Finance Committee - 12/5/2018 Page 5
this is what happens when we are too conservative and we let things go too far. But can you just give us an
overview, | mean we are catching up, it is a very important facility and to follow-up to what Alderman Caron is
saying, how is the health now? Are we getting there, do we see that we are going to have a top-rated system
here very shortly | hope?
Mr. Boucher
Yes this is a system all by itself, the digester complex and this particular building that powers is separate from
the rest of the facility. We just had the digester cleaned, maintained, all the flame arresters on all the tankage
has been re-done and pressure relieve valves have been redone. We are having work done to the gas, there
is a gas holding tank with all of this that needs some repair, that is getting done. So this will be back to its
original working order after this upgrade.
Alderman O’Brien
Very good, thank you.
Mr. Boucher
You're welcome.
Alderwoman Kelly
Thank you. | know you have been doing a lot of upgrades and you are kind of playing catch up as Alderman
O’Brien was saying. | was wondering about sort of the length of a lifetime of a generator, it seems like this
facility was just, it says 1999 was just built? So a little under 20 years, is that typical, what should we expect to
get out of this new one?
Mr. Boucher
It depends on how often a generator runs. We have generators at our facility that will last longer. These
generators are intended to run all the time because the digester needs to be heated, so there is constant
heating. The boilers will always have to be powered, always have to have power. Also, it generates all the
lighting and all that at this facility.
So it is going to run more often than some of the older generators we have at the facility, but we do have a
good maintenance program now we have outside contractors that will be maintaining this. | can’t speak for the
past. But the typical life for a generator like this is 10 years for this type of complex. | have seen them last a lot
longer with proper maintenance they will last longer and that is what we expect to do is maintain it.
Alderman Laws
This may be a silly question but why do you need a generator, why can’t you just plug into main line electricity.
Mr. Boucher
It’s very expensive and we do generate methane gas as a by-product of the waste water so it is free power. It
has to be cleaned and we have, part of the facility is a cleaning mechanism of the facility which is in operation,
it works proper. So you clean the methane gas so you can use it in a piece of equipment so it would be a
shame, currently we are just burning it off itis kind of a waste. But we look at it as kind of a pay off in five
years with this project just in savings in electricity and fuel that we have to buy for the generator.
