Saving water isn’t just up to residents. Businesses across South East Water’s service area are working hard to implement water saving practices. Here are some of their stories.
GM Holden
As a major Victorian manufacturing facility, Holden is fully aware of their responsibility to use water wisely.
Holden has worked in collaboration with South East Water to monitor, analyse and reduce its water consumption and has had water saving initiatives in place for over 8 years. Through operational efficiency, wastewater management and culture and education initiatives, the total water Holden consumed per engine produced between 2002 to 2005 dropped 25 percent.
The car manufacturer has also installed HydroShare to provide instant information on how and where water is been used within its engine plant. This has already identified leaks and misuse of water at the Port Melbourne site which has been corrected and resulted in significant savings. Holden are also reviewing their cooling tower operation to optimise water usage.
www.holden.com.au
Dealer Image Group
As Australia’s largest privately owned car wash company, the Dealer Image Group has long been aware of the need to reduce the unnecessary waste of valuable drinking water. The company has worked with Water Authorities all over the country and have been implementing water saving measures since the mid nineties.
In early 2000, the Dealer Image Group designed and produced its own water saving device reducing the amount of water needed to clean each vehicle to an average of 3.4 litres per unit.
Since introducing this device and further water saving methods, The Dealer Image Group has reduced the amount of water used in its operation by over 90%, saving around 40 million litres (40 Mega litres) per year.
Dealer Image is committed to ongoing research and development and will be constantly striving to further reduce water usage. The company will also continue to work with water retailers with the intention of introducing water saving technology to the rest of the car washing industry. It is their vision to help other car wash businesses achieve similar results.
www.dealerimage.com.au
Inghams Enterprises Pty Ltd
Water efficiency audits and a formal Water Management Plan have helped Ingham’s both reduce water usage, and consequently waste water generated out of the plant.
Between June 2005 and June 2006 Inghams recorded a 3.3% decrease in their water consumption for the year.
A further 5% increase in production from June 2006 through to present time has seen no increase in water consumption, a further observation that water conservation and management focus is giving the required results to reduce usage by a total of 8.3% to date.
Further to the 8.3% savings, recommendations from the water efficiency audit will lead to additional water savings of approximately 5-8% per annum.
www.inghams.com.au
Coca-Cola Amatil
In Melbourne, small changes at Coca-Cola Amatil’s (CCA) two plants have made a huge impact on the volume of water used in Victoria. Over the past six years, CCA has made cumulative water savings of 25 percent.
In 2005 CCA reduced town water and trade waste water volumes by more than 41ML a year. Reclamation of rinser water now saves CCA the company more than 30ML of water per year, by treating and redirecting water (that was previously discharged as trade waste) to the Water Treatment Plant where it’s blended with town water.
The Moorabbin Plant piloted dry lubrication technology onto its lines, saving almost 10 ML annually. This technology has now been rolled out nationally to other CCA Plants.
CCA Moorabbin was named a finalist in the ‘Manufacturing’ category of the prestigious annual savewater! awards®. The awards recognise and reward outstanding achievement in water conservation across Victorian businesses, community groups, individual and government departments and agencies.
Other projects such as improved management of water filter backwashing frequency will result in water savings of 1.4ML per annum, while the installation of a waterless urinal system saves a further 1ML each year.
www.ccamatil.com