TAC Luncheon: The Hidden Heat in Wastewater: Thermal Energy Recovery Opportunities for Utilities
6/18/2026 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM MST
Location: Virtual, CO
Registration ends on 6/17/2026
Event Description
Luncheon Description: Wastewater utilities spend a lot of time thinking about what is in the water. But what about the heat carried with it? Every day, wastewater systems move large volumes of warm water through collection systems, treatment plants, and outfalls. That heat is often treated as something to manage or discharge, especially when effluent temperature limits become a compliance driver. But under the right conditions, it can also be recovered and put to work.
Metro Water Recovery is evaluating wastewater heat recovery as part of its approach to future effluent temperature requirements, energy management, and regional decarbonization opportunities. Winter temperature limits at the Robert W. Hite Treatment Facility and Northern Treatment Plant create a substantial compliance challenge, particularly at the scale of a large regional utility. Traditional cooling approaches, such as cooling towers, may provide a path toward compliance, but they can also be expensive, energy-intensive, and difficult to align with long-term sustainability goals.
This presentation will introduce the basics of wastewater thermal energy recovery, including onsite heat recovery, sewer heat recovery, effluent heat recovery, campus energy systems, and district-scale thermal energy networks. It will also highlight Metro’s ongoing work to develop a system heat profile, evaluate recovery opportunities, and collaborate with regional partners on district thermal energy concepts.
Attendees will leave with a better understanding of why wastewater heat recovery is gaining attention, how these systems work, and what still needs to be figured out before they can move from promising concept to implementable project. The session is intended for engineers, operators, planners, and wastewater professionals interested in emerging technologies, resource recovery, energy optimization, and practical approaches to sustainable compliance.
Presenters: Blair Wisdom, Energy Manager, Metro Water Recovery
Dan Freedman, Director of Technology and Innovation, Metro Water Recovery
