February 3, 2006

 

In his State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush addressed the need to reduce America's dependence on traditional energy sources and the need to develop "revolutionary solar and wind technologies." American Water, the largest water services provider in North America, has built two facilities that effectively harness wind and solar power and reduce America's dependence on traditional energy generation.

"American Water has evidence that alternative energy can be a practical, viable option," said John Young, COO for American Water. "Committing to alternative energy sources benefits everyone. It reduces the impact on the environment, as well as America's dependence on fossil fuels. It also reduces our energy costs; those reductions are then passed onto our customers."

American Water has designed, built and currently operates two water treatment plants that use alternative energy to supplement the power demands of a modern water treatment facility. In Somerset, N.J., American Water's Canal Road water treatment plant uses solar power in the form of photo-voltaic panels that cover 3 acres, the largest ground mounted system of its kind in the northeastern U.S., to produce 585,000 kilowatts of energy per year. In Yardley, Pa., Pennsylvania American Water recently committed to operate its water treatment plant with wind-generated electricity, which is 100% pollution-free.