Green energy. Native prairie restoration. There’s more to local sewage treatment than meets the eye.
A new video on the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District website takes viewers behind the scenes of the sewage treatment plant. See how the sanitary district has developed from its humble beginnings – a community septic tank – into the high-tech environmental steward it is today.
While images of early 20th-century DeKalb play across the screen, a voiceover describes the city’s first sanitary system. The public sewer emptied into the Kishwaukee River. Soon, the polluted river could no longer support fish and other aquatic life and became a dangerous source of water-borne illnesses like cholera.
A 1928 movement to “Kleen the Kish” led to the first sewage treatment plant and the founding of the KWRD’s predecessor, the DeKalb Sanitary District. Then, as now, the district’s mission was to protect public health and restore the environment while enabling sustainable development.
The video gives a fascinating explanation of how the KWRD removes pollutants from wastewater – everything from unflushable rags to phosphorus and ammonia. The district uses an eco-friendly combination of machinery, chemical-munching microorganisms, and UV disinfection to turn raw sewage into precious resources – clean water, organic farm fertilizer and the natural gas that powers much of the district’s operation.
In addition to protecting the river and producing green energy and fertilizer, the district is also restoring the natural ecosystem. In the video, viewers can see some of the eight acres of native prairie the district maintains, including three registered monarch butterfly habitats.
Defending the environment goes beyond neutralizing waste. It means turning that waste into valuable resources. Watch the video to see how the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District is creating a greener future.
Viewers can get a personal look at the district’s high-tech operation by scheduling a tour or planning to attend an open house this summer.
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