Parsippany's nearly year-old refurbished sewer treatment plant has garnered praise since its June 2012 opening for efficiency, cost and energy savings and revenue generation. Now, it is also an award winner.

The Association for Environmental Authorities of New Jersey announced Wednesday at its Utility Management Conference in Atlantic City that the town's sewer plant was the 2013 recipient of its Wave Award in the category of Energy Savers. 

“Three years ago, the township made the bold move to invest in a multimillion dollar upgrade to our plant that ultimately raised the bar on the quality and reliability of service at a significantly reduced cost to Parsippany ratepayers,” stated Mayor James Barberio.

The $25 million upgrade of the Par-Troy sewage treatment plant, which took three years to complete, consisted of replacing the old, inefficient three-stage sludge system with a single sludge, four-stage feed operation.

"This change alone reduced the plant’s footprint by 50 percent, leaving a full section of tankage, allowing the town to sell waste treatment services to other municipalities and turning the plant into a revenue generator for Parsippany.

Prior to the plant’s upgrade, the average monthly electrical cost to run the plant was $135,000. With increased plant efficiency and executing the township’s ability to hold a public bid auction to secure the lowest possible electric rates, electric costs dropped by approximately 72 percent— going down to just $38,000 per month.

The AEA holds its annual Wave Awards Program in Atlantic City to recognize excellence in New Jersey's public water, wastewater, recycling and solid waste industry. Award applicants must meet stringent criteria supported by field-proven data.