|
In partnership with
Mecklenburg County LUESA Air Quality and
Solid Waste Divisions, and
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities
Sponsored by the
Environmental Assistance Office (EAO) for
Small Business at UNC Charlotte, The Environmental Corner
is designed to serve as an environmental
management and pollution prevention resource
OCTOBER 2006
Water Conservation
Although 70% of Earth’s surface area is water, only
3% is fresh and 1% usable. An increase in population
and commerce has put a strain on this precious
commodity. Conservation of water is essential for
the continued growth and welfare of our region.
US drought monitor has classified
Charlotte-Mecklenburg region as dry this year.
Therefore, water conservation is very important.
Water conservation by small businesses is both
economically profitable and socially responsible,
helping to decrease water and sewer costs and to
protect our environment.
According to the North Carolina Water Resources
Section of NC Department of Environment and Natural
Resources water conservation is important because...
... It Preserves
and Protects Our Natural Resources
Conserving water can help preserve our natural
resources. Conserving water means more water is
available to serve additional water needs, as well
as for wildlife and recreation. Water conservation
practices can result in lower wastewater discharges
which can mean an improvement in overall water
quality. Conserving water diminishes our need to
find or build new water sources, leaving them in
reserve for our possible later use.
... It Saves
Money for You and Your Community
Conserving water reduces the amount of money you
spend each month for household water use. Your
community saves the money spent pumping and treating
water before and after use, plus conservation can
delay expenditures for additional water sources and
treatment facilities.
... It Insures
the Reliability of Your Water Supply
Water conservation can positively affect the
reliability of your water supplies during periods of
high demands (such as the summer months) and during
droughts. Communities should implement a water
conservation program that discourages wasteful water
use at all times and restricts non-essential water
uses during droughts. During droughts, such a
program can enable a community to respond to water
shortages early and thus avoid the need for more
extreme measures later.
|
Businesses vary tremendously in their water needs
depending on the products or services that they
provide. Through pollution prevention programs such
as the UNC Charlotte’s Environmental Assistance
Office, small businesses can learn about ways to
reduce water use through their manufacturing
processing. Service businesses, like restaurants and
hotels, can reduce water use by installing water
saving devices and encouraging water conservation by
their customers.
More Info at:
http://www.epa.gov/Region1/eco/drinkwater/water_conservation_biz.html |
 |
|
|
|
|
You may be familiar with the US EPA’s Energy STAR Program
and the success of this program has encouraged EPA and other
organizations to begin the EPA WaterSense program.
US EPA’s
WaterSense is partnering with manufacturers, retailers, and
utilities to bring WaterSense-labeled products and programs
to the marketplace and make it easy to purchase high
performance, water-efficient products.
As a
small business owner or operator consider purchasing
products with the WaterSense logo when updating your
facilities or replacing hardware.
Small businesses should also think of ways to reuse and
recycle water. Most important of all, educate employees
regarding water conservation and make them actively
participate in saving water.
More info >>
Return to top of page
There are several economic benefits for small businesses in
conserving water. As stated previously you can save on
water, sewer, and power bills. Also, there will be no need
to look for new water supplies and new wastewater treatment
facilities. In future, when water quality regulations become
stricter and cost of unit water will increase due to high
demand, already having water saving techniques in place is a
huge bonus. So, your adoption of water conservation
techniques will give you a competitive edge over other
businesses both time wise as well as money wise.
More info >>
Return to top of page
Here are some success stories where businesses chose
to go for water conservation and saved a lot of
money as well as energy.
Tin Originals Incorporated:
It is a small business in Gastonia, NC (Cumberland County),
which does metal finishing related manufacturing dealing
with the creation and distribution of tin ware for home
décor and gifts. Installing water conservation techniques,
Tin Originals reduced water consumption from 100,000 gallons
per month to 13,000 gallons per month. In the first year of
operation total installation and maintenance costs were
approximately $1100. This led to a decrease in the average
monthly sewer bill of their recycling system from $455.65 to
$61.98 after the installation. With annual savings of over
$4,500, the payback time on the project was less than 3
months.
Chem-Tex Laboratories Inc:
Chem-Tex Laboratories Inc., situated in Concord, N.C, using
water conservation techniques saved 20,000 gallons of water
per day. This is a 60 percent reduction in water
consumption. This led to monetary savings between $35,000 -
40,000 annually.
These and more success stories can be found at
http://www.p2pays.org/water/success.asp
Return to top of page
|
If you are a small business in
Charlotte-Mecklenburg area looking to save
water, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities
provide valuable information on how to
conserve water and what tools to use in
conserving water. They also give water smart
awards to encourage homes and businesses to
become a water conservation star!
More about Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities
can be found at
http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/Utilities/WaterSmart/home.htm
Return to top of page
|
 |
|
|
|
|
The Environmental Assistance Office for Small
Business provides non-regulatory,
client-confidential pollution prevention assistance
to small businesses in the greater Charlotte region.
The EAO is designed to assist regional businesses in
their efforts to voluntarily prevent pollution. The
EAO staff can provide timely assistance for
pollution prevention planning, including information
about industry-specific case studies, waste-specific
case studies, and new technologies. The office
provides links of resources to needs between the
region's business community, government,
municipality, and university. If there is a
particular issue or question you would like to see
in an upcoming edition, please send an e-mail to
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Contact Information:
Environmental Assistance Office for Small Business:
9201 University City Blvd. 258 Cameron Building, UNC
Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28233-0001
Phone number: 704-687-3968 Fax number: 704-687-3115
Email:
EAOforSB@email.uncc.edu
Services:
-
Assistance with Air Permits - Assistance for small
businesses in completing paperwork for EPA air
permits.
-
Educational Materials - Educational pamphlet,
brochures, flyers, and other materials to relate
facts on pollution prevention.
-
Educational Outreach - Develop educational outreach
campaigns and presentations for the public or
employee training.
-
University Resources - Library information, faculty
expertise, student projects and research at both
graduate and undergraduate levels.
Return to top of page
|
