Current and Future Projects

• Cooling tower cycles increase. Cycles of concentration are being increased through better monitoring and water chemistry. Increased cycles will allow the existing water to circulate through the system longer before it is bled off. This has the potential of saving water in over cooling towers at the site.
• Reduced water use through central steam plant elimination. As the old central steam plant used for much of the sites heating is being phased out and independent building boilers are replacing it, significant water reduction will ensue.

2007

• Water reclaim system improvements at Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) Complex constructed. The project is in testing and has the potential of a water reduction of 56 million gallons/year.
• Installed controllers, water meters and new master valves for the Centralized Irrigation Control System (CICS).
• Reduced water use in a DI water system and a Hot Water Heater/Process Cooling loop by a combined total of 4.7 million gallons/year. Reductions were a result of findings during water audit.

2006

• Completed Design to improve the water reclaim system at (MESA) Complex.
• Installed a weather station for the CICS.

2005

• Comprehensive Water Audit completion
  • 70% of the buildings at Sandia/New Mexico were audited for water conservation purposes.
  • Plumbers were trained on proper flush valve maintenance and pressure relief and reducing valves.
  • Replaced mismatched flush parts in two buildings as a result of this audit.
• Domestic - Water-Free Urinals Estimated Water Savings = 20 Million Gallons/ Year
  • A Pilot Project of two water-free urinals was installed in a office building.
• Micro Fab (mFab) start-up Estimated Water Savings = 57.3 Million Gallons/Year
  • Many considerations were taken into account on the start-up of a new production facility. HERO systems were installed instead of conventional RO units, water recycling units were installed, and reclaim from the AWN for the scrubbers/ burn boxes and the cooling towers were implemented.

2004

• Comprehensive Water Audit started.
• Replaced existing controllers and installed new Master Valves for CICS.
• Domestic - Dual Flush Toilet installed in a small office building.
  • A dual flush toilet was installed in a building as a pilot project. Liquids are flushed at 1.0 gallons per flush and solids at 1.6 gallons per flush. The toilet utilizes a pressure assist system and has a 30-40% potential savings.

Projects Prior to 2004

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