Support sustainable wastewater processing projects

Emissions from the treatment and transport of wastewater make up a small, but meaningful percentage of Cupertino's community-wide emissions.

The City is working to reduce these emissions through various projects that would help transform the facilities that process wastewater to be more sustainable and emit fewer greenhouse gases. Some examples of projects the City is exploring are included below:

Obtaining grant funding for greenhouse gas reduction infrastructure projects
Exploring opportunities related to methane capture and conversion to biofuel through California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program
Collaborating with the County of Santa Clara and the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga to advocate and support greenhouse gas reductions at the SJ-SC RWF, the local wastewater treatment facility
Exploring opportunities to scale beyond City-level efforts to regional and even statewide coordination in this area

Alignment with Climate Action Plan

Measure WW-2. Support the San Jose-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility in implementing greenhouse gas emissions reduction projects.

Metrics

19,635 MTCO2e

Community-wide wastewater emissions

In the year of 2018

Co-Benefits

Jobs Creation

Developing and maintaining advanced wastewater treatment infrastructure creates new job opportunities in the green technology sector.

Cost Savings

Efficient wastewater treatment and methane capture can reduce operational costs and generate revenue through biofuel production.

Action
	Support sustainable wastewater processing projects
	Leverage the carbon sequestration potential and community benefits of open spaces
	Expand the urban tree canopy
	Reduce water pollution

Support sustainable wastewater processing projects

Why and how does a wastewater treatment facility produce greenhouse gas emissions?

What are some common projects that other cities take to reduce their wastewater treatment facility’s emissions?

What are the benefits of regional and statewide coordination in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment facilities?

Alignment with Climate Action Plan

19,635 MTCO2e

Co-Benefits