Water Conservation and Reuse by Industry
ROBERT L. IRVINE, JR., Assistant Professor
WILLIAM B. DAVIS, Associate Professor and Head
Environmental Engineering Division
Civil Engineering Department
Texas A & M University
College Station, Texas
INTRODUCTION
The concept of water conservation and reuse is quite simple. Because of this,
the objective of the following discussion is to answer the question: "Why has
industry not implemented in-plant water management programs for water conservation and reuse?" Before this question is answered, the following points must be
recognized. First, not all industry has ignored water conservation and reuse.
Several well known cases are documented in the literature (1,2, 3). Second, many
industries carry on some form of reclamation activity which is related in some sense
to water conservation and reuse (4). Third, industry has not ignored conservation
and reuse because of fear of innovation. The standard of living in the United States
bears testimony to the achievements of industry. New technology, rather than old,
has been used to meet the demands of the public. New concepts have been incorporated into standard design criteria. This is evidenced today by the fact that operational procedures and control policies are being modified through developments in
optimization techniques. Each of the above points indicates that some industries are
both willing and able to implement some form of water conservation and reuse.
However, industry in general has not found it expedient to do so. Why?
Without oversimplifying, some conbination of the following should adequately
answer the question:     1) There has been no need to conserve and reuse water; 2)
There is little or no profit to be gained by conservation or reuse; 3) Existing plants
cannot be easily changed to include conservation or reuse; and 4) Many industries are
wary of undertaking water reuse and conservation programs because such programs
are directly related to waste treatment.
Each of these has some bit of truth attached. The last, however, should be the
first disclaimed. Most industries employ a highly efficient staff of chemists and
chemical engineers who make it their business to take raw materials and make useful
end products. Waste is a raw material. The final product in waste treatment is water.
Control over the raw materials may not be as good as one would like, but this does
not make the job so tough that an industry should cower at the thought of waste
treatment.
In contrast to general good policy, industry may tend to accept the second and
third of the above as true without thoroughly analyzing the problem. Such an approach would be unrealistic unless the thinking of industry were controlled by some
more important consideration. This consideration can only be that "There has been
no need to conserve and reuse water." But why? Without going into great detail,
two basic reasons come to mind: 1) The industry has an abundant supply of water
and the quality of this water is satisfactory; and 2) The industry has an abundant
supply of water and the water can be treated to meet quality requirements at a
reasonable cost.
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