AWWA SOURCES55604

In 1993, the City of Portland began a program to reduce water consumption in the business (commercial), industrial and government (institutional) sectors of its customer base. This program is known as the Business, Industry and Government (BIG) Water Conservation Program. The primary objective of the BIG Conservation Program is to encourage BIG customers to reduce water use, particularly during the summer season, using cost-effective, proven water saving strategies. In 1999, the City of Portland Water Bureau developed a dedicated program to address specific high-tech industry water efficiency issues, within the framework of the City's Business, Industry and Government (BIG) Water Conservation Program. The BIG Electronics and Microelectronics Program was extremely successful from its very beginning, and led the City to apply the same general program features to other significant water customers. This paper describes the formulation, objectives and technical findings at three large industrial and institutional water customers. It also discusses technical aspects of water conservation specific to the BIG Leak Control program. Includes table.