Clean Water Saves Lives

By Mike Blackbird

On the last Wednesday in April, my wife and I attended the dedication of Coeur d’Alene’s latest piece of public art. The Green Energy Dragon honors long-time wastewater superintendent Sid Frederickson and his commitment to clean water.

The dragon sculpture, named Sid, is installed at the city’s advance wastewater treatment facility near the Spokane River. The facility is powered by biogas, which is a renewable green energy source created in the absence of oxygen.

In the process, known as anaerobic digestion, bacteria convert waste into methane. The resulting biogas is used to heat buildings and support wastewater treatment operations. When there is more biogas than needed, the facility safely flares off the extra gas, just like a fire-breathing dragon.