On March 24, 2017, the DeKalb Sanitary District officially changed its name to the Kishwaukee Water Reclamation District. The District will begin operating under its new name on May 1, 2017. Adopting a new name will not affect how the District conducts business. The District’s legal entity, policies, and procedures will remain unchanged.
The new name highlights a paradigm shift in the wastewater treatment industry. Sewer plants of old are converting to “reclamation facilities” that effectively reintroduce clean water to the environment while capturing resources within sewage to produce power and agricultural fertilizer. This summer, the District will begin construction of a $46 Million regulatory upgrade and facility modernization plan that has been fifteen years in the making. Once commissioned, this facility will position the District to become energy independent by 2030 within a footprint that will meet our community’s wastewater needs for the next 100 years.
The new name also reflects a watershed based approach to wastewater treatment. As more restrictive and costly environmental regulations are developed, the District will be at the forefront of technology with its modernized facility located in the center of DeKalb County. It is the District’s desire to increase its regional presence to become a low-cost alternative for neighboring communities within the Kishwaukee River Watershed that will face similar regulatory challenges.
As the largest reclamation facility in DeKalb County, the District seeks to leverage its expertise and economies of scale to provide value to its customers and employ state of-the-art processes to clean the water entering the Kishwaukee River. The treated effluent will help promote a healthy aquatic ecosystem by entering the river with lower amounts of contaminants, such as ammonia, that are harmful to aquatic life. The modernized facility will also provide more treatment during storm events and will remove phosphorus to reduce the potential for algal blooms that impact water quality. Upon completion, the water reclamation facility will support the recreational use and aquatic life in one of the most important resources in our County, the Kishwaukee River.
Click Here To Submit A News Tip Or Story