Biosolids and Energy Phase 1 Project

Biosolids and Energy Phase 1 Project

Goleta Sanitary District (“GSD”) owns and operates the Goleta Water Resource Recovery Facility (“WRRF”) located at One William Moffett Place, near the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport in an unincorporated coastal area of Santa Barbara County, California. An assessment of the WRRF conducted in 2016 indicated that some of the unit processes at the WRRF are nearing the end of their service life and would need rehabilitation and replacement soon. In August 2019, GSD developed the Biosolid and Energy Strategic Plan (BESP) to evaluate biosolids unit processes in detail and summarize the recommended approach to upgrade existing facilities. The proposed project is an initial step in GSD’s long-term program for achieving energy neutrality by implementing technologies and strategies to utilize digester gas production and energy recovery. The BESP technology evaluation identified a combined heat and power (“CHP”) system with an internal combustion engine as the most desirable biogas utilization technology and addition of a new anaerobic digester as the most feasible option to achieve firm digestion capacity. The primary components of the proposed project consist of: • One new digester with a capacity of 550,000 gallons, which will replace existing Digester 1. The new digester will include the installation of auxiliary equipment, including digester mixing apparatus, digester cover, and digester heating elements (heat exchanger, piping, etc.). This new digester is designed to allow sufficient capacity for the plant if any of the existing digesters, including the largest digester (i.e., Digester 3), goes out of service; • A CHP system featuring one new 160-kilowatt (kW) generator set that will be fueled by digester gas. Waste heat from the CHP engine will be used to heat the digesters. Additionally, the two existing digester gas booster blowers will be replaced with two new blowers to match the CHP engine; • A Biogas pretreatment system designed to reduce hydrogen sulfide (H2S), siloxanes, and moisture in the digester gas used to fuel the CHP engine. Goleta West Sanitary District (“GWSD”) and GSD are parties to a 1960 agreement (“1960 Agreement”) under which any improvement to the WRRF requires the consent of GWSD. Additionally, per the 1960 Agreement, GWSD is responsible for a portion of the expenses for any WRRF improvement project. Accordingly, GWSD, as a responsible agency for this proposed project, has agreed to execute an amendment to the 1960 Agreement consenting to the improvements and agreeing to fund a portion of the expenses for this project.

Goleta

Santa Barbara

Unincorporated

Santa Barbara