BENCHMARKING STUDY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY
ENERGY USE IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT

Sponsored by PG&E
July 2009

PG&E and Kennedy/Jenks Consultants are beginning a research project to benchmark the energy requirements for wastewater treatment in the food and beverage industry, and we would like your help. The study will seek to:

§       Identify the treatment technologies and practices that are most widely used by food and beverage processors in seven different subsectors:

o        Fruits and vegetables

o        Dairy processors

o        Dairy farms

o        Poultry processors

o        Meat processors

o        Beverage manufacturers

o        Wineries

§       Correlate treatment methods with energy use, and infer best practices for energy efficient wastewater management

§       Address the impact of wastewater discharge regulations on treatment technology selection, considering that compliance standards can vary geographically

§       Help customers reduce wastewater treatment and energy costs by taking advantage of financial incentives to optimize system design and operations

§       Identify ways that PG&E can promote energy efficient wastewater management in the food and beverage industry

§       Provide a guidebook for industry based on findings

To do this, we are asking food and beverage processors to complete an online survey. It requests basic information about existing wastewater treatment systems and any planned improvements. The survey is completely confidential, and all questions are optional. It can be accessed here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/pge_wastewater. Please allow 15-30 minutes to respond.

The survey results and guidebook will be distributed to participants who provide optional contact information, industry associations and others. For more information, please contact:

Tsosie Reyhner, PG&E
TDRb@pge.com
(415) 973-0216; or

Sharon Melmon, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants
sharonmelmon@kennedyjenks.com
(415) 243-2430