Recently, I wrote an article on how industrial facilities are using less water, which was published in “Industrial Safety and Hygiene” magazine.
I want to share with you some of the key points I made in that article:
Let’s begin:
Many people are not aware that manufacturers are making considerable progress in reducing water consumption.
They are doing this because it is simply good business. The less water used, the less these industries must pay for water, and in some cases, the cost of water may be one of their most significant expenses.
As to how they are accomplishing this, among the ways are the following:
· Changing employee behaviors. organizations are working with their staff — even creating training programs — to discuss the importance of reducing water consumption and provide them ways to do so.
· Benchmarking consumption. Many facilities
have no idea how much water they are consuming. They need to measure and meter water consumption to create a benchmark.
· Analyzing the water bill. Water utility bills should be delivered to the operations officer and not accounts payable, as is all too frequently the case.
· Distribution of prizes and incentives. Some administrators now award prices and provide other types of incentives to those
divisions that have reduced water consumption within a certain period.
· Checking restroom fixtures. Evaluate the restroom fixtures in use.
If they are more than a few years old, consider transferring to “high efficiency” fixtures. As it pertains to urinals, no-water urinal technology can result in a dramatic reduction in water
consumption.
Read the entire article here: https://lnkd.in/gmseHGrK
As always, I appreciate hearing from you. Your comments and thoughts are welcome.
#water #business #technology #waterefficiency #waterlessurinals
9 Countries with the Worst Water Scarcity on the Planet
While much of the U.S. is currently blessed with adequate water supplies - a big change in circumstances from just a year ago - the same is not true around the globe. Some countries are experiencing significant water scarcity as we begin the new year.
At this time, these nine countries appear to be grappling with the worst water scarcity on the planet:
1. Afghanistan: Most of the country is struggling with water scarcity, and making matters worse, only a bit more than ten percent of the available water is clean enough for human consumption. Furthermore, the country has inadequate water infrastructure and what infrastructure they have is falling into disrepair.
2. Ethiopia. Many countries in Africa are experiencing severe water scarcity, but Ethiopia appears to be at the top of the list. Less than half of the people in the country have access to clean, potable water. What many people do is store water in containers. But over time, those containers become contaminated. Many of the health problems and deaths in this country are caused by drinking contaminated water from these storage vessels.
3. Chad. The fifth largest country in Africa, the Republic of Chad is located in north-central Africa and part of the Sahara Desert. It is landlocked, making it increasingly dependent on its neighbors for water, most of whom are having their own water scarcity problems. They do have a “wet season” each year, when many people in Chad collect and store water. But just as in Ethiopia that water often becomes contaminated, resulting in illness and death.
4. Cambodia and Laos. These two countries share many of the same water-related problems. The Mekong River flows through both countries, but much of that water is used for growing crops. What’s happening now, because of reduced water levels, fewer crops are being grown. This means that in both countries, not only is there water scarcity, but food shortages are increasing as well.
5. Haiti. This country has had water scarcity issues for years. However, the 2021 earthquake made the situation worse. What plumbing infrastructure the country had before the quake was mostly destroyed.
6. Pakistan. According to some experts, it's not so much that Pakistan lacks sufficient water for its population as it is that it has yet to develop ways to store water adequately to meet human and agricultural needs. Some experts even call it “negligence” because Pakistani officials have been told for years that their water storage facilities are inadequate.
7. Syria. Along with not receiving enough rainfall to meet its water-related needs, the political situation in Syria is contributing to the country’s water scarcity. Some government-controlled areas of the country are not allowing water to be released to “rebel” areas, causing water scarcity. Furthermore, Syrians are migrating, moving into areas of the country that do not have enough water to provide for these new residents.
8. Egypt. The Nile River has always been the critical source of water for Egypt. But in recent years, the Nile has become progressively more polluted. The result is less drinkable water for an already thirsty country.
9. Somalia. This country does get enough water from rainfall events for its citizenry. Further, as with many of the countries mentioned earlier, there are limited water storage facilities in Somalia, water infrastructure is non-existent or in need of repair, and what infrastructure development has been built tends to be mismanaged.
For these nine countries, water scarcity is dire. But there’s more to the story. Water scarcity is affecting nearly three billion people, nearly half the world’s population. It is causing disease, death, and poverty to spread.
And what’s next maybe conflict. According to Dr. Mohammed T. Bani Salameh, a Professor of Political Science at the Political Science department at Yarmouk University in Jordan, the growing population and increasing water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa may inevitably result in military conflict, which will impact the entire globe.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
The Big Difference Between Water Conservation and Water Efficiency
When most people hear these two terms – water conservation and water efficiency - they assume they mean the same thing.
But that is not correct. While both refer to reducing water consumption, each one reflects an entirely different approach.
As to water conservation, a noted water conservation expert and author, Amy Vickers, defined it as follows: “Water conservation is the beneficial reduction in water loss, waste, or use.” The goal, according to Vickers, is to use just enough water at the moment and as needed when brushing teeth, for instance, or using the dishwasher.
On the other hand, Vickers defines water efficiency as the “minimization of the amount of water used to accomplish a function, task, or result.” It’s long-term, says Vickers, not just for the moment.
Let’s use the dishwasher an example. A family has decided only to use their dishwasher when it is full. By doing so, they are not wasting water by cleaning just a few dishes at a time. This is water conservation, and by the way, a very good practice.
However, what if our family selects a new dishwasher that uses a third less water than their current model. Now we are talking about water efficiency. Water efficiency relies on well-engineered products and fixtures like dishwashers that use reduced quantities of water. It can also apply to fixtures such as low-flow toilets and showerheads, all of which use less water over the long term.
Further, when it comes to water efficiency, we should also add waterless urinals to the list of efficient products and fixtures. This is because waterless urinals are engineered to work effectively using no water at all. That is the ultimate in water efficiency.
Along with long-term water reduction, one of the significant benefits of water efficiency is lowered water costs. This is because water use and water costs are closely interconnected.
Each year, water costs are increasing in residential and commercial facilities. Since 2010, water-related costs have gone up more than thirty percent. And now, with inflation, they are expected the go up even faster in many parts of the country in a relatively short time.
This means that water rates in the country will likely double before we know it. This will have the most impact on those not taking steps now to install water-efficient toilets, urinals, and other water-using devices.
But there is one more thing we need to keep in mind, and this is becoming a growing concern. Using our dishwasher example once again, let’s say that because our family knows they are using so much less water by selecting a water efficient dishwasher, they stop limiting their use of the machine to only those times when they wash a full load. After all, the new dishwasher uses a third less water than the old one, so what’s the big concern?
Here’s the problem with this thinking. While it’s true the new dishwasher uses less water per use, by using it more frequently, over the long term we may actually be using more water than we were using before. We’ve tossed all our water use responsibility out the window.
This is known as the rebound effect, and it is all too common. We find this happing when we are trying to reduce consumption, not only of water, but other natural resources.
What we need to remember is this: always have a conservation mindset. Whenever we can use less of any resource, in this case water, and still meet our needs, it’s better for the planet, protects natural resources, and saves money too.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
NEWS: Study Finds Silver Lining in Water Scarcity
The western half of the United States has experienced severe drought conditions for several years.
While 2022 is starting out as a “wet” year, our problems are from over.
According to Klaus Reichardt, CEO and Founder of Waterless Co Inc., “long-term, most water experts predict parts of the country will have chronic water scarcity issues for decades to come. We welcome the moisture, but it’s probably transitory.”
However, water scarcity has produced a silver lining, according to a new study just released by Pennsylvania State University on January 10, 2022.
According to the researchers, companies that use large amounts of water, for instance, in manufacturing, are becoming much more water efficient.
Water efficiency refers to long-term water reduction, often by eliminating water waste.
Plus, they are releasing lower amounts of toxic emissions into wastewater, which typically ends up waterways, potentially harming marine life and vegetation.
“Most of the prior research has been focused on how companies are negatively affecting the environment,” says Suvrat Dhanorkar, one of the researchers.
“We flipped that around to see how companies [are responding] to climate change. It opens a new area of research… looking at how… climate change-induced events affect innovation and other economic factors like unemployment.”
The study involved more than three thousand manufacturing facilities in Texas from 2000 to 2016.
Texas was selected because the state has many manufacturing facilities but frequently suffers from long-term dry periods resulting in water scarcity.
“We found that water scarcity can induce manufacturing facilities…to improve their environmental performance by lowering toxic releases into water,” reported the researchers.
“These effects extended into the facilities reducing emissions in other ways, such as into the land and air, too.”
According to Reichardt, this research is one of many indicating how some industries are becoming not only more water-efficient due to water scarcity but reducing their impact on the environment.
“Fortunately, when it comes to water, new technologies and innovation are helping us reduce water consumption dramatically, all of which benefits our planet.”
It’s Time to get “Water Positive”
We hear a lot now about finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The goal is to become net-zero – remove as much carbon as possible and other greenhouse gases that can harm the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
However, we are just starting to hear about programs designed not only to use water more efficiently, but also to make sure not a drop is wasted. It’s called becoming “water positive” and some of the biggest corporations in the world are getting behind it. And it’s not a minute to soon. The U.N. predicts that by 2030, just eight years from now, the world will have a 40 percent shortfall of freshwater.
So, what is water positive all about? It’s a pledge by major corporations such as BP, Facebook, the Gap, Ralph Lauren, DOW chemical, Pepsi, Proctor & Gamble, and other companies, to put every drop of water they use in a specific geographic area back in the area in which the company operates.
You might wonder why the Gap and Ralph Lauren are so involved. The reason is that it takes trillions of gallons of water per year to dye fabrics. And unlike government leaders who may pledge this and pledge that when it comes to climate change and the environment, these companies are starting to take real and tangible steps to replenish the water they use.
For instance, Pepsi’s division in Mexico is processing water and treating it so that it can be used for irrigation and washing vegetables. The program has helped reduce the demand for fresh water in the immediate area by 50 percent.
Proctor & Gamble is taking a different course of action. They realize that most of the water related to their products is used by consumers, when they shave, wash dishes or laundry, or perform related activities in which they use P&G products. To address this, they have formed a coalition of companies all working together to encourage end-customers to use less water.
They named the coalition the 50L Home Platform. This is because its goal is for people in Europe, where the program is most active, to reduce their daily use of water by fifty liters per person.
Ikea, which is also part of the 50L Home Program, is striving to be water positive by reaching out to its customers. According to IKEA, 15 percent of the company’s total water footprint each year occurs when its customers use their taps, showers, and other water-using fixtures. To address this, Ikea and others in the program are offering their customers water-positive home offers, discounts, and rebates to purchase more water efficient faucets, showers, and dishwashers.
We should note that many of these companies are not only taking steps to replenish the water they or their customers use but use water far more efficiently. All these companies and many more are laser-focused on how much water they are using and what steps they can take to reduce consumption.
As usual, and as you might expect, most have installed more water-efficient restroom fixtures, including waterless urinals. Whenever the discussion turns to water efficiency and water reduction, expect the installation of waterless urinals to be one of the key topics of interest.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
Six Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint in 2022
Inspired by the recent climate change meeting, more building owners and facility managers are looking into ways to do their part, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce their overall environmental footprint. At first, many building owners and managers may believe this is an impossible task. However, once they get started, they realize their actions can be meaningful in facing the challenge.
Here are some little-discussed suggestions to get you started. Some are low-hanging fruit and can be accomplished quickly and with little investment. Others may take more time and cost more, but their long-term payoff can be significant.
Eliminate the Standard Outlet
We don’t want any more traditional power outlets in our facilities. Instead, we want smart outlets that can be turned on and off manually or automatically throughout a facility at specific hours. Why? One of the most significant energy users in the U.S. is what is called “idle electronics.” These are electronics such as copiers, computers, cellphone chargers, and monitors, which use electricity while in the “off” position. These consume as much energy each year as can be produced by 12 typical power plants.
Take a Bright Light Break
We’ve all encountered lights that go on and off based on movement. Walk into a restroom, and the lights go on. Once you leave, the lights typically stay on for about 15 minutes before they go off. Now, we must take this a step further. Entire floors of a building must be movement activated.
Say everyone on an office floor leaves at 6 pm. There is no reason for those lights to stay on for hours. If everyone leaves by 6, the lights should go off at 6:15.
Conduct a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Audit
Most building owners and managers are familiar with energy audits, water audits, even security and risk audits. Now we need to start conducting greenhouse gas emissions audits. Just like these other audits, a greenhouse gas emissions audit is designed to find where greenhouse gases are being emitted from a facility and, with this knowledge, eliminate or reduce the emissions. Often these emissions come from building mechanicals like HVAC units. Methane gas, which is detrimental to the environment, may be one of the gases being emitted.
Put a Dent in Disposable Cups
Globally, it is estimated that we throw away about 16 billion disposable cups every year. Not all of these cups are used in work areas, but a large number of them are. Many of these cups are coated with plastic and have plastic lids. The bad thing about this is that when tossed in the trash, they can live for years in landfills before degrading. But the good thing about it is that these cups can often be re-used with simple rinsing. Taking this extra step and re-using disposable cups – or switching to traditional cups - will help make a big dent in how many disposable cups end up in trash disposal centers.
Plastic Straws and Stirrers
Here is all we need to say about using plastic straws and stirrers: say no. Once again, these are invariably made of plastic, take years to disintegrate, and we can get by without them.
Use Less Water
The days of limitless amounts of water, even in desert areas of the world, are fast ending. As they do, we are finding many ways to reduce consumption. In commercial facilities, the three best methods to reduce water consumption are installing native vegetation, which typically needs less water, re-fitting existing toilets to use less water, and installing waterless urinals. In many cases, installing waterless urinals such as these will result in the biggest reduction in water consumption of all the measures taken.
Klaus Reichardt is CEO and founder of Waterless Co, Inc, Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal of establishing a new market segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water efficiency in mind. Reichardt is a frequent writer and presenter, discussing water conservation issues. He can be reached at klaus@waterless.com.
Four Reasons for Mysterious Odors in Homes and Offices
Photo by LYCS Architecture on Unsplash
Whether it’s in your home, school, or office, there’s a good chance that mysterious odors will someday develop in your home’s bathrooms, commercial facility restrooms, or kitchens. Where the odor is coming from is the big mystery. Looking high and low often does not help. But when you look down — toward the floor — that’s where you often find the culprit.
Many odors in bathrooms, restrooms, showers, and kitchens are coming from floor drains. This happens for a multitude of reasons, including the following:
1. Gunk build-up. Floor drains are designed to catch and remove not only water and liquids, but also all types of gunk, for lack of a better word. This includes hair, grease, soap, food, and more. Over time, it can begin to lodge onto the sides of the pipes below the floor drain, and the longer it hangs around, the more likely it will start to produce odors.
Photo by Adrian Lange on Unsplash
2. Bacteria. The reason gunk begins to smell is because bacteria forms. This is really what is causing the odor. Pipes are a perfect setting for bacteria to develop. There is adequate moisture and, in most cases, sufficient oxygen.
3. Blocked vents. The plumbing systems in homes and commercial facilities are equipped with vents. These allow trapped gasses to travel through the pipes and be released outside, where they dissipate into the air if working correctly. However, if the vent is blocked or somehow clogged, these gasses will leak through the drain, releasing odors into the home or facility.
4. Sewer gasses. Under every drain is a P-trap, a U-shaped pipe designed to hold a small amount of water. However, this water can and frequently does evaporate. For instance, this traditionally happens when schools are closed for the summer or prolonged periods of time. And due to COVID and building closures, this has been happening much more frequently. Further, we must add that when sewer gasses are released from drains, it can be dangerous, as these fumes are often toxic.
Of all the issues just mentioned, the only one that requires calling a plumber is if a vent is blocked. But for all the others, there are some very easy and quick steps you can take without calling a plumber. Among them are the following:
Boiling water. Never underestimate the power of boiling water when opening clogged drains. Dishwasher maintenance specialists often use boiling water to unclog drains from dishwashers. This happens frequently, especially with older dishwashers. You can do the same to eliminate odors from drains. Carefully pour boiling water down the floor drain and then wait. It may take time for the odor to disappear, and you may need to repeat this procedure a couple of times before determining if it was effective.
Vinegar. Vinegar can be very effective at eliminating drain odors, especially if it is heated. This is the part many people are unaware of. While it should never be boiling, the added heat improves the effectiveness of the acetic acid in the vinegar, which helps it eliminate bacteria and remove the gunk and bacteria in the pipes.
Sewer gasses. Once again, this is a very inexpensive and easy fix.
What most commercial facilities use, and this product can be used in homes as well, is EverPrime. What EverPrime does is fill the U-trap we mentioned earlier with a biodegradable liquid. EverPrime lasts for months, does not evaporate, is little impacted by extreme cold or heat, and prevents sewer odors from being released from all types of drains, including those in floors, sinks, showers, and more.
So there you have it. Now we know where that mysterious odor is coming from and, even better, we now know how to fix it.
Scientists search for causes of western water woes high in the Colorado Rockies
New study of snow, ice, and rain aims to improve Colorado River flow forecasts
In a historic first, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation earlier this month declared a water shortage on the Colorado River, triggering emergency measures that will require farmers in Arizona to cut their use of irrigation water by 20% next year. The immediate cause of the declaration is record low water levels in Lake Mead, the largest reservoir fed by the river. But scientists say the crisis has been years in the making—and could soon get worse. For reasons they don’t completely understand, but that are related to the West’s changing climate, snow that falls in the Rocky Mountains—the source of about 80% of the Colorado—has been providing the river with less and less water. “This is an existential water crisis for the Southwest,” says Jonathan Overpeck, a climate scientist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Next week, researchers will begin an innovative campaign to better understand the fundamental processes—from the behavior of tiny particles that become snowflakes to weather patterns that influence how snow vanishes into thin air—that determine how mountain precipitation becomes surface water for 40 million people. “What gets us going in the morning is the large number of people that really rely on this resource,” says atmospheric scientist Daniel Feldman of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), who leads the effort.
For the more than $8 million project, called the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL), researchers are deploying dozens of instruments that will measure wind, rain, snow, solar radiation, and atmospheric particles in a high-elevation Colorado watershed. Hydrologists have already been studying the streams and bedrock there for years. But the additional equipment will collect data intended to sharpen models that produce a variety of critical forecasts, including short-term predictions of seasonal stream flows and long-term scenarios of how climate change might alter regional water supplies. SAIL is “going to make advances in mountain precipitation and snow studies that would just be impossible without this level of instrumentation,” says Jessica Lundquist, a mountain hydrologist at the University of Washington, Seattle. “It’s really exciting.”
To read more of this article by Erik Stokstad on science.org, click here.
Water conservation doesn't get old with Community Agriculture
A new name has been coined for the prolonged drought condition in the Colorado River Basin: Mega drought. Water conservation in the home and business can be part of the solution.
Here are some basic water conservation practices worthy of remembering as we navigate through prolific drought.
General rules of thumb to improve efficiency and reduce waste in the home include:
• Leak detection and repair: Even small leaks can add up to significant water loss. Look for and repair leaks frequently.
• Replace or retrofit appliances and fixtures: Install high efficiency plumbing fixtures and appliances. A large percentage of water is flushed down the toilet. Retrofit to code, 1.6 gallon toilets, or install ultra-low flow or dual flush units. Only run clothes and dishwashers when full. Install on-demand hot water heaters or hot water circulating pumps.
To read more about how to conserve water in the home or business, click here to visit www.steamboatpilot.com.
Why the Cruise Industry is Taking a Much Close Look at Waterless Urinals
In the past year, the cruise industry has had a chance to reflect on their business operations and determine what steps they can take to get the sector roaring back after the pandemic as well as steps they can take to reduce operating costs. As you can imagine, after a very tough 2020, both are noticeably significant concerns for the cruise industry.
One of the items getting much more scrutiny is switching out the old, flush-valve, water-using urinals with no-water or waterless urinals. When looking into this, one of the first things cruise owners/operators realize is that, in most cases, a waterless urinal has virtually the same "wall print" as a traditional urinal. This means if water-using urinals are swapped out with no-water urinals, there are few if any remodeling or construction issues to grapple with.
So, that makes installing waterless urinals easier to consider, but what are some of the actual benefits of installing waterless urinals? Here is what some cruise ship owners/operators are discovering:
· Urinals, just like toilets, have overflows. The flush handle, manual or automatic, becomes stuck and water keeps rushing out. This is not an issue with waterless urinals.
· Most ships use a combination of fresh, treated, and saltwater while out at sea. Saltwater is often used for urinals and toilets. The problem is that this can cause hard encrustations in the drain line. Repairing this can be costly, and should problems develop while at sea, these urinals must be closed for use, something no owner/operator wants to do.
· Urinals are designed to last for years. However, the part that does not last and often needs repair is the flush valve. When heavily used, they may need to be replaced every two to five years. Furthermore, they frequently need to be repaired. This can get costly. There are no flush handles or any mechanical parts on waterless urinals. So, this cost is eliminated.
· By law, ships must treat water before they can deposit it in the ocean. With waterless systems, there is less water to pump out because no water is used in the system's operation. This helps reduce wastewater storage needs and, along with it, sewage disposal costs.
· Waterless urinals tend to be more hygienic than water-using urinals, keeping restrooms cleaner and helping to eliminate odors. This is due to a few reasons, but most importantly, when a flush urinal is flushed, it releases bacteria-filled droplets into the restroom, especially on floors. This can cause odors, and because of the humid conditions in some vessels, this can accelerate odor problems. Another point related to this is that urine is essentially odor-free, but when it mixes with water, odors can develop. This is not an issue with waterless urinals. They stay dry, helping to keep restrooms odor-free.
· Weight is a big concern on cruise ships. Anything that can help reduce onboard weight can translate into fuel savings. Some urinals manufactured by Waterless Co., Inc. weigh as little as ten pounds. By comparison, a conventional water-using urinal can weigh more than 60 pounds. If a cruise ship has 200 urinals onboard, that means owners/operators can cut onboard weight by about 10,000 pounds – if not more - by going waterless.
And let’s not forget, the flush valves, water supply lines, trap components all add to the weight of a water-using urinal. This means even more onboard weight will be cut.
· Finally, restrooms have been going touch-free for years. But now, in a post-COVID world, this trend has been accelerated considerably. With no water urinals, there is nothing to touch. You might say this is true with sensor-controlled urinals. However, those controls still must be touched regularly by housekeepers, and all too often, they do not work. In such cases, the user must manually touch the flush valve.
