Portland Treatment Plant Forced To Dump 20,000 Gallons Of Beer
With the widespread closing of bars and restaurants — and the resulting loss of patrons — due to the spread of coronavirus, Portland has seen a sharp decline in beer consumption. And now with excess product on their hands, brewers have turned to a local wastewater treatment facility.
“We’ve probably had 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of beer in the facility to be treated,” Adam Borgens, the vice president of Northwest Portland’s PPV Inc. wastewater treatment plant, told KGW. “I wish we could have just taken it to a park and let everybody have a little fun… but unfortunately it came here for treatment, so we make sure everything is handled safely.”
Local brewers have been caught off guard by the sudden drop in demand for their product and, with much of the beer they were producing now past its freshness date, they have been forced to dump it. A wastewater treatment plant such as PPV Inc. offers the expertise and equipment needed to do so properly.
PPV Inc. has fielded at least two requests to dispose of entire tanker trucks full of beer. And the brewing industry isn’t the only one that’s been forced to dispose of product due to the unprecedented rise of coronavirus.
“[PPV Inc. has] received wastewater from food manufacturers worried about COVID-19 contamination and even water from the ice rink that is no longer being used because of the coronavirus,” WTHR reported.
Wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities have become a unique lens into the ongoing epidemic. They’ve demonstrated anxieties over the availability of protective equipment, highlighted the sacrifices that essential workers are making, and faced a cutback in federal regulation. Ultimately, the experience in Portland emphasizes another unfortunate side effect of coronavirus felt around the country: the massive toll being taken on industries of all kinds.
“We knew it was something that we’re going to see a trend on,” Borgens said, per WTHR. “So it was sad to see because we know the financial hardships for this industry — that’s the tough part.”
To read more about how the brewing industry handles its wastewater treatment needs, visit Water Online’s Food & Beverage Solutions Center.