AWWA SOURCES59195

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the Georgia Environmental Partnership (GEP) and the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC), millions of gallons of water per year are being saved at a GDC vegetable canning plant in Reidsville. This reduction in water use lowers the demand on southeast Georgia's threatened primary water source, the Upper Floridan Aquifer. By developing a comprehensive water efficiency program, the plant has reduced its peak daily water use by 57 percent, a savings of approximately 25 million gallons of water per year. To date, the prison has undertaken the following water efficiency measures: installation of flow meters, totalizers, and control valves to control and track water usage; implementation of a counterflow rinsing system to reduce the amount of fresh water used to clean vegetables; elimination of one vegetable rinsing step; installation of an alternative cooling system to eliminate once-through cooling water; and, implementation of dry clean-up practices to reduce water use in equipment and floor cleaning. The success of this project can be attributed to management commitment to resource conservation at GDC, a team approach to developing water efficiency solutions, and an understanding of the cost benefits of wastewater minimization. Includes reference, table.