Water

Why are we concerned about water?

Globally, water will be one of the most scarce resources
- World Economic Forum reports that 44% of people currently live in areas that are “water stressed”
- By 2025, 4 billion people (half of the population) will live in sever water stress conditions
- Water demand tripled from 1950-2000
Poor water quality can lead to disease and illness
Energy is used to heat, cool, pump, filter, cleanse, treat, monitor and process water back to original or acceptable state
Costs involved to obtain water from utility company
Costs involved to dump back into sewer/drain system
Business risks from suppliers running out, or increased regulations, political unrest and scarcity

One major concern about water is how much we use. There are tools that can help companies and organizations reduce and conserve water, such as Water Gemba Walks, Water Balance Maps, and adding water usage to value stream maps (VSM).

Here are some additional resources for companies looking to save money on water

Kentucky Sustainable Spirits & Brewing Initiative (SSBI) – research and work on reducing water
How not to deal with water: Portland Bottling faces allegations it ripped off ratepayers while championing a measure to lower water bills
Top 10 worst water wasting processes
Water Quality Monitoring Manuals (Iowa DNR) (click Manuals tab on that page)
Home Water Efficiency Tool Kit (City of Tampa, FL)
EPA Lean and Water Toolkit
How 5 Manufacturers Reduce Water Use

The European Union (EU) has an online training program about water stewardship that you might be interested in, called the European Water Stewardship Standard

There are also concerns about water being polluted

Toxic chemicals
- Pesticides, petroleum products, synthetic chemicals
  - household products like antibiotics, detergents, disinfectants, solvents, perfumes
- Metals
  - arsenic, lead, copper, mercury, etc
- Waste Water
  - Global Waste Water Impact Guide
Sediment
- soil run-off from erosion
Thermal pollution
- water temperature changes
Nutrient pollution
- Agricultural and lawn fertilizers causing dead zones
  - How to conduct water quality monitoring
Pathogens and waterborne diseases
- Pathogen viruses, protists, and bacteria from human and animal waste
  - Indications of pollution can be determined based upon observations of microorganisms present in the water (more low tolerant organisms present, the better)