Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Chicago’s Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Discuss Nutrient Recovery’s Crucial Role in Combatting Water Pollution

“Nutrient pollution is one of the greatest challenges facing this country’s waterways,” said Kennedy. “Ostara’s advanced nutrient recovery technology not only reduces nutrient load but helps protect precious area waterways that are part of Mississippi River basin.”

He shared the stage at the Water Environment Federation’s 86th Annual Technical Exhibition & Conference (WEFTEC) with MWRD Chairman of Finance Mariyana Spyropoulos and Executive Director David St. Pierre, who officially announced that the MWRD will complete the installation of Ostara’s nutrient recovery technology at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Cicero, IL, within two years, when WEFTEC returns to Chicago. Designed to treat up to 1.44 billion gallons of wastewater each day and serving over 2.4 million constituents, the Stickney plant is the largest wastewater treatment facility in the world. “

Managing the overabundance of phosphorus and nitrogen in our waterways is a challenge shared by all sectors of society,” said Commissioner Spyropoulos. “With the installation of a nutrient recovery facility at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant, the District is committed to advancing a long term, sustainable solution.”

St. Pierre said, “This technology will transform these nutrients into an environmentally responsible fertilizer. It will recover a non-­-renewable resource, improve our water environment and provide a return on investment for our ratepayers. It is definitely a win-­-win-­-win.”

According to the United Nations Environmental Program, nutrient pollution is among the biggest environmental problems of the 21st century, and the US Environmental Protection Agency has stated that the “the problem of nutrient pollution is nationally significant, expanding, and likely to substantially accelerate.” Excess nutrients promote algae blooms and create dead zones, which can have devastating effects on local ecosystems and economies. The MWRD’s nutrient recovery facility will greatly reduce its nutrient effluent load to the Mississippi river basin, in turn, reducing its impact on hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico.

Ostara’s technology recovers phosphorus and nitrogen from municipal and industrial wastewater streams and transforms them into an environmentally responsible, enhanced efficiency fertilizer called Crystal Green, which is used by growers in the agriculture, turf and ornamental sectors throughout North America and in Europe.

The MWRD has partnered with Black & Veatch and Ostara to design and build the nutrient recovery facility at the Stickney Plant. Once fully operational in 2015, the plant will be the largest such facility in the world, with the potential capacity to produce between 10,000 to 15,000 tons of Crystal Green fertilizer annually.

“The MWRD’s decision to install a nutrient recovery facility is at the forefront of a growing trend we’re seeing within the wastewater treatment sector,” said F. Phillip Abrary, president and CEO of Ostara. “Increasingly, these utilities see themselves as more than simply water treatment plants. Rather, they are resource recovery centers, recycling water, energy and nutrients for beneficial reuse. Our technology helps them fulfill this mandate by recovering phosphorus and nitrogen in a way that is both economically and environmentally sustainable.”

Advising the project team is Dr. James L. Barnard, Water Global Practice and Technology Leader at Black and Veatch, and often referred to as “The Father of Biological Nutrient Removal.” According to Dr. Barnard, phosphorus is a non-­-renewable resource that is critical to farming and food production. “Nothing grows without it but too much of it can negatively impact water quality,” said Barnard. “Biological nutrient removal enables us to address water quality challenges and recover this precious nutrient for beneficial reuse purposes.”

“Technologies like Ostara’s are really game-­-changing,” added Kennedy. “Not only does the Ostara process help protect waterways by removing the nutrients from wastewater streams, but the resulting fertilizer, Crystal Green, further reduces nutrient loss due to leaching and runoff because it is highly water-­-insoluble and instead releases nutrients in response to plant demand.”

About the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago:
Established in 1889, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (www.mwrd.org) is an award-­-winning, special purpose government agency responsible for wastewater treatment and stormwater management in an 883.5 square mile service area in Cook County, Illinois. The MWRD’s mission is to protect the health and safety of the public in its service area, the quality of the water supply source (Lake Michigan), improve and protect the quality of water in watercourses, protect businesses and homes from flood damages, and manage water as a vital resource. The MWRD is committed to achieving the highest standards of excellence in fulfilling its mission.

About Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc.:
Ostara designs, builds and markets a proprietary nutrient recovery technology that transforms phosphorus and nitrogen recovered from municipal and industrial wastewater into a high-­-value, eco-­- friendly fertilizer, sold and marketed as Crystal Green®. Ostara currently operates five nutrient recovery facilities in North America and will launch two additional plants later in 2013, including its first European site in Slough, UK for Thames Water. Crystal Green is the first plant-­-activated, nutrient technology to offer plant-­-available, slow-­-release nutrients sustainably made from a renewable source of phosphorus. Crystal Green offers more consistent, plant-­-available nutrients than conventional water-­-soluble phosphorus fertilizers, resulting in greater fertilizer efficiency, lower application rates, and reduced nutrient loss, while lowering the risk of leaching and runoff, thereby protecting sensitive regional waterways. Ostara is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2011 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, and being named to the Global Cleantech 100 for the past four years and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. For more information, visit www.ostara.com and www.crystalgreen.com.

About WEFTEC:
WEFTEC 2013—the Water Environment Federation’s 86th Annual Technical Exhibition & Conference—is the world’s largest annual water quality event. Scheduled for October 5-­-9, 2013 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill., the event is expected to host more than 18,000 national and international water professionals and 1,000 global water companies. WEFTEC serves as a forum for the latest technologies, education, and services for water environment preservation, restoration, and sustainability. Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-­-for-­-profit technical and educational organization of 36,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. WEF members, Member Associations, and staff proudly work to achieve our mission to provide bold leadership, champion innovation, connect water professionals, and leverage knowledge to support clean and safe water worldwide. To learn more, visit www.wef.org and www.weftec.org.

Media Contacts:

Debra Hadden
Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc.
(604) 240-3196
dhadden@ostara.com

Allison Fore
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
(312) 751-6626
allison.fore@mwrd.org

Lori Harrison
Water Environment Federation
(703) 216-8565
lharrison@wef.org