Breweries can solve many problems
- Brownwood, Texas, may be building the first “direct” reuse wastewater treatment plant in the US. So ultra-filtered, ultra-disinfected wastewater would go directly back into the water distribution system.
- Austin, Texas is embarking on a new watershed protection paradigm that promotes Low Impact Development techniques to manage stormwater runoff.
- Editorial by Milam County landowner about the Lower Colorado River Authority’s deal with Alcoa to pump up to 45,000 acre-feet/year of Carrizo-Wilcox groundwater from the county. The aquifer is already over-permitted though.
- Infographic showing the footprint of drought in the US over the last century. Pretty amazing to see the visual comparison. 2012’s footprint is getting close to 1934’s.
- Should “wastewater” be wasted? Learn the science behind waterwater recycling via The Why Files.
- Mojave Water Agency offering homeowners $0.50/sf to replace their turf grass. This type of rebate makes the most impact in terms of reducing overall water use.
- How to integrate automatic fire sprinkler systems with rainwater catchment. Water balance calculation helps to the determine storage volume.
- Every watershed needs its own brewery. Since breweries use local water, they could be a leader in watershed protection efforts.
- Could developing an economic value on the output of urban gardens save them from being bulldozed for development? In 2010, 67 New York gardens yielded 87,690 pounds of food, with an estimated value of $214,060.
- Worldwide urban sprawl is expected to triple by 2030. This will create a huge demand for raw materials and energy resources to build infrastructure.
- “The problem with water, many economists say, is the fact that it is essentially free.” – Link
Video of the Week
Learn about the installation of a rainwater collection system for Lure, a new restaurant in Atlanta Georgia. The harvested rainwater will be used for toilet flushing. With the local rainfall amounts, this system has the potential to save up to 108,000 gallons a year. It will also reduce stormwater runoff which carries pollutants into local streams.
We have installed a few of these rainwater pillow systems in Austin (click for pictures). If you want to consider this type of storage volume technology for your rainwater harvesting system, please contact us.