December Nerd Nite on the Rocks
Coleman Henry
The St. Cloud Nutrient, Energy, Water (NEW) Recovery Facility is where your flush meets the future! Treating 10 million gallons of sewage daily, it ensures water from St. Cloud and surrounding communities that’s discharged into the Mississippi River is cleaner than what came in. Microorganisms work hard behind the scenes, munching on organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus, while biogas from the process powers the facility with green energy—talk about a win-win! But moreover, captured solids are transformed into Class-A biosolid soil conditioners and phosphorus-packed fertilizers, giving farms a nutrient boost. The facility does so much, yet the only waste that leaves is a weekly dumpster of things that really shouldn’t have been flushed (looking at you, random toothbrushes). In short, the NEW facility turns waste into clean water, renewable energy, and fertilizers—proving that even sewage can have a second act!