SOURCE: Siemens Corporation
Drought Puts New Urgency Into U.S. Water Conservation Efforts
This fall marks the end of one of the driest summers on record. And with 36 states expected to experience water shortages in the next two years, many civic and business leaders are taking a closer look at how they can better utilize this precious- yet often taken for granted - natural resource.
The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water a day. The U.S. as a whole uses 346 million gallons of fresh water a day. The increased use of fertilizers, pesticides and medications are contaminating the fresh water supply. And weather is certainly unpredictable. This package will illustrate how some cities are helping the U.S. ensure a sustainable water supply by adopting new technologies to redirect, reclaim and reuse water.
For example, in the Panhandle of Northwest Florida, an advanced wastewater treatment plant is helping to rehydrate the West Bay Ecosystem. Hikers and bikers along the recently renamed and reopened 'Conservation Park' attest to benefits of the water reclamation effort, and wildlife is beginning to return to the ecosystem.
In Aurora, Colorado, technology helps make some 50 million gallons of previously "dirty" water, drinkable.
And in El Segundo, California, advanced membrane technologies are helping to reclaim and recycle more than 8 million gallons of water a year for use in manufacturing and irrigation.