NEW ORLEANS – Veolia North America, a provider of environmental solutions in the U.S. and Canada, and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans announced that they have extended their partnership for five years. A spokesperson said they will continue to work together to “reimagine how the city collects, treats and manages its wastewater. The goal is to turn the byproducts of wastewater treatment into environmental assets and improve the quality of life in New Orleans.”
Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed.
Veolia claims the partnership will save the utility almost $2 million a year, reduce energy and chemical consumption, and reduce carbon emissions.
“Veolia has been proud to support New Orleans’ dedicated efforts to modernize its wastewater treatment infrastructure since 1992, and our partnership is now focused on implementing a new generation of physical and process improvements that reimagine this vital city service,” Karine Rougé, CEO of Veolia North America’s municipal water division, said in a press release. “We are glad to partner with SWBNO to envision a forward-thinking plan that is a major step toward delivering newer infrastructure and better public service.”
Over the last three decades, Veolia has worked with S&WB to rebuild and expand treatment processes at the city’s two wastewater treatment plants. The company also provides operational support during hurricanes and natural disasters.
“As part of our utility’s commitment to infrastructure reliability and resiliency, as well as technology modernization, this investment will make our East Bank and West Bank wastewater treatment plants far more efficient and effective,” Ghassan Korban, S&WB executive director, said.
Veolia said it will install its digital monitoring and analysis tools. It will also activate a new system for receiving, storing and treating sludge at the East Bank facility. New pumps, bar screens and other equipment are planned for the East Bank and West Bank plants, and new bleach storage capacity is planned for the West Bank facility. Veolia also will install a new system to dissolve oxygen into the aerobic digestion process of wastewater treatment.
A subsidiary of Veolia Group, Veolia North America offers water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. The company is headquartered in Boston, Mass., and has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent.
