Water Conservation—a Need for Waste Treatment, Water Recovery and Recycling Within Industry
| Published date | 01 April 1977 |
| DOI | 10.1177/004711787700500503 |
| Date | 01 April 1977 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
40
WATER
CONSERVATION—A
NEED
FOR
WASTE
TREATMENT,
WATER
RECOVERY
AND
RECYCLING
WITHIN
INDUSTRY
by
J.
LEICESTER
WATER
SUPPLY &
WASTE
DISPOSAL -
THE
FINANCIAL
BACKGROUND
CAPITAL
and
revenue
spending
on
traditional
methods
of
collecting,
storing
and
supplying
water
as
well
as
the
treatment
and
disposal
of
waste
effluents
continues
to
rise
steeply
in
all
the
industrialised
countries
of
the
world.
The
question
must
be
asked,
should
these
costs
be
allowed
to
escalate
to
a
point
where
the
cost
of
water
supplied
and
the
disposal
of
dirty
waste
liquors
becomes
an
un-
acceptable
manufacturing
cost
or
would
it
not
be
more
cost
effective
for
industry
to
treat
and
recover
usable
water
from
the
waste
water
that
it
discharges
to
sewers?
The
effect
of
large
reser-
voir
storage
area
on
land
utilisation
and
the
vast
losses
to
the
immediate
environment
of
treated
water
discharged
to
estuarine
or
coastal
waters,
are
also
vital
questions
that
must
be
considered
in
detail.
Certainly
in
the
United
Kingdom,
bearing
in
mind
the
rapidly
rising
costs
of
water
supplied
as
well
as
the
costs
of
treating
dirty
waste
efl7uents,
the
point
is
rapidly
being
reached
where
industry
will
demand
an
answer
to
these
questions.
Technology
leading
to
in-plant
treatment,
recovery
and
re-use
may
well
have
an
answer
but
the
situation
is
fraught
with
political
overtones
as
a
result
of
the
costly
infrastructure
of
the
water
supply
and
waste
water
treatment
authorities
and
the
vast
sums
of
money
needed
to
maintain
their
services.
If
industry
applies
known
technology
to
greatly
reduce
the
volume
of
water
consumed
and
waste
effluent
discharged,
will
it
be
penalised
by
a
greatly
increased
charge,
adjusted
to
bring
in
the
same
amount
of
revenue
to
the
supply
and
treatment
authorities?
An
early
answer,
in
the
interests
of
the
environment
and
the
user,
is
needed
to
this
vital
question.
For
example
in
the
United
Kingdom,
it
is
estimated
that
by
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