Advancing water reuse within the beverage industry
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) coordinates the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP) where the water sector collaborates to address barriers and drive opportunities for water reuse in the public and private sectors. As part of WRAP Action 5.7, a diverse group of Action Partners convened to assess barriers and opportunities for water reuse in the beverage industry.
Based on feedback from the Action Partners and the public, the Action Leaders formed three subcommittees to investigate barriers to water reuse in the beverage industry based on three key topics: Stakeholder Engagement, Regulatory Environment, and Treatment and Technology. This paper is generally organized by these topics and is the primary output of WRAP Action 5.7.
Summary
The findings presented in this paper represent a novel, collaborative effort among federal and local regulators, major international beverage manufacturers, non-profit organizations, consulting engineers, and water professionals.
The purpose of this paper is twofold:
- Increase understanding of the stakeholder engagement, regulatory, and treatment and technology issues related to water reuse within the beverage industry.
- Identify key hurdles and near, medium, and long-term solutions to advance water reuse practices at beverage manufacturing plants. If the near-term solutions are implemented, then beverage manufacturers may be able to advance water recycling strategies at their facilities in due course.
Insights include:
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Regulatory Environment
- Treatment and Technology
Complex water challenges have motivated corporate personnel, regulators, consulting engineers, equipment and technology providers, and consumers to seek and develop solutions to help the beverage industry optimize water usage and operate sustainably.
Toward this end, water reuse offers a compelling opportunity for beverage manufacturers. By recycling water for non-ingredient purposes onsite, beverage manufacturers can minimize their demand for water from off-site sources, as well as the volume of wastewater taken off-site for disposal. Beverage manufacturers can also optimize water recovery and reuse it onsite, elevating operational efficiencies, reducing costs, and achieving sustainability goals.
Disclaimer
The information in this document was developed under the National Water Reuse Action Plan, Action 5.7: Identify Opportunities to Implement Water Reuse Within the Beverage Industry. The Action Leaders and Partners provided their insights and contributions in kind. Mention of commercial products and the organizations offering such products do not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Furthermore, this document is a summary of the views of the individual convening participants; approval for publication does not signify that the contents reflect the views of the Action Partners’ organizations, and no official endorsement should be inferred.
Thank you to our partners
We are grateful to all the partners who contributed to the creation of this white paper, which showcases a novel and collaborative approach to water stewardship. This paper reflects the diverse perspectives and expertise of federal and local regulators, major international beverage manufacturers, non-profit organizations, consulting engineers, and water professionals. We hope that this paper will inspire and inform other stakeholders who share our vision of a water-secure future.
Authors
GHD*
- Holly Johnson Churman, P.E., Water Treatment and Desalination Service Line Leader – Americas1
- Paul T. Bowen, Ph.D., Senior Water Consultant2
- Peter Capponi, M.S., Industrial and Manufacturing Sector and Industrial Water/Wastewater Leader – North America
- Norton Fogel, P.E., Technical Director, Industrial Water Group
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency*
- Rabia Chaudhry, P.E., Ph.D., National Water Reuse Expert (at time of writing)1
- Ashley Harper, Environmental Protection Specialist – Water Reuse Team3
Antea Group^
- Erica Pann, Senior Project Manager, Water Stewardship Services Leader
- Richard Taylor, Ph.D., Senior Project Manager & BIER Water Working Group
Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable^
- Andy Battjes, Director, Global Environmental Sustainability, Brown-Forman3
- Daniel Pierce, Executive Director, BIER
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality^
- Tressa Nicholas, Reuse Technical Support / Wastewater Analyst3
PepsiCo, Inc.^
- Theresa Mazure, Principal Scientist - Food Safety Sustainability2
- Yuqian Lou, Director – Food Safety, Sanitation & Sustainability / R&D Fellow3
- Mary Gomez, Senior Principal Engineer – FLNA Sustainability
U.S. Food and Drug Administration^
- David Whitman, Senior SME, Beverage Branch, Division of Plant Products and Beverages, Office of Food Safety, CFSAN3
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission^
- Paula Kehoe, Director of Water Resources2
- Taylor Nokhoudian, Water Resources Program Manager3
Water Environment Federation - Industrial Water Community^
- Brian Arntsen, Global Domain Sales Leader, Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions3
- Kevin Hickey, PE, BCEE, Project Director, Infrastructure Solutions, Navitas, LLC3
- David Riedel, Senior Industrial Water/Wastewater Process Engineer, Arcadis3
WateReuse Association^
- Greg Fogel, Director of Government Affairs and Policy2
- Lydia Silber, Technical Content & Regulatory Policy Manager2
- Claudia Llerandi, P.E., Principal Engineer, Kennedy Jenks3
- Greta Zornes, Ph.D, Water Reuse Practice Leader, CDM Smith3
Notes:
* Action Leader
^ Action Partner
1 Lead Author
2 Author
3 Reviewer
Special thanks to Sharon Nappier of USEPA, Mariah Papac of PG Environmental, and Tyler Abercrombie (formerly of GHD) for their support on this important initiative.