While many currently put little thought into where the water for their shower, garden or kitchen tap comes from, that may soon change as traditional sources for water dry up and disappear.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are sometimes taught in school that water is a ‘renewable resource’, but water isn\u2019t necessarily renewable in the way many people think,\u201d says Mike McKinney, vice president and district manager for PCL Construction\u2019s civil infrastructure division<\/a>. \u201cRenewable does not mean unlimited.\u201d<\/p>\n McKinney, a leading water expert with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, says that while water conservation is a constant concern in arid places like Arizona, it\u2019s reaching new levels of awareness and urgency in more areas thanks to climate change and population growth.<\/p>\n In many of these areas, water is quickly becoming the new gold.<\/p>\n The signposts of change in America are not hard to find.\u00a0<\/p>\n In early May, for example, Lake Powell and Lake Mead\u2014the two largest artificial reservoirs of water in the United States, respectively created by the Glen Canyon Dam and the Hoover Dam\u2014reached record low levels. The Ogallala Aquifer, which underlies eight states and supports $35 billion worth of annual crop production, has been declining for decades. About 30 percent of the aquifer underneath Kansas is now dry.<\/p>\n \u201cThese water scarcity incidents don\u2019t necessarily mean that there is no water,\u201d says Richard Hewitt, district manager for PCL\u2019s civil infrastructure division. \u201cWhat they mean is that the traditional way we\u2019ve been treating water in the West for, say, the last 120 years might need to change.\u201d<\/p>\n Hewitt points out that per capita consumption of water has actually gone down significantly since the late 90s. <\/p>\n \u201cThe usage per person has decreased due to things like more efficient toilet flushing, more robust pipelines and less landscape irrigation requirements resulting from broader use of xeriscape,\u201d he says. \u201cUtilization per person has gone down even as the population has gone up, as has industrial usage.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to developments like these, many communities across the country are rethinking the way they treat, use and reuse water. The solutions they are exploring and deploying are as varied and as important as the ways in which humans depend on water itself.<\/p>\n McKinney points to the growing momentum he sees to cover canals in the Western United States with solar panels.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the west, much of our water is moved in large canals, which leads to a lot of evaporation,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are many studies going on right now looking at covering these canals with solar panels, which would have a two-fold benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n While canals covered by solar panels are still largely deployed on an experimental basis, McKinney says that most of the technology and construction techniques involved in water-related projects today is tried and true.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cThe technology required to do most of this has been around for years,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat\u2019s changed is the political climate. Public opinion now calls for more sustainable solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Patrick Malone, director of business development for PCL, says that water conservation and recycling are growing priorities for businesses of all kinds, not just farmers and water utilities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe high-tech industry, for example, is a huge consumer of water,\u201d he says. \u201cData centers, chip manufacturers, solar panel manufacturers, electric vehicles\u2014all require large amounts of water.\u201d<\/p>\n Malone adds that for a variety of reasons, including security concerns and supply chain disruptions, many manufacturing operations are re-shoring to the United States, which could have a significant impact on the country\u2019s water usage.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFortunately we\u2019re starting to see manufacturers invest in ways to reuse their waste and run more sustainable operations.\u201d<\/p>\n This growing awareness of the importance of water conservation across industries has led to an increase in collaboration among engineers. For example, PCL Construction\u2019s data center, solar and water teams all work together to build facilities that reduce waste and run on renewable energy<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n As communities and clients seek to be more water conscious in their projects, teaming with the right partner is key to reducing a facility\u2019s impact on water resources, according to Malone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWater infrastructure is a complex sector in the construction industry, which is why PCL\u2019s decades of experience is an asset to any project,\u201d says Malone. \u201cOur team has worked on a wide range of projects, from intricate rehabilitations to the construction of new water treatment facilities. We bring a deep level of understanding to every water project.\u201d<\/p>\n This item was originally posted here: Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rethinking water treatment as water sources decline<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Forward thinking solutions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Innovation through collaboration<\/strong><\/h4>\n