Powered by Crisco? West Lafayette gets an award from the EPA.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: AROUND INDIANA

MOST OF US ARE TRYING to cut fats, oils and grease out of our diet, but the city of West Lafayette wants them--the more the better. It's not that city leaders desire to have indigestion. They just want gas.

No, not that kind of gas. They're making plans to generate methane gas, then use it for energy to run the wastewater treatment plant. It's a concept that'll save money and make good use of a waste product that currently must be trucked out of town.

The wastewater treatment process has always generated some methane, says public works director David Downey, "but we weren't using it very well. We just flamed it off."

A few years ago, the city decided it was time to renovate its old wastewater digesters. After consulting with engineering consultants, the city decided to spend the extra money needed for digesters capable of handling fats, oils and grease--affectionately known as FOG--straight from the trucks that haul it away from local restaurants for disposal. Until now, those trucks have had to drive to Indianapolis to dump their cargo of fats, oils and grease.

FOG, it seems, can increase the amount of methane produced in the wastewater-treatment process. "We're putting in a system that allows us to inject straight fats, oils and grease, and we intend to capture the methane gas to heat the boilers in the digester," he says. The gas will also be used to generate electricity to power the plant, "hopefully at least half the time."

The upgraded equipment will cost the city an extra $600,000, he estimates, "but we should get that back within five to seven years, and after that it's home-free."

The innovative project, which will take about a year and a half to complete, has already drawn national attention. Last month the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented the city with a PISCES Award for environmental stewardship. "The EPA only gave out 30 of the awards nationally for green innovation, and we were the first in Indiana," Downey says.

Karl Evans, policy director for Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels...