Sunny Little Green Wastewater Conservatories

Sept. 30, 2015

I could have titled this blog something like “Ecology, Biology, Technology in a Neat Little Package.” Or, “That’s no Greenhouse—That’s My Wastewater Treatment System!” And yet, if you are thinking, “What’s in a Name? A Wastewater Treatment System by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet…” think again. The 2015 WEF Innovative Technology Award to be presented this week at WEFTEC goes to OneWater’s Algaewheel. The technology relies on sunlight, algae, and bacteria and the system resembles a greenhouse or outdoor conservatory. You wouldn’t go in there to drink your afternoon tea, but your afternoon tea may find its way through there even so. Simon Zuanic, CEO of OneWater Group says, “Algaewheel has none of the undesirable aspects of traditional wastewater treatment, most notably unattractive facilities that need to be hidden, ambient noise, odors that permeate the air, and unpredictable future user fees. Algaewheel is truly sustainable, an economic and environmental solution that cannot be achieved with current technology; benefiting communities and businesses for years to come.”

The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago is seeking a visionary Executive Director. The District is an award-winning wastewater agency which has been a leader in protecting the Chicago area water environment for over a 120 years. For information and to apply, click here or contact [email protected]The District is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
If you visited WEFTEC and learned about this technology, let us know what you thought. You can view a time lapse video of a system being built on the Algaewheel website. And here is a video uploaded to YouTube in a prior year that describes many details of a system under construction. 
About the Author

Nancy Gross

Nancy Gross is a former editor of Business Energy and Water Efficiency magazines.

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