Web calculator identifies ways to reduce water impact
Cities and businesses looking for ideas about ways they can reduce their impact on local water resources can test hypothetical scenarios with the Water Impact Index (WIIX) Calculator.
The technology was developed by Growing Blue founding partner Veolia Water, and it considers both industrial considerations such as manufacturing processes or agricultural along with municipal wastewater treatment options.
The WIIX Calculator application works by prompting managers to enter data, including information about local conditions, which will take into account the water stress factors and quality that are unique to the site being considered.
It relies heavily on the Veolia Water Impact Index, which looks at water withdrawal, water released, chemicals used in the area, the waste produced and the energy that is needed to handle water treatment. That's important because water treatment options can have a direct impact on energy and carbon emissions reduction strategies.
Based on the information added, the WIIX Calculator will offer ideas about actions that your organization or city might be able to do to reach desired consumption levels. The organization said any information entered into the city will be kept confidential.
Growing Blue is a Web site that was started by a companies and non-governmental organizations that are focused on providing more complete information about global water consumption and the stress that it puts on resources and, ultimately, sustainability. Veolia is a founding member and the site is managed by The Nature Conservancy, Clean Water Alliance, World Council for Sustainable Development, United Nations Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, The Earth Institute at Columbia University, Global Water Intelligence, and Cardno ENTRIX.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com