With little fanfare, most airports in California have been taking significant steps to reduce their water consumption. While it can vary significantly, collectively airports use hundreds of millions of gallons of water every year. In California, this is no longer sustainable.
Realizing this, here are some of the steps California airports are taking to reduce consumption, which can help airports around the world:
San Jose International
· The green ivy bear, which has greeted visitors to San Jose for the past 12 years, appears to be doing fine sipping recycled water from the airport's irrigation system.
· Windows are no longer pressure-washed clean. Instead, they are cleaned by hand using recycled water, resulting in a dramatic reduction in water consumption.
San Diego International
· This airport found an untapped source of water: the water created by air conditioning condensation. The airport is now capturing this water and reusing it for irrigation and other purposes. In one year, they collected more than 5,000 gallons of water, and the airport believes it will collect as much as 840,000 gallons annually in the coming years.
San Francisco International
· This airport traditionally greeted new carriers and new flights with water cannon salutes. Typically, this happened once per month and used as much as 4,000 gallons of water per event. This practice has been discontinued not only at San Francisco International, but Los Angeles International and the Bob Hope Airport.
Palm Springs International
· Waterless urinals have been installed. The airport reports they are saving 44,000 gallons of water per urinal per year.
Virtually All State Airports
· Most all California airports have now installed low-flow washroom fixtures.
· Synthetic turf is replacing grass lawns.
· Many rental companies are now using as much as 90 percent recycled water to wash cars.
"Something we often overlook is that the other side of water challenges is innovation," adds Klaus Reichardt, CEO, and President of Waterless Co. "We can expect more innovation and new ideas in the future, all tailored to help us use water more responsibly and efficiently."
