Quincy celebrates water recycling plant

QUINCY - Using Quincy's wastewater to keep computer servers cool at the area's data centers is becoming a reality with a planned water recycling facility.

Port of Quincy Commissioner Curt Morris said he didn't know how many jobs would be created with the facility. But the added infrastructure has the potential to bring more jobs to the area, Morris said.

Once completed, the facility will be the state's first use of municipal recycled wastewater in industrial cooling towers, said Quincy Major Jim Hemberry.

The groundbreaking for the facility was held Wednesday.

Phase 1 of the project won't be completed until 2009, according to a map displayed at the event. Phase 1 provides pipelines to deliver recycled water from the town's municipal wastewater treatment facility to Microsoft's data center, Hemberry said.

He said Quincy's economy has always been dependent on the agricultural community.

Several years ago, Quincy built a waste water treatment plant for food processors. Hemberry said the facility is rapidly nearing its permitted capacity of 2.5 million gallons a day.

"Interestingly, data centers, like food processors, require significant quantities of water," he said. "This water is used to keep the numerous servers cold and cooled by evaporating water in cooling towers."

Without the facility, the city would have to buy more water rights, which are expensive and hard to find, he added.

Hemberry recognized the state Legislature for appropriating $4.5 million to help with the initial project phase and Grant County commissioners for making $100,000 available for the project.

The remaining phases are unfunded and involve extending water delivery to Yahoo! and Intuit sites near Quincy and developing an additional recycled water source, according to a map displayed at the event.

Future project phases entail generating a new recycled water stream from the city's food-processing wastewater treatment plant, he said.

It will free up capacity and allow for increased production for food processors and for more new users, he added.

Morris said the planned facility will help the city more effectively use existing water.

When the facility is completed, it will be owned and maintained by the city through a specialized subcontractor called Earth Tech, Morris said after the event.

"This is a great project for economic development," said Terry Brewer, executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council.

He added the project helps diversify the economy of Grant County.

Sen. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, the state's Senate majority leader, said she taught the theory of economics at Eastern Washington University and later learned the practice is much different.

"The practice is about human relationships, partnerships and collaboration," she said. "The public and private sector is a very complicated puzzle and you put it together piece by piece."

Sen. Margarita Prentice, D-Renton, said everyone needs to watch how the project succeeds because others are going to be watching.

"We are affecting the statewide economy," Prentice said.

Prentice added that a major newspaper criticized her for supporting the project. She said she asked why her district should get all of the manufacturing jobs.

Sen. Janea Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, thanked Prentice, Brown, 13th district Reps. Judy Warnick and Bill Hinkle and 12th district Reps. Cary Condotta and Mike Armstrong, for their work.

The project is vital to economic development in the region, Holmquist said.

Holmquist said the project does need future funding and added she's determined to continue working with her colleagues.

"We're also going to be working in Olympia for additional economic incentives (for the data centers)," she said.