T.O.'s wastewater plant uses Sun's energy
By Nancy Needham nancy@theacorn.com

Plenty of sunshine, gravity, methane gas and water have made Thousand Oaks Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant a unique place.

About 2,800 solar panels have been added to the facility that treats most of the water that goes down drains and toilets in Thousand Oaks. These are not just ordinary panels that turn sunshine into energy; they are panels that follow the sun westward using GPS tracking system technology.

The plant also uses methane gas captured from the decomposition of organic material. The material is taken out of the water and stored in barrels during the treatment process.

About 10 million gallons of water are cleaned at the facility every day, said Chuck Rogers, plant superintendent.

The solar energy and methane gas is used at the plant to help the city save money on electricity.

"We're almost off the grid," Rogers said.

The plant takes the cleaned water and sells it to the water districts to irrigate the greenbelts and agriculture and to use in other ways, he said.

Since so much water runs through the plant, Thousand Oaks decided to use it to turn a 5-acre area into a man-made wetlands with birds, fish, turtles and some endangered species. About 1 million gallons of water from the plant flow through the wetlands daily.

"It's a jewel here in the valley," Rogers said.

The plant was constructed in 1961 by the Janss Corp. Until then, most people in the Conejo Valley used septic tanks.

"They knew having wastewater treatment was important to develop the area. This spot was picked because it's the lowest point," Rogers said.

Letting gravity instead of pumps bring the water to the plant was a good idea, he noted.

The plant can be seen looking west from parts of Wildwood Park. It can be reached by driving down Santa Rosa Road west toward Camarillo. The post office address is Camarillo, but the plant is actually in Thousand Oaks.