Waupaca Foundry Sustainability Commitment
Achieved Water Conservation Target
Closed-Loop Cooling Water Works
At Waupaca Foundry, we have a 10-year vision for expanding our sustainability practices with achievable goals for reducing our environmental impact. One example is our goal to reduce water use and consumption by 80 percent. And we’re well on our way.
In October 2011, Waupaca Foundry Plant 4, located in Marinette, Wisconsin, implemented a closed-loop cooling water system to greatly reduce the need to use “once-through cooling water” for machine cooling.
Prior to this new water reduction initiative, the water used in cooling equipment flowed through the facility’s machines just once prior to discharge. Today, the non-contact cooling water is recycled to improve efficiencies and reduce environmental impact.
The facility’s historical average water use of 750,000 gallons per day is now recovered and returned back to plant equipment. This water recovery project has resulted in a 30- to 95-percent reduction in cooling water use, depending on seasonal cooling demands. It’s another way we save energy costs and reduce our dependency on natural resources.
In just over one year, Waupaca Foundry Plant 4 installed new closed-loop equipment to eliminate the generation and discharge of non-contact cooling water.
- Reduces cooling water use by 30 to 95 percent, depending on seasonal demands.
- Reduces daily water use by 225,000 to 712,500 gallons.
