AKRON,
OHIO
RESEARCHING COST EFFECTIVE PAA TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES
Community Overview
Akron is a mid-sized city in northeast Ohio with a long history of water quality challenges in the Cuyahoga River. In 2023, Moonshot Missions partnered with the City of Akron to build on recent infrastructure investments by exploring peracetic acid (PAA) as an innovative, cost-effective approach to combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment.
Population: 350,000 (based on the 2020 U.S. Census
Watershed: Cuyahoga River
Poverty Rate: 22.8% below the poverty line
Key Environmental Challenges: Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO), Water Quality in the Cuyahoga River, Infrastructure Affordability
MHI: $48, 544 in 2023
Topic Areas: CSO Reduction, Operational Optimization, Capital and Funding
Project Summary
The City of Akron is nearing completion of its Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP), mandated by a Consent Decree to eliminate untreated Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) by 2027. Of 26 major projects, 24 are complete. These critical upgrades have come at a high cost. In response, Moonshot Missions worked with the City of Akron to explore more cost-effective treatment alternatives that could meet water quality goals without further burdening the ratepayers.
At a Glance
CHALLENGES
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Akron is nearing completion of its Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) to eliminate untreated CSOs by 2027.
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The final LTCP project carries an estimated cost of $200 million for an advanced treatment facility.
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Recent upgrades have increased sewer rates 269% over the past decade.
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The city is seeking a more cost-effective solution that achieves compliance without further straining ratepayers.
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Engaged with Akron’s leadership to explore alternatives to conventional disinfection approaches.
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Identified a strategic opportunity to expand Ohio EPA PAA research into Akron.
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$200 million potential savings through avoidance of a new Enhanced High-Rate Treatment (EHRT) Facility
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Serve as a PAA emerging disinfection game-changing technology for CSO communities across the Great Lakes.
OUTCOMES
The Team
The engine behind the Moonshot Method is the key talent we deploy. Our goal is to bring experience and knowledge to the community through a team of peer advisors. This project was led by:
Advanced expertise in wastewater process optimization and environmental systems planning.
The Moonshot Method
OUR METHOD IN ACTION
ASSESSMENT:
Identified opportunity to serve as a site researching effectiveness of PAA in disinfecting CSO water
PROFILE:
Engaged to understand the community's wastewater challenges, exploring alternate approaches
MENU:
Encouraged Akron in order to position them as both cost-saving solution and regional implementation
Map
Assisted city in implementing pilot study of PAA with EPA Office of R&D in April 2024
LAUNCH:
Currently analyzing pilot data with promising initial findings and hopeful replication in other utilities across the Great Lakes.
