Atlantic County Utilities Authority

ACUA's Wastewater Treatment Facility located in Atlantic City, NJ, currently treats the wastewater of 14 Atlantic County municipalities as well as sludge/biosolids, grease, scum, dried municipal sludge, liquid sludge and leachate from the area.[2]

Located at the plant is a New Jersey-certified water and wastewater environmental testing laboratory that provides analysis to ensure the treatment plant meets and exceeds environmental quality standards set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental. In addition, laboratory services are offered to public entities, including public health agencies, water utilities, wastewater utilities, and school districts. These services include water sampling and sample pick-up services.[3]

The plant operates on the power generated by the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm and 500 kilowatt solar project located on the premises.

ACUA provides recycling collection for the municipalities of Atlantic County, NJ. In 2009, ACUA implemented a single-stream recycling system, which allows residents to dispose of all recyclable materials in one container. ReCommunity Recycling operates the Materials Recovery Facility at the ACUA Recycling Center. Here, recyclables are sorted, baled and shipped to end market companies throughout the United States and internationally. ReCommunity and ACUA share in revenues derived from the sale of sorted materials.

ACUA's transfer station and landfill is located in Egg Harbor Township at its 360-acre Howard “Fritz” Haneman Environmental Park. “The landfill's first section, or cell, was constructed in 1991. Today, the landfill covers more than 100 acres and is 145 feet high. Based on current operating procedures and regulations the landfill is expected to be accepting waste through 2026.

Since Atlantic County is located in a coastal area, the landfill is built above ground with a double-liner system to prevent the possibility of contamination of the environment and groundwater from waste.

The landfill accepts materials such as construction and demolition debris, bulky waste and municipal solid waste. Because of its proximity to the Atlantic City Airport, ACUA landfills its municipal solid waste at night to deter the activity of birds.

Metal items, including refrigerators and appliances, as well as carpeting and tires are recycled after being dropped off at the ACUA's transfer station.

Yard waste that is collected at ACUA's composting facility or through municipal collections is ground up and placed into windrows – rows of material about six feet high and 500 feet long – to decompose. It is turned weekly to aid in the decomposition process and control odors. After curing for approximately six months, the material is processed and used to create ACUA's EcoSoil™.

ACUA is home to the first wind farm in New Jersey and the country's first coastal wind project, the Jersey-Atlantic Wind Farm, which is located at its Wastewater Treatment Plant in Atlantic City. The ACUA partnered with Community Energy Inc. to build the farm, which consists of five turbines that can generate up to 7.5 megawatts of power. On average, the electricity produced from the wind farm satisfies about 57 to 60 percent of the Wastewater Plant's total energy needs.[4][5]

In partnership with World Water & Power Corporation and Alternity Power, a 500 kilowatt solar electric project consisting of 2,700 solar panels was installed at the ACUA Wastewater Treatment Plant. Built in 2005, the system is estimated to produce more than 600,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually.[6]

A 5.4 Megawatt system landfill to gas (LFG) energy project captures methane gas, which is known to be 21 times more potent than CO₂, from the ACUA's landfill and uses it to create electricity. The landfill gas project supplies 100% of the environmental park's electricity needs, with excess electricity going to the grid. The project was completed by AC Landfill Energy, LLC (ACLE), a joint venture of DCO Energy and South Jersey Industries. The LFG project generates approximately 42,638,400 KWh of electricity per year, enough energy to power 2,757 homes and offset the energy equivalent of 25,083 barrels of crude oil each year.[7]

ACUA operates a vehicle wash powered by 100% renewable energy, which is open to public and private fleets for use. Solar panels heat the wash water and solar lighting illuminates the wash bay. 85% of the water used is recycled for future washes and recycled motor oil is used to heat the facility.[8]

ACUA administrative offices use a geothermal heating and cooling system. The system depends on well water that is heated at a constant temperature of 55 degrees at a depth of 250 feet. Fifty closed-looped wells on a field adjacent to the building provide the water. The system extracts heat from the water in the winter, and in summer, heat is transferred to the ground through the water.[9]

In October 2010, the first compressed natural gas station in South Jersey built and operated by Clean Energy Fuels opened at ACUA. As a member of the NJ Clean Cities Coalition, ACUA was awarded $1.9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to offset the cost of constructing the fueling station and purchasing new CNG vehicles. ACUA is currently in the process of switching its entire fleet to CNG.[10]

ACUA operates various electric and hybrid off-road and on-road vehicles, including a zero-emission Ford Ranger EV, a solar-powered electric vehicle named “Sunny,” four hybrid Ford Escapes, a Nissan Leaf, and a Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid. Vehicles are powered at electric vehicle charging stations, which are fed by the landfill gas, solar and wind renewable energy projects.[11]