Renewable Natural Gas

2021

A renewable natural gas facility, that provides a new source of green energy, is operating at VVWRA’s main plant in Victorville.  The RNG project will collect methane or biogas emitted by waste in our digesters and convert it into pipeline quality natural gas. The project is a public/private partnership between VVWRA, Anaergia and Southwest Gas that is designed to  help address the requirements of SB 1383. SB 1383 was signed into law in 2016 by then Governor Jerry Brown. The law requires the diversion of 75% of organic waste, like food scraps, paper and yard trimmings, from the states landfills to reduce the emission of methane into our environment. The facility will accepts up to 65,000 gallons of slurried food waste per day. The project is expected to generate 1000 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute) of renewable natural gas. That is on top of the 200 SFM produced by municipal sludge. 
The project will beneficially reduce more than 6,000 metric tons of methane (1.5 million CO2 tons equivalent) per year, which otherwise would have been flared or released into the atmosphere. “The VVWRA facility is a great model for use in California: leveraging the existing wastewater treatment plant to meet organic waste recycling requirements, increasing yields of renewable energy, and improving publicly owned infrastructure,” said Andrew Benedek, Anaergia’s Chairman and CEO. 
VVWRA has repurposed its three original 330,000-gallon digesters to process the food waste. A large 50,000-gallon storage tank and two 12,000-gallon tanks have been installed to help operators regulate the feed of material into the digesters. The methane produced in the digesters is being piped to a scrubbing  facility run by our partner Anaergia Inc., which removes impurities and pressures the gas before it is injected into an adjoining Southwest Gas pipeline. “VVWRA is committed to protecting public health and the environment in the Victor Valley, and this partnership reflects our three core values: collaboration, dedication, and integrity,” said VVWRA General Manager Darron Poulsen. “This project increases capacity needed for future growth while benefiting the agency economically.”               

High Speed Sulzer Blowers

November 2021

Air is crucial in treating wastewater. More than 90% of the treatment of wastewater at VVWRA takes place in our aeration basins, where tiny air bubbles are blown into the wastewater to keep microbes happy and active. VVWRA is installing two new high-speed blowers to provide a reliable air source to the aeration basins. The Swedish-made 250 hp Sulzer turbo blowers produce air flow of 5000 SCFM (standard cubic feet per minute). The Sulzer blowers are more efficient and have a smaller environmental footprint than our previous blowers. They are designed to work in harsh environments.

Subregional Reclamation Facilities

Apple Valley

The Apple Valley Subregional water recycling facility is producing recycled water for irrigation use at the Apple Valley Golf Course.