Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• Education and outreach
efforts support recognition awards and certiicate pro-
grams; information dissemination; and reporting of water consumption, dis-
charge, and recycling data.
• Removing barriers
by revising plumbing codes and alleviating stringent permit
and inspection requirements for recycled water allows companies and communi-
ties to meet obligations that are otherwise dificult to attain.
• Incentives
such as direct subsidies reduce government payments for the reintro-
duction of recovered water and provide regulatory relief for recycled water users
through structured pricing mechanisms.
• Mandates and regulations
, through the requirement of water recovery systems
and recycled water for certain large-volume activities (e.g., irrigation), continue to
reinforce these initiatives along with the strong need for government participation.
Government involvement through regulation and policy is necessary to solving the
world's global water crisis. Coalitions that advocate for legislation focused on sustain-
able programs in support of water recycling are also critical. The WateReuse Association,
as one example, supports the “Water Quality Protection and Job Creation Act of 2011”
(H.R.3145), which aims to renew federal commitment to addressing the United States sub-
stantial needs for wastewater infrastructure by investing $13.8 billion over 5 years through
the state revolving fund and other efforts to improve water quality.
Government and industry alike compete for the same inite water resources, and as this
supply rapidly dwindles, working together has never been more important. Governments
must promote greater water recycling through fundamental frameworks, policies, and
incentives that deine clearer regulations. Industries should also do more by implementing
available recycling technologies—tapping into existing, underutilized water resources.
Through more creative, public partnerships among industries, communities, municipali-
ties, and government, we can protect and enhance performance and competitiveness, as
well as the needs and interest of key stakeholders—the most important of which is our
environment.
Future success depends on our ability to work together. New levels of eficiency must
continually be enforced through education, conservation, governance, and incentive.
Understanding the risks, and the opportunities, will place businesses and governments
in a more competitive position to lead and succeed in a carbon- and water-constrained
economy, and ultimately secure a future of water sustainability.
39.6 Nanotech Could Cut Oil Sands Carbon Emissions by 25%
Although the oil sands deposits in Canada contain as much as 173 billion barrels of eco-
nomically viable oil, which is topped only by Saudi Arabia's reserves, only about 1 million
barrels are produced each day. The problem is that extracting the oil can be a dificult
process, and one that is more energy consuming than traditional crude oil production.
With the oil industry in Canada expecting to increase production to 4 million barrels a
day by 2020, there is a growing need to not only treat the massive amounts of water used
in the extraction process but to also tackle the greenhouse gas emissions that are a result
