Harnessing Heat: How the National Western Center Turns Sewage into Sustainability

As cities around the world scramble to meet climate goals and modernize infrastructure, one project in Denver is turning heads—and wastewater—into something revolutionary. At the heart of the National Western Center’s 250-acre campus lies a bold new approach to sustainability: one of North America’s largest sewer-heat recovery systems.

Yes, you read that right. We’re using sewage to heat and cool buildings—and it’s cleaner, greener, and smarter than you might think.

How It Works

Deep beneath the site runs the Delgany Interceptor, a 72-inch-wide sewer main that collects warm wastewater from downtown Denver. Even in winter, that flow is around 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit—essentially an untapped source of thermal energy.

The NWC’s system captures that heat and, using an advanced heat pump, transfers it into a clean-water loop that circulates through buildings across the campus. In summer, the process reverses, allowing wastewater to absorb excess heat and provide cooling.

Ew, sewage going into the buildings? No, the sewage never touches the buildings—it’s all done through a closed-loop exchange system. But the result is transformative: the system will provide nearly 90% of the campus’s heating and cooling needs while dramatically reducing emissions. 

A Campus-Wide Energy Network

This isn’t just a one-building solution. The system is part of a district energy network that serves multiple buildings across the campus, including:

• The Central Utility Plant (CUP)
• CSU Spur (Vida, Hydro and Terra Buildings)
• Stockyards Event Center 
• The future Stock Show Legacy Building
• The future Livestock Center Building
• The future Equestrian Center project 

Each structure connects to the shared loop, benefitting from centralized control and lower costs. As new buildings go up, they’ll be added into the loop—keeping the entire campus on a path to net-zero.

Innovation Meets Education

The system is also a hands-on learning lab. CSU Spur, an education and outreach facility on-site, integrates the technology into its program giving students, researchers, and the public a chance to see how climate technology works in the real world.

And through local job creation and workforce development—particularly with an emphasis on women and minority-owned contractors—the project is helping grow a green economy from the ground up.

Built on Partnership

This monumental achievement came together through collaboration among:

• EAS Energy Partners (CenTrio Energy, AECOM, Saunders Construction)
• Metro Water Recovery, who donated access to the sewer line
• City & County of Denver, which helped fund and facilitate the project
• CSU Spur, for research and public engagement

That’s a public-private-academic partnership with the power to inspire.

Why It Matters

This isn’t a science experiment, it’s a real-world, fully operational energy system that’s already running (since April 2022). It’s keeping buildings warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and our skies a little cleaner year-round.

At a time when cities are searching for sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective climate solutions, the National Western Center offers a shining example. It proves that with the right vision and partnerships, even wastewater can help power a more sustainable future.