Wastewater Treatment Facility Improves Visibility, Reduces Energy Consumption By More Than 50% With New Dialight LED Lighting

The City of Santa Cruz (Calif.) wastewater treatment facility processes an average daily flow of 10 million gallons per day, providing regional wastewater treatment and disposal for both the city and Santa Cruz County Sanitation District, including the communities of Live Oak, Capitola, Soquel and Aptos. In operation since 1928, the facility has undergone numerous expansion projects to accommodate growth in the region and now boasts a rated design capacity of 17 million gallons per day.

Aiming to achieve better visibility and reduce energy consumption, the facility recently modernized its exterior area and site lighting, upgrading from high-pressure sodium (HPS) and mercury vapor (MV) fixtures to new Dialight DuroSite® LED fixtures in several areas. As a result, the plant has reduced lighting energy usage and cost by more 50 percent, significantly lowered CO2 emissions, and realized a dramatic improvement in visibility that contributes to more robust security throughout the facility. With fixtures that are expected to last more than 10 years, the project will pay for itself in just a third of that time.