Archives

What's Your Commercial Facility's Water Footprint?

Conservation measures can address the often perplexing question, “What’s your facility’s water footprint?”

No matter where your commercial facility is located - or what the water demands are in its community - how you answer the question will impact the environment and your business operations. And will likely continue to do so. Analysts estimate the world will need to invest about $1 trillion annually in conservation technologies, infrastructure and sanitation to meet demand through 2030.

In a recent series of articles, the Chicago Tribune cited a report by the Regional Water Supply Planning Group, which urges 11 northeastern Illinois counties to consider aggressive conservation initiatives to ensure an adequate water supply in the coming decades. Inc. magazine reported in late 2008 that water managers in 36 states predict significant supply shortfalls in this decade. They cite aging infrastructures, inadequate treatment facilities and contamination as problems that compound water shortages.

Clearly, caring for earth’s most precious resource in a responsible way - while ensuring the health and wellbeing of those who use and consume it - is environmentally and economically prudent. Knowing how much water is in your facility, how it’s used, where it’s going - and then servicing it with the correct technologies for your building’s unique needs - will be paramount to stewardship in both areas.

To this end, facility managers need appropriate tools to gauge the impact of tower and boiler water use on environmental and operational costs. Online calculators at http://www.earthwiseenvironmental.com/esolutions/, for example, provide estimated environmental and budget impacts of steam boiler and cooling tower use, and calculate corresponding cost and water savings.

The free tools (you’ll need Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice.org to manipulate the spreadsheets) are designed to help business decision makers learn how their facility can conserve water and energy use, cut costs and create a safer environment. Calculations also show before and after totals with the implementation of a patented program called eSolutions, which completely eliminates hazardous chemical treatments, minimizes water use and reuses water to conserve waste. The green, solutions-based application provides facilities with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points in water conservation and innovative technology categories.

Water waste, typically found in older facilities, is a leading cause of excess operational and environmental expense. The majority of today’s heat-transfer technologies require chemicals to reduce scale, corrosion and microbiological fouling. If left untreated, the overall impact on hydronics systems is increased capital replacement, higher labor and energy costs, health risks including for Legionnaires’ disease and unscheduled system downtime.

With a service program that includes the use of eSolutions, for example, cooling tower discharge is reduced up to 75 percent compared to most cooling tower programs. A typical commercial office building realizes water savings equal to that used by 44 households annually. The program uses scientifically-proven methods to remove and control mineral scale and provide microbiological and corrosion control equal to or better than existing chemical programs - offering a green approach that facilities welcome, especially in hospitals where a safe and abundant water supply is demanded 24/7.

The program eliminates chemical treatments and associated safety issues and conserves resources by eliminating plastic chemical drums and freight. Even better, after-use water is free of chemical impurities and suitable for irrigation use without further treatment.

Its technology is centered on anode-cathode reactions under supplied current, a universally documented and accepted scientific principle. Mineral is precipitated and then periodically flushed from the system. Easily calculated and measured water indices allow for better corrosion control.

dhering microbes to precipitated calcium and converting small amounts of chloride to chlorine typically lowers bacteria counts, resulting in biological control.

As the question of footprint is addressed - specifically how water is used and where the possibilities are for reclaiming and reuse - partnering with a service aggregator can help managers sort through the myriad available technologies and implement the correct fit for their unique facility.

As a green example, minor piping installation and a small operating footprint allow eSolutions to be installed from a skid-mount platform and easily moved from system to system if necessary. Continuing service, testing and monitoring ensure efficient operation, along with validation of results, while 24/7 remote monitoring ensures program performance.

As “blue” becomes the new “green” and attention focuses increasingly on collective water use, the national supply and demand curve is going to push water costs higher and higher. Partnering with a service provider to identify and measure water use - and then implementing smart conservation methods for its treatment and reuse - will ensure a safe and abundant, cost-effective supply for generations to come.

Bob Miller is founder and president of Earthwise Environmental Inc., Bensenville, IL. With five Certified Water Technologists and a staff with more than 120 years combined experience, Earthwise is an industry leader at providing safe, efficient, environmentally-sound water management solutions. Expertise includes boiler, cooling tower, closed system and waste water applications. For information about its proprietary programs and services, including eSolutions and EarthCare, visit Earthwise Environmental online at www.earthwiseenvironmental. com.

Archives