Gillette Stadium Wastewater Reuse Facility

Project's context & challenges

During the construction of the new Gillette Stadium — home to the New England Patriots — it became evident that the water demand on game days and during concerts exceeded the capacity of the Town of Foxborough's water supply and wastewater treatment systems. The existing infrastructure simply couldn’t manage the extreme peak flows from over 68,000 fans during halftime flush periods. To avoid overburdening the municipal systems, the Town, the stadium operators, and Natural Systems Utilities (part of NSI) joined forces to develop a sustainable solution that could ensure reliable operations while meeting strict regulatory and environmental goals

Key figures

250,000 gallons/day (≈950 m³/day)

Capacity

100%

Reduction in wastewater discharge

100%

Of all toilet flushing served by reclaimed water

Customer benefits

Reduces potable water consumption by 50%

Eliminates wastewater discharge to the municipal system

Provides high-quality reclaimed water for toilet flushing, cooling, and irrigation

Enables uninterrupted game day operations for over 68,000 visitors

Integrated with the Town of Foxborough’s SCADA system for smart monitoring

Solution

Natural Systems Utilities designed, built, and currently operates a decentralized water reuse facility serving both Gillette Stadium and the adjacent Patriot Place complex. The system includes a membrane bioreactor (MBR), followed by ozone and UV treatment, to produce high-quality reclaimed water suitable for reuse. Nearly one million gallons of tank storage buffer the variable flows from events, and an elevated storage tank supplies reclaimed water back to the facilities. Infiltration fields located under parking lots further enhance water sustainability. This facility is now the largest water reuse plant in Massachusetts and a long-standing model for sustainable stadium infrastructure.