Great piece of journalism by Andy Guy of the Michigan Land Use Institute -- undermining the Michigan business lobby's claim that water conservation planning requirements will kill the state's economy. In fact, they could make some Michigan businesses more competitive while protecting the Great Lakes.
When an engineering intern from Western Michigan University figured out a way to save E/M Coating Services thousands of dollars each year simply by recycling the company’s wastewater, Environmental, Health, and Safety Coordinator Joy Neumann said the proposed modification “was pretty much a no-brainer.”
For the strikingly low cost of $85 in pipe and a few hours of labor, the Shelby Township-based auto parts supplier could significantly reduce its water consumption, decrease the amount of wastewater it discharges to the Detroit municipal system, and save $6,200 annually. The minor change, which involved rerouting the company’s plumbing to reuse treated wastewater, also would enable E/M to cut chemical use by more than 20 percent, saving an additional $5,300 per year on compounds like caustic soda and calcium chloride.
http://mlui.org/landwater/fullarticle.asp?fileid=16909
Posted by Dave at August 18, 2005 11:56 AM