SIMI VALLEY : City Moves on New Electricity Source

The Simi Valley City Council voted unanimously Monday to proceed with design work on a system that would use sewage gas to generate electricity to help run the city’s waste-water treatment plant.

City staff members said the use of methane gas, produced during the treatment process, is more economical than relying solely on Southern California Edison for power.

“We can do it cheaper simply because we have a fuel source that is essentially free,” said Michael Kleinbrodt, the city’s deputy public works director.

If the gas is not used in a generator, it must be burned as waste, he said.

Council members, who also are directors of the Simi Valley County Sanitation District, approved the hiring of Camp, Dresser & McKee, a Carlsbad consulting firm, to provide engineering services for the power system, which would use a mixture of methane and natural gas.

The city now relies solely on Edison’s power to run the treatment plant. But Simi Valley is required by the Regional Water Quality Control Board to set up a backup system to prevent a large sewage spill if a power failure occurs.

Kleinbrodt said the proposed gas generator could provide most of the power needed to run the treatment plant. Edison would provide the remaining power and serve as the plant’s backup supply, he said.

Design work is expected to be completed late this year, and the power system, expected to cost about $1.9 million, would take another six months to a year to build and install.