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Creating Clean Power from Everyday Infrastructure: Covington Water District Named a Zero+ Champion of Sustainability

Creating Clean Power from Everyday Infrastructure: Covington Water District Named a Zero+ Champion of Sustainability

McKinstry, in partnership with Lumen Field, is proud to honor Covington Water District as a 2026 Zero+ Champion of Sustainability. The award recognizes Covington Water District in Washington for an inventive approach to clean energy that turns everyday utility infrastructure into a renewable power source, proving that small-scale renewable generation can be both operationally sound and financially viable.

Increasing Community Resiliency

Covington Water District is a critical water utility in South King County, providing clean, safe and reliable water to roughly 50,000 residential, commercial, healthcare and industrial customers. Serving such a diverse customer base, the district has consistently pursued scalable, conservation-focused and financially feasible infrastructure solutions that advance sustainability and resiliency without raising customer rates or operating expenses.

That commitment has made Covington Water District one of the first public utilities in Washington to generate electricity from its own domestic water infrastructure, positioning the district alongside a small group of progressive utilities nationwide investing in this innovative technology.

Power from the Pipeline

As customer demand grew, Covington Water District needed to connect its high-pressure main to a new, lower-pressure supply line. A 170-foot elevation drop between the two systems creates substantial pressure that would typically be released through a pressure-reducing valve (PRV) as wasted heat and noise. Instead, Covington Water District installed a custom in-pipe hydro turbine that simultaneously depressurizes the water and captures energy that would otherwise be lost, converting it into electricity that flows directly into the administrative campus.

Completed in 2018, the turbine now offsets 100% of the administrative campus’s electrical load, cuts roughly 400,000 pounds of CO₂ annually and has saved nearly $110,000 to date.

A Resilient Microgrid

Because the district’s campus sits in an area prone to regular power losses, energy reliability became a priority as Covington Water District looked to replace aging, end-of-life building systems. The original turbine could reliably generate power but could not operate when the grid went offline, leaving the campus dependent on diesel backup generators during outages. Building on the turbine’s success, Covington Water District is now advancing a cutting-edge microgrid, pairing the existing turbine with battery storage and a second turbine.

By adding a battery bank and microgrid controllers and modifying the existing switchgear, the system can “island” itself and continue delivering clean power even when the larger grid is unavailable. The result creates an independent, indefinitely operable community power resource.

To eliminate wildfire and facility-fire concerns, the district sourced lithium-titanate (LTO) battery technology that virtually eliminates fire risk. Together, these upgrades allow the campus to run on clean, renewable power independently during grid outages, eliminating the need for diesel backup generators and unlocking the strategic electrification of the district’s remaining gas-powered systems.

Results and Impact

Through a multi-phase partnership rooted in trust and shared commitment to sustainability, Covington Water District turned a routine infrastructure need into a nationally recognized clean-energy asset:

Offsets 100% of the administrative campus’s electrical load with clean, on-site renewable power.
Cuts roughly 400,000 pounds of CO₂ emissions each year.
Saved the District nearly $110,000 to date with no increase in customer rates.
Advanced a resilient microgrid with battery storage and a second turbine to replace diesel backup generators and enable strategic electrification.

Zero+ Champion of Sustainability

From capturing wasted energy in its water mains to building a microgrid that keeps clean power flowing when the grid goes dark, Covington Water District is redefining what a public water utility can be. McKinstry and Lumen Field are proud to recognize Covington Water District as a 2026 Zero+ Champion of Sustainability for its innovation, resiliency and leadership in showing how everyday infrastructure can power a more sustainable, self-reliant future for the community it serves.