Akron Increased Water Revenue By $255,000 With Simple Trick

Akron, OH has found a way to earn an extra $255,000 over two years at its water and wastewater facilities.

"The trick involves leveraging funds from the generators Akron must provide for backup power at its drinking water and wastewater treatment plants," the Akron Beacon Journal reported. It is mandatory that the city have backup power in case of an outage.

Akron takes part in the Demand Response Program, operated by grid operator PJM Interconnection. "Under the program, PJM pays for the right to call on an entity that can generate power in an emergency. PJM doles out more if the entity actually provides power," the report said.

Tom Smith, Akron’s public utilities commissioner, explained the initiative.

“We’re using city assets that we have to buy and maintain ... to generate revenue while still providing our prime service,” he said, per the report.

According to Smith, Akron's drinking water plant could produce "4,000 kilowatts of power an hour, while the wastewater plant could generate 5,025 kilowatts an hour. He said 4,000 kilowatts per hour is enough to instantly provide power to 3,200 homes, while 5,025 could serve 4,000 homes," the report said.

Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic praised the initiative.

“This is just another example of how the City of Akron works hard to help keep its utility costs under control,” he said, per the report. “We are constantly searching the globe for ways to efficiently and effectively reduce costs and/or generating revenue at our utility plants, while being mindful of our environment.”

Akron's water provider is the city, according to the local government.