(86e) Regulatory and Cost Drivers Affecting Industrial Water Management

Based solely on the costs to purchase or develop water supplies, water is a relatively inexpensive resource.  The costs increase considerably when accounting for the tangible costs related to environmental compliance, treatment, and discharge.  More stringent discharge limits are being imposed for numerous chemicals such as 1,4-dioxane, chromium(VI), perchlorate, and many others.  Stringent discharge limits are also being imposed for naturally-occurring substances such as selenium, arsenic, and nitrate.  The discharge limits can be set to below receiving water background levels, and treatment can be impracticable or costly.  This presentation will provide recent discharge limit developments and associated costs.    

Water costs increase even more when accounting for the intangible costs related to regulatory scrutiny, negative public perception, and increased risk of lawsuits.  Examples of ways these can impact businesses include regulatory fines, risk of shutdowns, loss in market share, and civil liability.  This presentation will illustrate how a "total quality management" framework can  be used to assess these costs. 

Examples of ways to mitigate the additional costs and regulatory issues include water footprinting, pollution prevention techniques, beneficial reuse, and closed-loop systems.  These types of water management techniques are much more appealing if the tangible and intangible costs of water are considered, which will be illustrated by relevant case studies.