Civil engineers emphasize water conservation

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Elmore
  • Air Force Civil Engineer Center Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  On April 22, the Air Force will recognize Earth Day, a time to show support for the environment. This year, the Air Force is focusing on water reduction and reuse. Water projects may not attract news headlines like energy projects, but the money and critical resources they save deserve attention.

"An emerging part of the energy program is water conservation," said Ken Gray, acting energy director at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center. "It's critical because in a number of locations, specifically Texas, where they've had a drought, reservoirs are falling drastically and water is becoming an increasingly scarce commodity."

AFCEC engineers work with major commands and installations to identify, fund and implement water conservation projects. In fiscal year 2012, the Air Force funded 15 water projects that are expected to save two billion gallons of water and $1.07 million a year.

"As with energy projects, a water project is not considered or funded unless it provides a positive return on investment," said Gray.

AFCEC studied utility rates across the Air Force over several years and found the cost of water is going up 10 percent a year, a rate much faster than natural gas and electricity. Rising costs, federal mandates and a dwindling resource has led to an increase in water reuse projects, xeriscaping and leak detection studies.

At Holloman AFB, N.M., water is especially precious. The base relies on five wells and a lake more than 80 miles away to provide its water. The base constructed its reuse project in 2011.

Base Civil Engineer Lt. Col. Donald Ohlemacher said, "Our water reclamation facility takes water from the base wastewater treatment plant and pretreats it to create secondary irrigation for the golf course. The project enables us to provide 600,000 gallons of water daily to the golf course with a total of 70 million gallons of water a year."

The project, which includes a tank and pipeline, saves $90,000 annually and will pay for itself in five years.

All Airmen and their families can save water and money. At home, shorten showers one minute and brush your teeth efficiently. Check for and repair leaking faucets and toilets. Avoid watering the lawn at midday to prevent high evaporation. Capture and reuse rain water. Don't water the lawn during droughts and wash only full loads of laundry.