CFPUA receives Gold Award; sets goal to reduce carbon emissions by 2030
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Cape Fear Public Utility Authority received a high honor today at the Peak Performance Awards.
Both their Northside Wastewater Treatment Plant and Southside Wastewater Treatment Plant were given the Gold Award, honoring wastewater plants with zero discharge permit violations in an entire year.
CFPUA recorded the milestone in 2021.
Also revealed on Wednesday was the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority’s aim to reduce carbon emissions from its operations 43 percent by 2030.
The 43 percent reduction goal was selected as a midpoint between the 37 percent reduction goal in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star standards and the more aggressive 50 percent reduction goal recommended by the Paris Climate Agreement.
“As a coastal utility, CFPUA faces acute and long-term threats from climate change, including more frequent and intense storms and sea-level rise,” Beth Eckert said, CFPUA Deputy Director for Environmental Management and Sustainability. “Reducing our organization’s carbon footprint is important to protecting our environment, keeping operations sustainable, and reducing costs to CFPUA ratepayers.”
As of 2021, total emissions across CFPUA operations have already been cut to 12,267 metric tons of CO2e, thanks in part to initiatives such as CFPUA’s low-emissions vehicle replacement program, the LED lightbulb replacement program, and projects to reduce inflow and infiltration (I&I) across the wastewater system, according to CFPUA.
To reach the 43 percent reduction goal, CFPUA says they will continue to develop I&I-reduction projects, develop a carbon sink on CFPUA-owned property, and look for additional methods to reduce carbon use.
