Cincinnati, Ohio

photo: Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center

This facility features the following green attributes:
Green Power
Water Management Plan
Mechanical Upgrades

Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center (AWBERC)

Total Facility Area: 429,780 gross square feet (GSF)
Estimated Personnel: 710 persons
Energy Consumption: 144,764,753,380 Btu per year
Total Btu per GSF per Year: 336,835
Water Consumption: 26,244,552 gallons per year
Gallons per GSF per year: 61.1

All energy and water data are reported as of FY 2010.

Description

Located on a 22-acre complex five miles north of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, AWBERC is the second largest research and development facility owned and operated by EPA. In addition to AWBERC, which includes a 7,000-square-foot Research Containment Facility, the Cincinnati research complex also includes the Testing and Evaluation Center, the Center Hill Facility, and Laboratory Annex 2.

This facility is internationally recognized for water research and has become a leader in areas of bioremediation and pollution prevention. Through this center, EPA also provides public education on the environment, emergency response training, and other programs.

Awards

John Kappa received a fiscal year (FY) 2010 H₂Overachiever Award for helping to achieve campus-wide water intensity savings of 19.8 percent in FY 2010 compared to FY 2009: 27.3 percent at the Testing and Evaluation Center; 16.6 percent at AWBERC; 17.5 percent at Center Hill; and 6.3 percent at Child Development Center. Steam sterilizer tempering water improvements and vacuum pump replacement helped achieve these savings.

Unique Environmental Features

Energy Conservation

In FY 2008, Phase I of the Infrastructure Replacement Project began. This multi-year, multi-phase, multi-million dollar project will replace all of the air handlers, vertical and horizontal supply ductwork, control systems, exhaust systems, and associated equipment at AWBERC. Laboratory Annex 2 was brought online in July 2007 and will serve as temporary office/swing space during this multi-year renovation. The following upgrades and replacements will be included as part of the Infrastructure Replacement Project:
- New equipment (fans, pump, and motors), which will be more efficient than the 1970’s vintage equipment being replaced.
- Variable air volume (VAV) technology, which is more efficient than the existing constant volume technology, as it automatically adjusts the supply and exhaust air to the room in response to the heating and cooling load of the room.
- Re-zoning to segregate laboratories from offices, replacing one-pass air in offices with recirculated air, thus saving energy. Currently, the entire AWBERC facility has a single-pass ventilation system.
- A heat-recovery system to recapture heating and cooling energy from the exhaust system, which will be used to pre-heat or pre-cool the incoming air.
- High-performance fume hoods that can be operated at lower flows.
An energy master plan for the laboratory was completed in April 2003 which served as the basis for the Cincinnati Infrastructure Replacement Project.

Green Power

EPA offsets 100 percent of the electricity consumption at AWBERC with renewable energy certificates (RECs) purchased through the Agency's current blanket green power contract. Learn more about EPA's current and past blanket green power contracts.

Water Conservation

In September 2009, EPA updated its water management plan (PDF) (28 pp., 589K, About PDF) for AWBERC. This plan also covers Cincinnati's Child Care facility. AWBERC's first water management plan (PDF) (18 pp, 796K, About PDF), which is superseded by the updated plan, was completed in July 2004.

Stormwater Management

AWBERC has made low impact development (LID) techniques for stormwater management part of its commitment to become a more sustainable facility. A stormwater management master plan was completed for the facility in December 2009 that will serve as a framework for EPA to improve stormwater management at the site over time. Learn more about AWBERC's stormwater management master plan.

Additional Features

In coordination with the above activities, EPA's Cincinnati facilities have established an environmental management system (EMS).

For More Information About This Facility

Website: www.epa.gov/oarmcinc/tour1.htm