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<br />., <br /> <br />4. <br /> <br />WATER CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES <br />Observations made during the site visit, as well as <br />information obtained from discussions with personnel familiar <br />with the facilitr, helped formulate potential water savings. <br />The following ut~lity costs were sued to compute the <br />potential savings of water-conservation measures. <br /> <br />* Water cost of $0.60 per 1,000 gallons. <br /> <br />* Wastewater costs of $1.66 per 1,000 gallons of water <br />used. <br /> <br />Winter Freeze Protection - The largest water usage identified <br />at the facility was flow associated with freeze prevention. <br />This water use amounted to about 71% of total annual water <br />use. There are several methods that could be employed to <br />prevent freezing, that mayor may not be cost effective. The <br />water and sewer costs associated with water bleed-off during <br />the winter months equals about $56.60 per month, or about <br />$339.00 per winter season. <br /> <br />Other options for freeze protection include insulating and <br />heat ta~ing water lines, keeping freeze prone areas heated, <br />install~ng thermostatically controlled bleed valves. Costs <br />of heating areas prone to freezing or of heat taping pipes <br />may not be cost effective due to minimal usage at the <br />facility. <br /> <br />Perhaps the least expensive solution would be to reduce the <br />bleed flow during the winter to approximately 0.1 gpm. This <br />flow should be adequate to prevent freezing and would result <br />in a monthly water savings of 21,600 gallons. This would <br />equal a 129,000 gallon savings over a one year period, <br />amounting to approximately $290 in water and sewer charges. <br /> <br />Domestic - Installation of flow restrictors on the flush- <br />valve toilets could reduce average water consumption by 1.0 <br />gallons per flush. The cost of these retrofit devices is <br />about $15 each. with the minimal water usage involved, it <br />would require about 7 years usage to recover the costs <br />involved. Faucet aerators would also result in water and <br />sewer savings. <br /> <br />Table 3 lists the approximate costs and time period required <br />to recover the costs of recommendations made in this report. <br />