Addressing the US water crisis through water circularity
Water quality and quantity issues are widespread across the US landscape. Droughts in the Western US, saltwater intrusion in coastal areas, flooding events and declining lake levels are becoming more severe and frequent. Currently, water stress is a major concern.
Approximately 60% of the land area and 50% of the population are affected by medium to extremely high water stress annually.
Industrial water demand has significantly increased, driven by sectors such as food production, manufacturing, power generation and technology. These new demands place additional strain on already limited water resources. We cannot create new water, so solutions such as decentralized water circularity offer a sustainable approach for users. This includes water conservation, reuse and impact mitigation strategies.
Estimating water savings potential
Technological advancements have enabled the decentralized treatment of wastewater to turn it into a valuable water resource for industrial processes. Contemporary methods can treat wastewater from light industries’ processes in a way that the reclaimed water meets minimum quality requirements for the same or other processes. This way, wastewater can be repurposed as a safe alternative water source and replace freshwater.
Water circularity should be implemented following the prioritized route of reduce, reuse and reclaim. Following the full route and combining 1) reduce, 2) reuse and 3) reclaim strategies is estimated to result in water saving potential of up to 75-90%.
It’s astounding to look at the potential impact of saving between 27.8 and 54 million Olympic-sized swimming pools of fresh water annually.
Technology, policy and private sector action
Addressing the current water crisis requires coordinated efforts across sectors and government at the federal, state and local level. Throughout this paper, we have explored research, data, technology and best practices that support the positive, beneficial and impactful role water reuse has on industrial operations.
At the intersection of technology, legislation and private sector action, there is a real opportunity to build resilience and enable water security for communities, businesses and industries across the nation.
Download the full insights
In our whitepaper, we take a deeper look into the challenges and opportunities facing industrial water reuse in the United States, quantifies potential water savings across key industries and outlines the technologies and policy frameworks needed to accelerate adoption.