GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA—Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) is celebrating the opening of a new biosolids storage facility that supports the utility’s sustainability efforts and commitment to the quality of water released into the Upstate’s waterways.
The 45,000-square-foot facility is located on ReWa’s Mauldin Road Water Resource Recovery Facility’s campus.
“ReWa is committed to reducing waste and renewing resources at every opportunity, whether in our processes, facilities or construction projects,” said Joel Jones, ReWa’s CEO. “This new facility supports those efforts by preventing a valuable resource from ending up in landfills.”
The building was constructed on an existing 1,300 cubic yards of concrete on the campus, and it consists of 40 steel trusses with a rip-stop polyethylene fabric weave cover. Its ceiling height is 23 feet, and it is ventilated with 12 fans, including six supply and six exhaust fans that move 28,000 cubic feet of air per minute. It has a storage capacity of 2,700 cubic yards.
The facility also has a commercial-grade truck scale to calculate loads being transported from it.
Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic byproduct of wastewater treatment processes. Liquids and solids are separated, and the solids are further treated to meet state and federal requirements for reuse. Reusing biosolids reduces waste while recovering natural resources that generate energy and lower greenhouse gases. Biosolids produce methane gas, and the materials are a common form of fertilizer.
Essential plant nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, are in biosolids. Excessive levels of those nutrients, however, can lead to harmful levels of algae in waterways, which can deplete oxygen in water and impact fish and other living creatures. ReWa releases 44 million gallons of treated water daily into the Upstate’s watersheds.
In 2023, 50.5 million gallons of biosolids were generated at the utility’s nine water resource recovery facilities. This kept 333,299 pounds of nitrogen and 866,215 pounds of phosphorus available for use as a reusable resource and prevented it from being discarded in landfills.
Greenville-based Harper General Contractors oversaw construction of the facility and KCI Technologies served as the engineering firm.
ABOUT RENEWABLE WATER RESOURCES (ReWa): Since 1925, Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) has been committed to providing high-quality wastewater treatment services to the Upstate of South Carolina while promoting a cleaner environment, protecting public health and the water quality of Upstate waterways, and developing the necessary sewer infrastructure to sustain our community and growing economy. With nine water resource recovery facilities and more than 430 miles of pipe, we serve a broad geographic area, including Greenville County and portions of Anderson, Laurens, Pickens and Spartanburg counties. Each day an estimated 44 million gallons of water passes through our trunk lines and reclamation facilities before being cleaned and returned to our area rivers and streams.