http://www.glendalewaterandpower.com/save_money/tips/water_conservation.aspx

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS ISSUE?

North Carolina Drought Status as of Feb. 10, 2009.  From http://savewaternc.org/DroughtStatus.asp

Whether you know it or not, saving energy and water usage go hand in hand.  In most cases, electricity or gas is used to heat water, and this costs you money.  In addition, your water company uses energy to purify and pump water to your business.  So part of your water and sewage bill is really an energy bill. The more water your business consumes, the more you will benefit from optimizing water use. 

Here are some ways to save the water you already use:

      Install an insulation blanket on water heaters seven years of age or older, and insulate the first 3 feet of the heated water "out" pipe from your water heater

      In areas of infrequent water use, consider "tankless" water heaters to reduce "standby" storage costs and waste

      Repair leaking pipes, fixtures and seals

      Install water-efficient appliances where applicable

       Practice green landscaping (greenscaping or xeriscaping) to preserve natural resources and prevent waste and pollution

      Install an insulation blanket on water heaters seven years of age or older, and insulate the first 3 feet of the heated water "out" pipe from your water heater

      In areas of infrequent water use, consider "tankless" water heaters to reduce "standby" storage costs and waste

Whether in an office or commercial/industrial setting, there are ways to reduce your business’s water consumption.  One of the first things to do is to educate your employees on how important water is and how beneficial water conservation is for the work environment as well as their natural environment.  Employees need to be aware that their job has an effect on water usage.  Make water conservation a part of your employees job by having them identify where water is being used the most (bathrooms, manufacturing operations, etc).  Consider this checklist below: 

     Educate and involve employees on water conservation

     Locate all water using sources (bathrooms, HVAC, cooling water) in the facility.

     Identify and implement water conservation options

Here is another checklist that involves your entire business joining to conserve water:

      Don’t let water run while washing hands

      Don’t use toilet as a garbage disposal

      Report leaks and water losses immediately

      Use posters and signs in bathrooms as a water conservation remainder

      Shut off cooling units when not needed

      Don’t pour water down the drain when there may be another use of it, such as watering a plant or for cleaning purposes

      Conduct dye leak tests in toilet tanks

      Install faucet aerators

      Don’t wash building exteriors or other outside structures

      Avoid using inside  and outside of decorative pool and fountains

READ THE COMPLETE OFFICE BULDING CHECKLIST HERE

Less than 3% of the water on Earth is fresh and much of it is found in unreachable areas like glaciers, icecaps, or deep under the earth.  Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) in California has provided a 10 step approach for small and large businesses to help conserve water.

CLICK HERE FOR HELPFUL INFO ON EACH STEP:  http://www.greenbiz.com/files/document/Tips_Bus.pdf

CLICK HERE FOR A 10-STEP BROCHURE:  http://savewaternc.org/Documents/EmployeeBrochure.pdf

State and local governments increasingly are offering incentives to help companies adopt water-saving techniques and technologies.

Water utilities are offering help to companies to conserve water, including providing grants and loans to help industrial and commercial customers pay for water-saving technology.

K&W Cafeteria, Statesville

North Carolina has been in a drought since 1998.  In 2002, many municipalities instituted mandatory water restrictions for commercial and industrial facilities.  In August 2002, the Statesville K&W Cafeteria was required by town officials to reduce its daily water consumption by 40 percent (12,000 gallons).  Site operators began surveying water-using activities and devices like customers’ water consumption, kitchen cleaning, and food washing and preparation.  The cafeteria then made the following changes that did not obstruct customer satisfaction:  customers were offered bottled water to purchase with no tap water available, the water tap in the dining area was shut off reducing and estimated 44 gallons per day, frozen foods were no longer thawed under running water but were defrosted in the refrigerator, and all exterior washing (parking lot, windows) were discontinued.  The Statesville restaurant accomplished conserving 9,000 gallons of water per day, a 75 percent reduction.

READ FULL CASE STUDY HERE:  http://www.p2pays.org/ref/23/22016.pdf

North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro

The North Carolina Zoo has always been a clear leader in water conservation.  The zoo invested in an irrigation control system that irrigates eight major exhibits based on water needs and actual rainfall.  With this new irrigation system that has an evapotranspiration management system that measures wind, rainfall, and other conditions, it determines the amount of irrigation to meet established plant needs.  The irrigation control system has a central control that manages all eight sites from one controller, so in addition to water, the zoo also saves gas by not having to travel to eight different sites spread out five miles.  The zoo also switched to an ozone water treatment system for its large pools, resulting in the reduction of the number of times the pools need to be drained and refilled from six times a year to twice a year.  In addition, operators noticed a leakage from three exhibit pools that were losing 7,000 gallons of water a day.  Once repaired, one pool saves 3,000 gallons a day, while the others are currently being repaired.

CLICK HERE FOR PDF FULL TEXT:  http://www.p2pays.org/ref/42/41969.pdf

Tyson Food Inc., Sanford

Tyson Foods produces taco shells, nacho chips and tortillas, operates three shifts per week six days a week, and has approximately 450 employees.  Raw materials are processed in various stages of production and during the manufacturing process, a great amount of rinsing water is required for cleaning and production equipment.  A considerable amount of dough, flour, soybean oil and other food materials are discharged down the drains.  In 1999, Tyson decided to reduce wastewater discharge volumes below 25,000 gallons a day and implemented these measures:  shutting off and locking water compressors during first and second shifts, covering unused production lines to avoid unnecessary cleaning, and modifying production equipment to reduce material losses to the floor.  Tyson successfully reduced its average daily discharge from 35,000 to 15,000 gallons per day.  The facility has been able to keep the maximum daily discharge below 25,000 gallons per day and saves $28,996 annually in water and sewage costs.

READ MORE HERE:  http://www.p2pays.org/ref/14/13000.pdf

READ MORE WATER CONSERVING CASE STUDIES HERE:  http://savewaternc.org/WaterSavers.asp