UK companies told to cut water waste or face shortage

The UK government-funded Envirowise is calling on chemical and pharmaceutical companies to prevent unnecessary water waste to lessen the impact of reduced rainfall and potential drought measures.

UK Met Office figures show that the parched South East and Central Southern areas of England had 22.4mm of rain last month - just 39% of the average rainfall for June. The summer drought also follows on from three successive dry winters.

Dr Martin Gibson, Envirowise programme director, said: "With the risk of severe drought looming in parts of the UK, chemicals companies simply cannot afford to ignore the consequences of potential water short-ages, yet some are still pouring money down the drain through inefficient use of water. By putting into place simple water management techniques, businesses can often make savings of around 30% on water and effluent bills."

Taking action will also help the industry meet a goal set by the Chemical Industries Association to cut water use per tonne of production by 20% by 2010.

Envirowise - set up to help businesses to become more resource efficient - is urging companies across the UK to take advantage of its free advice to help them reduce water consumption. For example its on-line water tools allow businesses to record and keep track of how much water is being used on their site, benchmark their water use against other businesses in the sector and offer practical advice and guidance on reducing consumption.

Envirowise recommends the following practical steps to help stem water waste:

• Take meter readings regularly and carefully - this will help identify changes in water use.
• Consider recirculating cooling water through a closed loop system.
• Turn taps off fully and replace leaking hoses and worn tap washers for a quick and cheap way of saving water. In staff washrooms, push-button taps can use up to half the water used through conventional taps.
• Consider using lower quality water such as recy-cled process water for purposes where quality is not critical.
• Reduce the amount of clean water used in every toilet flush by fitting a water displacement device into cisterns - these are often available free of charge from your local water company
• Run a staff competition to identify water-saving ideas or organise a brainstorm. Consider appointing "water wardens" to take responsibility for water minimi-sation measures in each area of your site.