Walking on Water
Many thanks to Healdsburg Utility Director Terry Crowley and Water & Wastewater Operations Superintendent Rob Scates for spending a couple of hours on a Friday evening answering all of our questions about how our wastewater treatment plant turns currently about 700,000 gallons (with a maximum capacity of 4 million gallons) of raw sewage into clear, treated water every day.
This tour is a staple for local 5th graders, but for many adults, we don’t typically think about what happens to what we flush down our toilets, sinks and drains. How does the waste get to the facility? What are the steps to purify it? And what happens to the treated water and the various treatment by-products? Not to mention: What are some of the challenges of operating this facility? These were just some of the questions we peppered Rob with during our leisurely stroll around the treated water holding ponds. Rob’s enthusiasm for treating sewage was evident and made the tour a lot of fun.
We also learned about the solar power purchase agreement the City has with the floating solar project developer and the fact that the 11,660 double-sided solar panels (beloved by geese) produce enough electricity to meet 8% of Healdsburg’s electricity needs.
The treated water is used mainly by wineries at the moment, but the City – as you may have noticed from the road markings along Healdsburg Avenue and University Street – got a $7.1 million grant to install more “purple pipe” to deliver recycled water to City parks, the golf course, cemetery and some public schools facilities. You can read more about the project here.
Mark your calendars now for upcoming Move! Healdsburg community events:
The July 14 "Tour de Healdsburg” Community Bike Ride, brought to you in partnership with Enso Village. This is a chance to explore the nothern part of town, including Parkland Farms. Besides refreshments, participants will receive a surprise gift, so don’t miss it!
An art-themed Community Walk on Fitch Mountain on August 11th, where we will learn about the “Summit Variations” public art installation on the mountain from the artist herself, Johanna Grawunder!
To learn more about Move! Healdsburg, see upcoming events and get involved, visit: https://movehealdsburg.org