University of Connecticut
IN-17: Natural Wastewater Systems

UConn owns and operates its own sewage treatment plant for the campus and some of the surrounding community in Mansfield. In 2013, the university completed construction on, and began operating, a $27 million, state-of-the-art, award-winning Reclaimed Water Facility which uses two forms of tertiary treatment in order to enable reuse of the University’s wastewater. This process uses microfiltration and ultraviolet disinfection, which allow UConn to reuse up to one million gallons of water each day, distributed through a separate "purple pipe" system, in order to meet campus needs that don’t require potable water. Much of the water is used in our CoGen power plant’s cooling towers and boilers, creating a semi-closed loop, significantly easing our demand on source waters, and lessening our municipal wastewater discharge. The Reclaimed Water Facility eases the campus demand on source waters, including the Fenton and Willimantic groundwater wellfields, which, when used excessively during mid- and late-summer droughts, can exacerbate low flow conditions in the rivers near those wells. The reclaimed water facility reduces the campus’ potable demand by about 50% during those peak periods and 20% during the rest of the year. Moreover, by directing treated wastewater to the Reclaimed Water Facility, the process significantly reduces the amount of effluent pollution discharged into the Willimantic River. The Facility also serves as a living laboratory for the campus, allowing students to conduct research on sustainable water treatment technology.

Reclaimed Water Facility Brochure http://ecohusky.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/2041/2017/01/Initiatives-Water-Reclaimed-Water-Facility-Brochure.pdf Reclaiming Water: A Green Leap Forward - UConn Today (10/13/10) http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2010/12/reclaiming-water-a-green-leap-forward/