrative and contingency costs of the Marlay-Taylor Water Reclamation Methane Power Co-Generation and Digester Upgrade project. After construction is complete, the methane produced from the on-site sewage treatment plant will be used for the production of electrical energy for use in the treatment facility. Additionally, rejected heat will supply the digester’s heating requirement. This will be achieved through the installation of 2.165 KW generators and improvements to the digesters. The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission project is demonstrative of an innovative way to reduce methane emissions as well as energy costs without great expansion into previously undisturbed land.”
The award was unveiled to the commission members Thursday by MetCom Executive Director Jacquelyn Meiser.
