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WaterWise Commercial News | Summer 2017



Save the Date – September 27 Commercial Conservation Technical Workshop

Austin Water (AW) and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) will hold a free water conservation technical workshop on September 27, 2017 for industrial, commercial and institutional customers and facility managers on water saving measures, technologies, and rebate programs.  The meeting will be held at LCRA’s Dalchau Service Center, 3505 Montopolis Road, Austin, Texas from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Topics at the meeting include:

  •  LCRA lake level and weather outlook (LCRA)
  • New Austin cooling tower and steam boiler water efficiency equipment requirements and  performance standards; cooling tower registration and annual inspection reporting (AW)
  •  New Austin code requirements relating to air conditioning condensate recovery systems and cooling tower blow down reuse or makeup water offsets using reclaimed or onsite alternative water sources (AW)
  •  San Antonio Water System’s AC Condensate Recovery Program (SAWS)
  •  New Austin code changes relating to commercial kitchen equipment (AW)
  •  Commercial Kitchens Water Use Efficiency and Best Practices (Bill Hoffman, PE)  
  • AW and LCRA commercial incentive program updates (AW/LCRA)

Staff from Austin Energy, Austin Water, Austin Resource Recovery, and Texas Gas Company will also be available at the workshop to answer questions about their conservation incentive programs. 
 

For more information about the workshop and to RSVP, please contact Mark Jordan, Austin Water, at (512) 974-3901 or e-mail mark.jordan@austintexas.gov.
 
Please RSVP no later than September 20, 2017, so we can ensure we have a place for you at this event.  Lunch will be provided only to those who have timely RSVPed. 
 
Hope to see you September 27!

 

Water Efficiency Standards and Equipment Requirements for Cooling Towers

In June, the Austin City Council approved the adoption of the 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code and 2015 Uniform Plumbing Code including local amendments for water efficiency standards and equipment relating to cooling towers. The changes were in response to city council direction to implement these water conservation recommendations by citizen task forces in 2007 and 2014. The changes include requiring all cooling towers using Austin Water potable water to have:
  • make-up and blow down sub-meters;
  • a conductivity controller;
  • a drift eliminator with a drift rate of not more than 0.005 percent pf the circulated water flow rate in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions;
  • an overflow alarm; and
  • achieve a minimum of 5 cycles of concentration. 
These requirements have been applicable to new and replacement cooling towers since January 1, 2008. As best management practices, most towers may already have some or all of the required equipment.  However, a complete retrofit, if necessary, is estimated to cost on average less than $10,000 with an average payback period of less than one year due to the significant savings in water and wastewater charges resulting from the retrofits.

For new and replacement cooling towers of 100 tons or greater combined cooling tower capacity, the new code provisions require that:
  • the make-up and blow down meters and overflow alarm must be connected to the building’s Central Energy Management System or Utility Monitoring Dashboard; and
     
  • the facility must have a water storage tank, plumbing and treatment system to either:
  1. utilize blow down water for wash down, cleaning, toilet flushing, landscape and other authorized purposes; or
     
  2. offset a minimum of 10% of the makeup water with reclaimed or onsite water reuse.  Due to high TDS levels, blowdown water for irrigation may need to be blended with rainwater or AC condensate to be suitable for the irrigation of plants.  Information about the beneficial reuse of blow down water can be found at: http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org/blow_down_water_introduction.aspx; a summary of state regulations can be found at:  http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/permitting/waterquality/forms/20094ins.pdf
The code changes also include a requirement for owners of all cooling towers to register their towers with Austin Water and to submit annual inspection reports.  Existing towers have until December 31, 2017 to register their towers. New towers must register with Austin Water before operation. Registration forms will be available beginning September 6, 2017 on Austin Water’s web site and may be submitted electronically, by fax or by mail. 

The annual inspection reports must be on a form developed by Austin Water and be performed by an independent third party mechanical engineer or mechanical contractor. The first annual report is due to by March 1, 2018. The inspection will need to have occurred during the preceding 90 days prior to the March 1 deadline.

The cooling tower requirements seek to optimize the water efficiency achievable by existing systems using Austin Water’s high quality potable water with low Total Dissolved Solids levels if properly operated and maintained. The changes also seek to protect public health from potential airborne bacteria by eliminating drift and preventing water waste caused by the overflow from the cooling tower basin. 

Cooling towers must also meet these requirements to be eligible for Austin Water’s evaporative loss credit program, which provides a reduction in monthly wastewater bills for the amount of evaporated water from cooling towers not returned to the wastewater system. For more information about this program, call Austin Water’s Consumer Services Division at (512) 972-0000 ext. 4.

Rebates are still available under Austin Water’s Bucks for Business rebate program for water treatment and/or filtration systems that help a cooling tower achieve greater than five cycles; for alternative cooling systems such as Variable Refrigerant Flow systems that do not use potable water; or water treatment to increase the water efficiency of towers using reclaimed treated wastewater.  The rebate pays $0.50/1,000 gallons saved over a ten year period or 50% of the cost of the equipment, whichever is less, not to exceed $100,000.    

A workshop about the new requirements is set for September 27, 2017 (see related story in this newsletter).  For more information, visit Austin Water’s web site at www.waterwiseaustin,org or call (512) 974-2199.
 

Air Conditioning Condensate Recovery Systems Now Required For New Commercial and Multi-family Facilities

In June, the Austin City Council approved the adoption of the 2015 Uniform Mechanical Code including local amendments requiring new commercial and multi-family facilities with a combined cooling capacity of 200 tons or greater to have air conditioning (AC) condensate recovery systems. Although there are many variables in calculating cooling capacity, 200 tons would generally be the cooling capacity needed for about 100,000 – 120,000 square feet of cooled space.

The new requirements were the result of city council direction to implement water conservation measures recommended by citizen task forces in 2007 and 2014. Other cities such as Denver, New York and San Antonio are already implementing similar requirements. Potential uses of AC condensate include, but are not limited to: cooling tower make-up; irrigation; toilet flushing; outdoor ornamental fountains and water features; vehicle washing; fire suppression; and manufacturing process water.

The Alliance for Water Efficiency estimates that the amount of condensate water can range from 3 to 10 gallons per day per 1,000 square feet of air conditioned space. Another estimate provided by the San Antonio Water System for large buildings during summer months in San Antonio is 0.1 to 0.3 gallons per hour of water per ton of cooling or a peak rate of 0.5 to 0.6 gallons per hour per 1,000 square feet of cooled area.

The most common option for the implementation of an on-site reclaimed condensate system would be for cooling towers because the incremental cost is small and the annual O&M expenses as a result of implementation are negligible. For example, an AC recovery system for a building to collect 224,511 gallons of condensate a year from a 240-ton AHU to use as makeup water to offset potable water demand for a cooling tower would cost about $2,000. The system consists of PVC pipe and two pumps, with associated reservoirs, to transport the condensate to the cooling tower. With the savings from the reduction of potable water use, payback would be less than one year. Some systems are even cheaper if gravity fed from the air handlers to the cooling tower basin. Water consumption by the tower is greater than condensate production so no storage is necessary. Other AC condensate options such as drip irrigation may have additional storage and distribution costs but should still achieve a relatively short payback period of less than 2-3 years because of the significant savings in both water and wastewater charges.

Implementation of the new requirement would begin no later than January 1, 2019. Austin Water is developing a guidance document to assist customers in meeting the requirement in the most cost effective way that is also protective of public health.

More information about the new requirements along with a presentation by a representative from the San Antonio Water System about its program will be presented at the annual Austin Water/LCRA Commercial Conservation Workshop on September 27, 2017.
 

2017 Conservation Award Winners

Austin Water will honor three commercial and industrial water customers and one research organization for excellence in water conservation at an awards ceremony on May 12, 2017, at the Asian American Cultural Center.  Those receiving the awards for 2017 include:
 
Montopolis Storage, LP – for the installation of a 21,400 gallon pressurized rainwater harvesting and high efficiency drip irrigation system for over 30,000 square feet of landscaping and turf areas at its CubeSmart self-storage facility.  The facility is Austin's first 'net zero' commercial building. To reach net-zero status, the facility uses a large, solar-photovoltaic array; geothermal heating and cooling systems; geothermal wells; three rainwater towers; and a regenerative drive elevator, which generates electricity from elevator movement. The system is estimated to offset about 434,500 gallons of potable water annually.


 

Flex Ltd, formerly known as Flextronics, for the reuse of rinse water in the anodizing of aluminum casings for the manufacture of electronic components including the Mac Pro.  The treatment and recycling of this process rinse water replace the use potable water and reduces the amount of pretreated wastewater discharged to the sanitary sewer system.  The project saves approximately 64,500 gallons per day, or about 23.5 million gallons per year.


 

Pecan Street, a 501(c)(3) research and development organization, for the development of its BluWater system that helps homeowners track their daily water use and water bill, and makes users eligible for free consumer products like new sprinkler controller boxes that can be operated with a smartphone app.


 

NXP Semiconductors for the reuse of rinse water in the manufacture of semiconductors and for cooling tower make-up.  The treatment and recycling of this process rinse water replace the use of potable water and reduces the amount of pretreated wastewater discharged to the sanitary sewer system. The project saves approximately 80,640 gallons per day in the manufacturing process, or about 29.4 million gallons annually. Recycling the process water for cooling tower make-up will achieve an average daily water savings of 4,591 gallons or about 1.675 million gallons per year. 

 
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