CALIFORNIA INDUSTRIES CUT WATER-USE

Fifteen case studies in south San Francisco Bay Area industries have shown that electronics manufacturers and others can significantly cut water use-and do it cost efficiently. The use of a variety of water conservation techniques-ranging from employee education to major equipment retrofits-resulted in reductions in process water consumption of from 25 to 90 percent. Implementation of such techniques took from a week to several years, depending on the complexity of the plant and its processes. Capital payback periods for specific actions ranged from two months to three years.