Key Takeaways:
- Water stress is on the rise: Roughly 60% of U.S. land and half the population already experiencing moderate to extreme water stress in a given year.
- Water is a business imperative: Water efficiency and circularity are now foundational to operational resilience, growth and competitiveness.
- A full-system view is critical: Industrial water use must be viewed holistically, accounting for upstream demand like offsite power generation, not just onsite consumption.
- Reuse delivers results: Advanced reuse systems can recover 90–98% of process water, reduce overall water use by 50–75%, and deliver payback periods as short as 12–24 months.
- Pushing for better policies: Better benchmarks, consistent reporting, and supportive policies, like the Advancing Water Reuse Act, are essential to scaling water reuse across industries.
Across a spring calendar packed with sustainability forums, two voices from Grundfos have been steadily highlighting the importance of water and reframing how industry thinks about its most essential resource — a topic that is quickly rising on the agenda across America.
At events including the North American Sustainability & Responsibility Summit, the WateReuse Symposium, and Sustainability LIVE Chicago, Courtney Tripp, Sustainability and Strategy Director at Grundfos, and Dr. Michael Skovgaard, Director of Business Development at Grundfos, have been making a consistent and compelling case for industrial, utilities and policy leaders — water efficiency and circularity are no longer optional sustainability initiatives, they are foundational to business, industrial and community resilience and growth.
Tripp underscores this point: “Water is the fundamental resource that no person or business can survive without. We have taken it for granted for too long, and now it’s important that water be centered in the conversation, because the technology exists today to build more circular, resilient water solutions. And those systems, and the policies that advance them, are essential to our future.”
“Water is the fundamental resource that no person or business can survive without. We have taken it for granted for too long, and now it’s important that water be centered in the conversation, because the technology exists today to build more circular, resilient water solutions. And those systems, and the policies that advance them, are essential to our future.”
Water stress, once viewed as a regional concern, is now a widespread and persistent challenge. Tripp and Skovgaard point out that roughly 60% of U.S. land area and half the population already experience moderate to extreme water stress in a given year, even as demand continues to rise across sectors like power generation, advanced manufacturing, and digital infrastructure.
Water reuse is not only emerging as a solution for water preservation, it is also becoming a central piece of industrial business strategy. Reusing water can directly benefit industry’s bottom line by reducing costs, mitigating risk and ensuring operational continuity. In short, water reuse is imperative to the future of industry.
The need for a holistic view
One of the most important themes emerging from these discussions is how water demand needs to be viewed holistically. Industrial water use can no longer be defined solely by onsite water consumption; it also needs to account for upstream demand. While industrial facilities must continue to focus on onsite efficiency, for some the majority of their water impact may actually occur offsite.
This is most exemplified by the rapid growth of data centers. The speakers highlighted Bluefield estimates that by 2030, approximately 72% of the total water consumption associated with U.S. data centers will occur offsite at power plants generating the electricity for those facilities.
Optimizing industrial water use, especially for data centers, must move beyond individual facilities. The full water footprint must account for upstream energy systems, cooling processes, supply chains, and how the water-energy nexus impacts these interdependent systems.
The need for a holistic view
One of the most important themes emerging from these discussions is how water demand needs to be viewed holistically. Industrial water use can no longer be defined solely by onsite water consumption; it also needs to account for upstream demand. While industrial facilities must continue to focus on onsite efficiency, for some the majority of their water impact may actually occur offsite.
This is most exemplified by the rapid growth of data centers. The speakers highlighted Bluefield estimates that by 2030, approximately 72% of the total water consumption associated with U.S. data centers will occur offsite at power plants generating the electricity for those facilities.
Optimizing industrial water use, especially for data centers, must move beyond individual facilities. The full water footprint must account for upstream energy systems, cooling processes, supply chains, and how the water-energy nexus impacts these interdependent systems.
From wastewater to resource
Against the backdrop of shrinking resources and growing demand, both speakers say that water reuse is no longer a niche sustainability tactic, but rather a cross-industry solution.
Advances in treatment technologies are enabling decentralized, onsite approaches that allow wastewater to be reused within industrial processes, as well as community-wide recycling. By treating water to “fit-for-purpose” standards, industries can create a reliable alternative to freshwater supply while not over or under-treating the water, saving energy and chemical resources.
The impact of these systems is significant, with well-designed industrial reuse systems capable of recovering 70–90% or more of process water, and some advanced facilities achieving reuse rates approaching 98%.
As Skovgaard points out, “By assessing the water balance within the fence line and applying proven treatment, monitoring, and control technologies, reuse systems can deliver consistent, high‑quality water that reduces freshwater intake, wastewater discharge, and energy demand. When designed correctly, water circularity is a measurable, low‑risk engineering solution that strengthens industrial resilience under increasing water stress.”
"When designed correctly, water circularity is a measurable, low‑risk engineering solution that strengthens industrial resilience under increasing water stress."
An economic and societal imperative
These outcomes are not just environmental — they are economic. Industries that view water reuse as a business asset are better positioned to remain competitive by reducing resource dependency, improving resiliency and, ultimately, improving their bottom line.
Tripp and Skovgaard use measurable outcomes to illustrate this point. Circular water management strategies can deliver 50–75% reductions in water use and up to 70% energy savings in pumping and control systems when implemented holistically. Moreover, payback periods of 12 to 24 months are increasingly common in process industries, especially as the price of electricity continues to rise.
And the benefits of reuse extend beyond the economic. For industrial operators, reuse can improve permitting outcomes and strengthen relationships with local communities. For municipalities, reuse systems help protect potable water supplies, reduce strain on wastewater infrastructure, and support more balanced regional water management alongside growth.
The need for better benchmarks and policies
One of the challenges of integrating water reuse across industry more widely is a lack of clear standards and consistent benchmarks that define efficient water use. Tripp and Skovgaard point out that while energy efficiency metrics are widely tracked and regulated, water use remains inconsistently reported. This makes it difficult to assess performance, identify opportunities for improvement or compare across facilities.
Skovgaard describes how Grundfos, in collaboration with Black & Veatch, is working to address this by developing methodologies for data centers that quantify total water footprint across the full system, integrating WUE, PUE, energy sources, and discharge characteristics. These tools, he argues, are essential for moving from anecdotal improvements to measurable, scalable progress.
At policy-focused events, including Water Week in Washington, D.C., the conversation shifted toward regulation and incentives. Tripp, joined by the Grundfos public affairs team, highlighted bipartisan policy efforts, such as the Advancing Water Reuse Act (H.R. 2940) — a 30% investment tax credit for reuse projects on site or at the municipal level — as a step in the right direction. Grundfos is also actively engaged in two actions as part of WRAP 2.0 (Water Reuse Action Plan), an EPA-led initiative designed to accelerate water reuse across industries and sectors.
Looking ahead
As the conversation continues across industry and policy forums, several priorities are becoming clear:
There is a need for stronger benchmarks and greater transparency, enabling organizations and communities to better understand water use and its impacts. There is also an opportunity to better align policy and incentives with the realities of modern water demand, particularly as reuse becomes more central to industrial operations. Perhaps most importantly, there is a growing recognition that water must be considered as part of a broader system — one that includes energy, infrastructure, and long-term community and economic resilience. Water efficiency and reuse are no longer optional, they are critical actions to how industries will remain competitive in a resource-constrained world.
The conversation will continue this summer, with Skovgaard set to speak at Industrial Water Solutions 2026 in Chicago, Illinois, and the Water Treatment USA 2026 in Anaheim, California.
For those interested in exploring these topics further, read Grundfos’ whitepaper, “Accelerating Industrial Reuse: Quantifying the Impact, Technology and Policies Needed in the US.”