Summer Open House Tours - EXTENDED THROUGH SEPTEMBER!
Looking for something educational, fun and free? ACUA is offering tours of the wind and solar facilty at its wastewater treatment plant in Atlantic City during July and August every Monday at 11:30 a.m. and every Friday at 1:00 p.m. No appointment necessary!
Click here for directions.
Tour Options:
TOUR 1 – ACUA Haneman Environmental Park, 6700 Delilah Rd., Egg Harbor Twp.
TOUR 2 – ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility, Wind Farm, Solar Project
Schedule a Tour!
Download a copy of ACUA's Tour Brochure
Directions to ACUA Facilities
Tour 1 Description – ACUA Haneman Environmental Park:
The Environmental Park tour takes approximately one hour.
This tour can include a visit from Supercan, the ACUA recycling mascot, for younger groups!
• Recycling Center
Recycling in Atlantic County has been experiencing changes reflecting recycling markets and the general world-wide economy with demand for manufactured goods at an all time low.
Because of this, the ACUA Recycling Center is mainly being used for delivery of collected recyclables or as a “Transfer Station”. The materials are being stored on site and kept out of the landfill. You can see the tarped pile of recyclables, several months worth, awaiting further processing when the recycling markets improve!
An explanation of Atlantic County recycling will be included in a total tour of the Haneman Environmental Park. A walk through the Recycling Center can also be included, if desired.
• Transfer Station
Visitors will learn how mountains of trash generated each day in Atlantic County are brought into the Transfer Station before being landfilled.
• Landfill
See an active landfill and learn about leachate
collection systems and how they help protect our groundwater. In addition, learn about our unique landfill. It is the only one in the country licensed to landfill household trash at night!
• Landfill Gas to Electric Facility
Methane gas, naturally produced by landfills, is a potent greenhouse gas. By capturing and using landfill gas, air pollution is reduced and an otherwise wasted source of energy is used. In 2008, the facility produced 29 million kwhs of energy, of which ACUA used approximately 3 million kwhs to power the Environmental Park (11%), with the remainder being sold to the grid.
• Compost Facility
Composting is nature’s way of recycling leaves, brush, grass, branches and other vegetative materials into an extremely useful soil additive. See how the ACUA’s compost product, EcoSoil, and landscape material, EcoChips, are made.
• Geo Garden
Vegetables are grown organically by community groups using compost made in the ACUA’s backyard compost demonstration units.
• Playground
Visit the playground made from recycled materials and have lunch in the nearby shaded picnic area on picnic tables made from recycled plastic bottles.
• Neal Steinman Poetry and Nature Trail
Take a hike and learn about poetry and indigenous plant species along the way. Discuss the day’s activities in an amphitheater constructed from recycled plastic materials and nestled along the nature trail.
Tour 2 Description – ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility, Wind Farm, Solar Project:
The wastewater, wind, solar tour takes approximately 1 hour.
The Wastewater Treatment Facility has become world renowned as the largest hybrid wind and solar powered treatment facility. It is home to the nation’s first coastal and urban setting wind farm and New Jersey’s first commercial wind farm. Also located on site is a 500-kilowatt solar generation facility.
The treatment facility was vital in reclaiming the area’s back bays. At one time fishing, shellfishing, and swimming were off limits in Atlantic County’s back bays. Thanks to the treatment facility, all of these activities are once again part of the region’s economic backbone.
The ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility operates 24 hours a day, every day, to meet clean water standards and ensure the purity of the County’s marine and fresh water environments. Visitors will learn the crucial role the ACUA Wastewater Treatment Facility plays in this process and the need to protect vital natural resources.
Tours of the facility are geared to the age level and interest of the group and can include any or all of the following:
• Wastewater video presentation;
• Description of the facility;
• Laboratory tour and demonstration;
• Wind and solar energy presentation and outdoor tour