Closing the circle with an innovative water project in San Francisco-June 2020

Innovative thinking and advanced technology are helping one infrastructure operator dispose of excess water, while giving another a more sustainable supply. Energy production uses water. A lot of water. In urban environments in particular, that water is not easily sourced, often having to be transported from outside the city at high cost. Until recently, a steam power plant for district energy in downtown San Francisco was one of the city’s biggest consumers of freshwater – particularly precious in water-stressed California. At the same time, the neighbouring subway had to deal with, and pay for, the disposal of a large amount of leaching foundation water. The intelligent application of water treatment technology connected the two circularly, with the energy company, Clearway Energy, teaming up with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), and DuPont Water Solutions in a public-private partnership that turns this polluted runoff water into a valued resource. When the site commenced operation in July of 2019,