BEND, Ore. — Deschutes Brewery in Oregon will be building its own wastewater treatment facility.
The brewery plans to invest $11.2 million into the on-site facility instead of sending its wastewater to the city and nearby farms, The Bulletin reported.
The brewery came up with the idea after the city of Bend, Ore., increased waste charges and the trucking company it used to take its waste to farms announced it would no longer be able to do so.
“The farmers benefit from it, but we don’t know how long that business will be in place,” said Michael LaLonde, the brewery’s president. “Right now with the increase in rates that the City Council passed last year, plus that risk, we really had to dive deep into how we are going to handle our waste long term.”
The new plant at the brewery’s headquarters will be able to process more than 150,000 gallons of wastewater per day. It is expected to be completed by 2018.