SLO unveils upgrades to sewage treatment plant

San Luis Obispo officials led tours Wednesday of major upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant aimed at reducing carbon emissions, saving energy and reducing costs.

Construction on the $9.5 million project had started in January 2014 and included upgrades to water processing systems and control systems. A combined heat and power system allows for on-site electricity to be generated using natural biogas produced at the treatment plant each day.

The city partnered with PG&E to facilitate the upgrades — the first-ever partnership of its kind to improve energy efficiency at a city facility.

According to the city, the upgrades will reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by 1 million pounds. With the improvements in place, the city could save about $325,000 a year in energy and maintenance costs.

The plant on Prado Road, called the Water Resource Recovery Facility, treats 1.7 billion gallons of sewage from the city, Cal Poly and the county airport annually.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 3:42 PM with the headline "SLO unveils upgrades to sewage treatment plant."