Member Spotlight

For Arlington, Virginia residents who wonder what happens to wastewater once it leaves their home, they now know it goes to the County’s Water Pollution Control Plant, which treats 23 million gallons of wastewater daily. The Water Pollution Control Bureau (WPCB) plays a pivotal role in Arlington County’s path toward sustainability and their work embodies the philosophy that, “wastewater is not waste.”

As part of their commitment to be good neighbors within the community, WPCB is dedicated to increasing public education and awareness to help resolve environmental challenges. Key to the Arlington Re-Gen initiative, a major capital improvement project that will improve biosolids quality and harness biogas produced in the process, is a public education campaign, including a new, animated video that helps even the youngest community members understand the wastewater recovery process. This fun, innovative video breaks down the concepts of thermal hydrolysis, anaerobic digestion and dewatering and allows audiences to take a trip through their sewer pipes, get an intimate look at the water resource recovery and gain a better understanding of where their wastewater goes after it leaves their homes.

WPCB’s Arlington Re-Gen will improve sustainability by upgrading their solids handling facilities into a state-of-the-art operation. Using cutting-edge technology, Arlington Re-Gen’s sustainability improvements will recover two key resources from wastewater through this process:

• Class A Biosolids: Free of pathogens, this product can be used as fertilizer on lawns, parks, and gardens.
• Biogas: A renewable energy source that can be used as a renewable natural gas, which helps reduce the plant’s carbon footprint.

Arlington Re-Gen will provide long-term resource recovery and prioritize safe and sustainable operations that will provide quality end products for use in the Arlington community.

NACWA awarded the Arlington County Water Pollution Control Bureau a 2024 National Environmental Achievement Award in the Public Information & Education: Video category for its original and imaginative video. Congratulations to everyone involved!