New Biodigester Owner: This Time Will Be Different

Residents who thought the Lowell biodigester was a thing of the past will be in for a surprise. Plans are apparently afoot to resurrect the failed alternative energy producer. However, the good news is the equipment may be moving to another part of town.

The shuttered facility has sat dormant since last fall when City Council pulled the permits for its operation. Since then, there has been speculation about what would happen to the biodigester equipment. While there was discussion about converting the main silo into a water park and community pool, investors worried about the liability costs associated with that plan.

Instead, the National Operator of Smart Energy, LLC (NOSMEL) has proposed relaunching the Lowell biodigester with some slight modifications. Last summer, residents complained the facility smelled like rotting flesh at times. NOSMEL believes they have come up with an innovative plan to prevent that from happening again.

The company hopes to contract with the country to dispose of roadkill collected from the area. When added to fats, oils and grease, manure and brewery waste, NOSMEL says the roadkill will neutralize the other smells.

“Using the law of double negatives and some science stuff we learned in a Neil deGrasse Tyson special on PBS, we think we can make this work,” explains Daisy Fresh, spokeswoman for NOSMEL.

Beyond changing the make-up of the waste in the biodigester, the alternative energy provider is hoping to change the location of the facility as well. Fresh says the company would like to incorporate the biodigester into the design of the new Showboat structure that is being planned.

“It’s a win-win because we’ll help the pay for the Showboat to be rebuilt with the addition of the biodigester,” Fresh says. “Plus, if the facility ever leaks, we can just discharge the waste into the river, and it will wash away.”

City Council members declined to speak with Lowell’s First Look about the plan. But one city official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, had this to say: It sounds like a really good April Fool’s Day joke.

6 Comments

  1. Perhaps you should remember the open meetings rules.
    Stop the shady backdoor deals.
    Transparency.
    you are public servants.

    • Sorry James, as always, my attempts to be funny fail. The story is an April Fools joke, see the preface to read it to the end where in bold is says”it sounds like a really good Aprils Fools Day Joke”

    • Just to clarify: This was something cooked up as an April Fool’s joke by Lowell’s First Look alone. We didn’t consult with anyone at the city or on the council before publishing this “news.” If the joke fell flat, that’s on us.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*