Water costs continue to rise at exponential rates across the U.S. as a result of an antiquated and severely undersized municipal infrastructure, as well as an increased demand on our nation’s water supply due to a growing population. The U.S. population has increased by 36.7 million people since 2000 to a total of 318.9 million residents, all relying on the nation’s water resources day in and day out. According to the 2014 State of the Water Industry survey by the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the state of water and sewer infrastructure is the No. 1 issue facing the water industry today. Many municipalities have begun charging a multiple of as much as 10 times the cost of water for wastewater or effluent discharged to the sewer system. For businesses like car washes, this results in additional costs and negatively impacts profitability.
As stated in the AWWA survey, “Full-cost pricing, i.e., charging rates and fees that reflect the full cost of providing water, must include renewal or replace-ment costs of treatment, storage, distribution, and collection systems. Some utilities have previously kept their rates low by minimizing or ignoring these costs, but as the useful life of their systems draws near, current managers and the communi-ties they serve are forced to address these costs, often through painful and unexpected rate increases.”
Business-as-usual approaches to water management are no longer sufficient. One solution to this growing issue is a carefully planned mix of new water recovery technologies and partnerships with local municipalities. Thoughtfully selected recovery technologies reduce costs, while partnerships can help pay for water conservation devices via rebate programs and positive exposure within the community.
Water has long been the forgotten utility; it was inexpensive, perceived to be plentiful, and there were few incentives for conservation. All this has changed. Population growth, economic development, aging infrastructures and ongoing regional droughts are negatively impacting municipal water systems that are trying to keep up with rising demand. As a result, car wash operators are facing rapidly rising rates, water use restrictions or both. Some water utilities are implementing maximum water-use levels with economic penalties should a wash exceed the limit.
The State Water Resources Control Board in California, in particular, has imposed mandatory water reductions on cities and towns to reduce water usage by 25 percent. According to an expert panel discussion of scientists and journalist hosted by Circle of Blue, a news organization focused on the world’s resource crises, it’s an unprecedented time for the California water market.
In 2013, according to West Water Research, the average price for water sold in the Central Valley was $170 per acre-foot. The rate jumped to $1,300 for an acre foot of water in 2014, “an outrageous, absurd, large price for water — something that analysts have never seen,” said Circle of Blue journalist Brett Walton.
The challenge for car washes across the country is to find ways to reduce water usage without negatively impacting wash quality or interfering with facility operations.
“An easy solution to this problem is water conservation; do more with less. Incorporating a properly designed water reclamation system can save 80-85 percent on water and sewer bills, and can qualify for rebates from local municipalities,” said Denise Wight, PurClean director of corporate accounts. Municipalities recognize water conservation can be the key to their sustainability as well. Water conservation lessens the burden on water and wastewater treatment plants, reduces electrical usage, and trims short- and long-term operational costs. As a result, many municipalities have, or are creating, commercial rebate programs. Monetary rebates are typically established for commercial and institutional businesses that significantly reduce their water usage by implementing water-saving equipment such as water reclaim systems.
According to Wight, municipalities offering rebates will typically perform a water audit to determine usage and which water conservation processes are eligible, providing operators with an estimate of projected savings. Once an operator has implemented the processes, the municipality will confirm the implementation, verify the reduction in water usage and issue a rebate predicated on the average daily water volume saved. Rebates will vary by municipality but can range from $5,000 to more than $25,000 to help defray the capital cost of the reclaim equipment.
Walton noted that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted in 2014 to double its conservation spending budget, which goes toward incentives, taking it from $20 million to $40 million over two years.
The next step for operators seeking to manage rising water costs is to select the most appropriate water recovery system.
Today’s “smart” water recovery technology incorporates a programmable logic controller (PLC) to control the operation of the entire system, coupled with a variable frequency drive (VFD) pump providing efficient, constant flow rate to all pumps and applications, precise ozone injection to preclude anaerobic bacteria growth typically associated with odor, 24/7 recirculation, automated pump priming and optional features such as chain and trench flush. Additional advancements such as the human machine interface (HMI) provide the operator with a visual of all active functions and information on the system’s performance at a glance, producing a user-friendly interface that is efficient to operate.
The advancement of physical technology and highly engineered cyclone separation eliminates costly disposable filters or biological systems by spinning the water at an accelerated 1,000 g-force to effectively separate the solids from the water. This process results in an engineered-certified 5 micron quality reclaim water suitable to feed most, if not all, wash components and significantly reduce the need for fresh water.
“Physical technology systems produce water on demand as opposed to biological or batch systems, which are limited and can only process a pre-determined volume of water during a specific period of time,” said Ted LaVigne, vice president, sales, PurClean. When selecting an appropriate water recovery system, operators must first consider the total gallon per minute (gpm) of all wash components that will be feed with reclaim water, recommended LaVigne.
Car wash equipment suppliers should be able to provide operators with the specifications of equipment purchased; if not, this can be calculated by adding up all H.P. pumps, miters and arches that will run on reclaim. As an example, a typical hybrid tunnel will require 85 -110 gpm of reclaim water. As stated earlier, when sizing a physical, on-demand (cyclonic separation) system, the calculations used for sizing are based on gpm not cars per day. In this particular scenario, a 120 gpm reclaim system would be the most appropriately sized system for this targeted wash application.
The best designed and built equipment in the world will not work if not properly installed or maintained. Proper installation of water reclamation equipment requires coordination between the operator, general contractor, plumbers, electricians and the car wash equipment distributor/installer.
“A key component of installing a water reclamation system is incorporating a properly designed tanking system to achieve optimal settling of the solids and separation of the solids from the water,” said Charles Borchard, vice president, operations, PurClean. A system with proper tanking and plumbing will minimize tank maintenance and required pump-outs.
The climate and location of the targeted wash, as well as specific types of solids prevalent within the geographical area, should be considered when designing a tanking system, Borchard said. In retrofit installations, existing tanking may be acceptable or require some modifications; a knowledgeable local water reclaim distributor, with the assistance of the manufacturer, can evaluate the existing tanking and make any necessary modifications to help maximize the effectiveness of the tanking.
Today’s “smart” reclaim systems are engineered to simplify routine maintenance through intuitive technology such as PLCs, VFDs and HMI touchscreens that can provide system status at a glance and clarify faults. These technological advancements have made water recovery systems user friendly, efficient and cost-effective to operate.