Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0032-1237
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2006-12-21T05:00Z

Page
1
of
2
Memorandum
From:
Carey
A.
Johnston,
P.
E.
USEPA/
OW/
OST
ph:
(
202)
566
1014
johnston.
carey@
epa.
gov
To:
Public
Record
for
the
2006
Effluent
Guidelines
Program
Plan
EPA
Docket
Number
OW­
2004­
0032
(
www.
epa.
gov/
edockets/)

Date:
November
10,
2005
Re:
Global
Environmental
Management
Initiative
Website
(
http://
www.
gemi.
org/
water/
casestudies.
htm)

This
memorandum
incorporates
by
reference
case
studies
identified
by
Global
Environmental
Management
Initiative
website:
http://
www.
gemi.
org/
water/
casestudies.
htm
into
the
public
record
for
the
"
2006
Effluent
Guidelines
Program
Plan,"
EPA
Docket
Number:
OW­
2004­
0032.

Since
1990,
the
Global
Environmental
Management
Initiative
(
GEMI)
has
created
tools
and
provided
strategies
to
help
business
foster
global
environmental,
healthy
and
safety
excellence
and
economic
success.
GEMI
is
an
organization
of
leading
companies
dedicated
to
foster
global
environmental,
health
and
safety
(
EHS)
excellence
through
the
sharing
of
tools
and
information
to
help
business
achieve
EHS
excellence.

GEMI's
website
states
that
there
are
emerging
signals
that
the
business
case
is
building
for
companies
to
develop
more
coordinated,
forward­
looking,
and
sustainable
water
strategies.
Businesses,
communities,
and
ecosystems
everywhere
depend
on
clean
freshwater
to
survive
and
prosper.
Global
demand
for
freshwater,
however,
continues
to
grow,
while
many
water
sources
are
showing
signs
of
stress.
Companies
that
understand
the
trends
shaping
the
global
business
environment
will
be
better
positioned
to
identify
new
market
opportunities,
mitigate
risk,
develop
sustainable
water
strategies,
and
create
shareholder
value.
See:
http://
www.
gemi.
org/
water/.

GEMI's
Water
Sustainability
Work
Group
has
developed
a
tool
 
the
Water
Sustainability
Tool
 
to
help
businesses
better
understand
and
guide
your
own
organization's
relationship
to
water.
The
Water
Sustainability
Tool
can
assist
individual
companies
and
other
organizations
to
better
understand
what
emerging
water
issues
might
mean
for
them,
given
their
operations,
needs,
and
circumstances.
The
tool
is
designed
to
help
individual
companies
build
a
business
water
strategy.
GEMI
states
that
the
tool
encourages
businesses
to:
Page
2
of
2
C
Conduct
a
systematic
assessment
of
their
relationship
to
water;

C
Identify
specific
opportunities
and
risks
associated
with
this
relationship;

C
Assess
the
business
case
for
action;

C
Tailor
a
water
strategy
that
addresses
specific
needs
and
circumstances
of
the
organization;
and
C
Ensure
that
water­
related
opportunities
and
risks
are
tracked
and
managed
effectively
into
the
future
using
a
continual
improvement
framework.

The
GEMI
website
has
a
number
of
case
studies
involving
facilities
employing
water
conservation
techniques
and
technologies
to
more
efficiently
use
water.
For
example,
the
GEMI
case
studies
website
provides
the
following
example:

ConAgra
Foods'
Butterball
Turkey
facility
in
Huntsville,
Arkansas
employed
a
variety
of
technical
fixes,
including
installing
water
meters,
using
a
vacuum
pump
recycle
tank
and
re­
piping
supply
water,
to
save
about
300,000
gallons
of
water
a
day.
This
will
allow
the
facility
to
double
production
yet
only
increase
its
total
water
use
by
15%.

ConAgra
Foods'
Golden
Valley
Microwave
Foods
facility
in
Edina,
Minnesota
installed
new
pipes,
introduced
new
controls
to
shut
off
water
during
downtime,
and
used
recycled
water
during
some
phases
of
the
manufacturing
process
to
reduce
water
purchases
by
70%
(
15
million
gallons)
annually.
This
reduced
the
city's
total
water
demands
by
nearly
1%,
and
earned
recognition
from
the
Minnesota
Council
of
Environmental
Services.

Source:
http://
www.
gemi.
org/
water/
conagra2.
htm