How-to: Measuring, managing, and reducing water use

Water is a key input that mirrors the value and scarcity of raw materials. This detailed guide is designed to take you through a systematic approach to measuring, managing, and reducing your water use.

Stage 1: Understanding Your Water Use

Metering

Start your journey by installing water meters across your facility. This will give your baseline water usage, highlighting both the overall consumption and pinpointing high-usage areas

Metering - Place meters at strategic points throughout your facility to capture comprehensive data on water use. This includes the main water supply line, individual production lines, cooling systems, and any other areas with significant water use.

Sub metering - For a more detailed view, consider sub-metering different departments or processes. This allows for the precise tracking of water usage patterns and can highlight specific areas for improvement.

Smart meters - Smart water meters provide real-time data and can be integrated with building management systems. They offer advanced features like leak detection alerts, data analysis, and remote monitoring capabilities.

Data analysis - Use the consumption data collected by smart meters to analyse patterns and identify irregularities or spikes in water use, which could indicate leaks or inefficiencies.

Protocols - Set up a routine for regularly checking water usage data. This could be as frequent as daily for high-use areas or weekly for areas with less variability.

Reporting - Generate regular reports summarising water usage, trends, and any anomalies detected. These reports can inform management decisions and help to prioritise water conservation measures.

Benchmark - Use historical water usage data to establish benchmarks for normal water use in different areas of your facility.

Target setting - Based on these benchmarks, set realistic water reduction targets. Use ongoing metering data to track progress towards these targets and adjust strategies as necessary.

Integrated data - Target setting - Incorporate insights from water metering into your broader water management and conservation plans. This should include identifying opportunities for water-saving upgrades, process improvements, and behavioral changes among staff.

Feedback loops - Use the data from water metering to refine your water conservation strategies continually. This creates a feedback loop where data drives decision-making, leading to more effective water use management over time.

Training - Educate your team on the importance of water conservation and how metering data contributes to these efforts. Encourage staff to report leaks or suggest water-saving ideas based on their observations.

Stakeholders - Share water usage reports and conservation achievements with all stakeholders, including employees, management, and external partners. This transparency can foster a culture of sustainability and collective responsibility towards water conservation.

Water audits

Undertake a water audit. This step is crucial for identifying specific areas of water use and inefficiencies, offering a granular view of how water flows through your operations, from cooling systems to production lines.

Cross-functional teams - Form a team with representatives from different departments, such as facilities management, production, environmental compliance, and engineering. This multidisciplinary approach ensures all aspects of water use are considered.

Preliminary data - Collect previous water bills, water metering data, and facility blueprints. This information will help outline the scope of the audit and identify key areas to focus on.

Site walkthrough - Inspect the facility to map out water use throughout the operation. Pay special attention to processes that consume significant amounts of water, such as cooling systems, cleaning stations, and manufacturing processes.

Identify sources: Account for all sources of water, including municipal supplies, wells, and rainwater harvesting systems. Understanding where your water comes from is crucial for assessing supply risks and costs.

Sub-metering - Where possible, use sub-metering to measure water use in specific processes or departments. This granular data is invaluable for pinpointing inefficiencies.

Water-intensive processes - Make detailed notes of any processes that use large volumes of water. Consider the frequency, duration, and intensity of these processes to understand their water demand.

Leaks - During the site walkthrough, be vigilant for any signs of leaks, drips, or other water wastage. Small leaks can add up to significant losses over time.

Efficiency - Assess whether water-intensive processes are operating efficiently or if there are opportunities for reducing water use without compromising output quality.

Consumption patterns - Use the collected data to analyze patterns in water use across times of day, shifts, and operational conditions. Look for anomalies or unexpected spikes in water use.

Benchmark - Compare your facility's water use with industry benchmarks or similar facilities to evaluate performance and identify potential areas for improvement.

Prioritise - Based on the audit findings, prioritize opportunities for water savings, from quick wins like fixing leaks to longer-term investments in water-efficient technology.

Implementation - For each identified opportunity, create a detailed plan including the required investments, projected savings, and implementation timelines.

Conservation - Start with the highest priority initiatives, ensuring that adequate resources are allocated, and stakeholders are engaged.

Monitor progress - Continue to use water metering and sub-metering to monitor the impact of implemented measures. Adjust your strategies based on actual savings and operational feedback.

Report - Communicate the results of the water audit and subsequent savings initiatives to all stakeholders, including employees, management, and external partners.

Continuous improvement - Treat the water audit not as a one-time event but as the beginning of an ongoing process of monitoring, improvement, and adaptation.

Stage 2: Setting Objectives for Water Conservation

Communicate your goal

With the insights from your audit, delineate clear, achievable targets for reducing water usage. Objectives might range from overarching consumption cuts to pinpoint goals for areas identified as particularly water intensive.

Bill of material

Elevate water to the status of a critical input by incorporating it into your bill of materials. This recalibration fosters a collective understanding of water's value and encourages prudent use across your team.

Stage 3: Technology and Operations

Water-saving equipment

Modernise your operations with technology designed for water efficiency. From high-efficiency nozzles to advanced cooling technologies, the right equipment can significantly curb water use.

Equipment inventory - Initiate by cataloguing all equipment within your facility that utilises water. This spans cooling systems, production machinery, and cleaning apparatus.

Equipment Efficiency -Assess the water efficiency and performance level of each piece of equipment, identifying those that are outdated, frequently leak, or consume an excessive amount of water.

Technologies - Keep abreast of the latest in water-saving technologies pertinent to your operations, from advanced nozzles and recirculating systems to efficient cleaning devices.

Expertise - Consult equipment manufacturers, water conservation experts, and peers within the industry to pinpoint the most suitable water-efficient solutions tailored to your specific requirements. Consider the entire cost of ownership, factoring in the acquisition cost, installation, maintenance, and anticipated water savings.

Cost-benefit analysis - For each potential upgrade, weigh the investment against the expected savings in water usage and operational expenses. Prioritise upgrades that promise the swiftest return on investment in terms of water conservation and cost savings.

Production impact - Assess the potential impact of each upgrade on your operations, giving precedence to solutions that can be seamlessly integrated with minimal disruption to manufacturing activities.

Monitor savings - Employ water metering to track the efficacy of newly installed equipment. Compare pre- and post-upgrade water usage to evaluate the tangible savings achieved.

Iterate - Utilise the data from ongoing monitoring to optimise operations and identify additional opportunities for enhancing water efficiency.

Training - Ensure that all relevant personnel are adequately trained in the operation and maintenance of the new, more efficient equipment. Comprehending the significance of water conservation and how to maximise the potential of new technologies is essential.

Incentives: Look into any governmental or sector-specific incentives available for adopting water-efficient technologies, such as tax incentives, rebates, or funding schemes.

Recycling and reuse

Implementing systems for the treatment and recycling of water within your operations is a game-changer. This could involve using process wastewater as cooling water after suitable treatment, significantly lowering freshwater demand.

Rainwater harvesting

Leverage the natural resource of rainwater for uses that don't require potable water quality, such as irrigation or certain cooling processes, to further reduce your dependency on municipal water supplies.

Stage 4: Implementing Smart Water Management Technologies

Real-time monitoring

Technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) can help to create a dynamic, responsive water management systems. These technologies can automate water optimisation, predict future usage patterns, and swiftly identify leaks.

Optimise with analytics

The data generated by AI and IoT devices should be the cornerstone of your water management strategy. Use this information to continuously refine and enhance your water use strategies, ensuring they remain effective and efficient.

Stage 5: Building a Water-Conservation Culture

Training

A well-informed team is your best asset in water conservation. Provide training and continuous learning opportunities to embed water-saving practices into the fabric of your company culture.

Recognise and reward

Highlight and reward departments, teams, or individuals who make significant contributions to achieving water conservation targets. Recognition can reinforce the value of these efforts and spur further innovation.

Stage 6: Scale

Evaluate, scale, and expand

Regularly review the impact of your water conservation measures. Successful strategies should not only be celebrated but also examined for potential application in other areas of your operations or across different facilities.