Companies look to Water Conservation as a Way to Cut Costs

In tough economic times, many companies are looking to water conservation as a way to lower costs.  When we talk about ways to conserve water, mostly we are talking to the consumers( or residents).  It is true that as a whole, individual people consume the most water.  When it comes to putting water conservation techniques into practice and seeing results fast, industry is at the top.  A business that pays people to get things done with a governing body at the top to oversee that water saving practices are followed through, can show some pretty good results on the water conservation side.  A couple of local businesses in St. Cloud, MN have gotten pretty good at saving water.

A company called Electrolux Home Products has been able to almost cut their water usage in half down 28 million gallons from 62 million in 2007.  Tony Evans, a spokes person for the company says they were able to lower water consumption by "eliminating  a painting system that used a lot of water and using prepainted steel instead and water used for rinsing equipment is captured and reused."

CentraCare, one of the towns local hospitals, has been able to cut their water usage by 60 percent.  They have incorporated a larger sterilization department that is able to reuse water by filtering and heating to an extremely high temperature.  They have also switched to low-flow faucets and some water saving washing machines.  With a water bill of over $304K last year, they have every reason to want to save some water.

Dual Flush Technology to Save Water

Who would have thought that the toilet uses the most water in your home?  Well duh, I guess.  We really just don't think about it to often though.  Well now that I think about it, we have put out an article in the past on how to save water in the home and there is one about putting a brick in or water bottle full of water in container to displace some water that isn't really necessary(for most people) to get your waste outa there.  Well, anyway, the EPA estimates that toilets accounts for 30% of water used in U.S. residential homes, which they say is more than 2 trillion gallons.

There is a new system called the HydroRight drop-in dual flush kit which will convert a toilet into a two button system.  One button is a quick flush which is good if you only have liquid or paper to dispose of and the other button for regular flushes.  A study conducted by Veritec Consulting showed that the installation of the HydroRight reduced the water use inside the home by 30%.  Co-Founder of Veritec, Bill Gauley said "the installation of Hydrolight can be expected to save even more water if retrofitting toilets that flush with 3.5 gallons or more."

A Note about Oil Rubbed Bronze

There are many different types of finishes available these days for the many types of faucets.  One that has stuck out recently is the oil rubbed bronze finish.  Bronze is made when mixing copper with tin and phosphorus.  When you think of bronze, most people think of antiques.

Besides looking very vintage, the color and finish will not get worse with age.  With an already older look, it will continue to have the same appeal for years to come.  Also oil-rubbed bronze finish is more or less immune to bacteria because of the properties of copper, which is used to make bronze.  An oil rubbed bronze faucet can always add a nice vintage look to your kitchen or bathroom

Is there Lead still coming out of our Faucets?

Even though the government regulates and monitors how much contaminates are allowed into the water supply, do the water treatment plants really get everything out of the water?  Recent health studies have shown that even very low levels of lead in the water can still be dangerous.  Problems such as kidney disease, reduced brain function, and hypertension.  In 1986, the government enacted a federal law to reduce the amount of drinking water in our plumbing.  Even so many faucets still sold today still contain up to a quarter pound of lead in them and still be deemed "lead-free"  .Under this federal law, faucets are allowed to have up to 4 percent of lead when they are manufactured.  With the average kitchen faucet weighing around 7 pounds,  that leaves enough lead in the faucets to still do some harm.

California as we all know, is always on the forefront when it comes to the environment.  Congresswomen Anna Eshoo has introduced a federal bill to try and eliminate lead from our plumbing for drinking water.  The bill, named H.R 5289.  This bill has already been approved by Governer Schwarzenegger for the state of California to have the strictest lead standard of any state.  The bill also adds protection to make sure the faucet companies actually comply with the strict standards.  To help ensure that the H.R. 5289 bill stays strong, contact your local congressman and tell them you want H.R 5289.