Cox Enterprises and its Manheim auction operation in Georgia have saved 2 million gallons of water annually and reduced daily water demand by 60 percent since opening the Water Conservation Center in 2008.
Manheim, a global provider of vehicle remarketing services headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., opened the center in 2008 during the region’s historic drought.
Parent firm Cox, a communications, media and automotive services company, says the center continues to reduce the location’s daily water demand by reusing 60 percent of the treated water and returning the remaining 40 percent to the county.
The Water Conservation Center uses a four-step process:
- Run-off water from vehicle washing flows into floor drains leading to a series of underground tanks where water is collected and equalized.
- Water proceeds to the bioreactor tank where substances are separated and broken down to prepare for treatment.
- Ultra-filtration separates the remaining solids not fully broken down.
- Reverse osmosis membranes remove dissolved solids that remain, improving water quality to better than its original state.
Manheim participates in Cox Conserves, the company’s national sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water.
Nationwide, Cox Enterprises’ companies save 32 million gallons of water annually and through a partnership with American Rivers, Cox employees have removed more than 16 tons of trash at river cleanups in Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the company says.
In addition to the center, Manheim Georgia’s eco-friendly fixtures save 1 million gallons of water annually and a solar thermal installation prevents 25 tons of carbon from entering the environment each year. The location also moved from solvent to water-based paint to reduce carbon emissions.
Intel treats some 2 million gallons of industrial water a day at its plants in Chandler, Ariz., then returns the water to an underground aquifer, Bloomberg reports.
The semiconductor maker, which is the city’s largest employer, recycles some 60 percent of its water. It’s also expanding the treatment facilities and upping the amount it reuses as it builds a $5 billion plant that will make more efficient computer chips, according to the news agency.
