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Wastewater 101: 7 Facts You Need to Know

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Make no mistake about it; even though we live on a planet that is 75% water, it remains a finite resource. This is why we’ve taken countless steps to reduce the volume of wastewater so that we don’t exhaust the finite supply of clean water on our planet.

That being said, wastewater remains an alarmingly common problem as many remain oblivious to the dangers posed by this serious issue. The reason you’ll require wastewater collection services. Here are a few disturbing facts that will shine some light on the urgency of the situation and explain why wastewater demands immediate attention.

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Water-Related Diseases:

As wastewater is a term given to the type of water that has been used, it should come as a surprise to no one that it can lead to water-related diseases. In fact, recent estimates show that more than 2 million metric tons of sewage and wastewater collection services is discarded which poses a threat to the lives of 1.8 million children worldwide.

Common diseases caused by wastewater include the likes of Malaria, Cholera, Shigellosis, and Hepatitis A, etc.

Avoid Long Showers:

It may sound crazy at first but showers are one of the leading causes of water wastage. A recent studied showed that the average 5-minute shower can use between 25 and 50 gallons of water. To put that figure into perspective, these figures are akin to doing multiple rounds of laundry.

Great Lakes aren’t Sewage Dumps:

The biggest misconception that people have about wastewater is that they tend to treat great lakes as sewage dumps. This is reflected in the recent study conducted by Sierra Legal that found more than 90 billion of the wastewater (which remains untreated) is dumped in great lakes.

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Water Wasted by Car Washes:

While we’re on the topic of mind boggling facts about wasting water, car washes are among the highest abusers of the world’s water supply. Recent estimates claim that the average car wash wastes 20 gallons of water for every vehicle it cleans, and that’s without accounting for 3-5 gallons of water wasted due to evaporation.

Wastewater Management on a Global Scale:

Even though we’re well aware of the health dangers that wastewater causes, only 20% of the wastewater produced globally is recycled and reused. Even though well developed nations in the world are recycling 70% of their total wastewater, the less-developed countries can only reuse 8% of their wastewater – a startling stat that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

California – A Shining Beacon of Hope:

As far as recycling and reusing wastewater is concerned, California is certainly doing its bit. If numbers posted by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) are to be believed then the 900 wastewater treatment plants in the country handle 4 billion gallons of wastewater on a daily basis.

Wastewater Management in the United States:

In recent years, we’ve grown wiser to the threats posed by wastewater and are taking the steps necessary to reuse water. It’s estimated that all the wastewater treatment offices in the United States can process around 34 billion gallons of water on a consistent basis.

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As impressive as that stat is, we’re still a long way away from minimizing wastage of water. This is why Larsen Engineers offers effective Waste recycling management Rochester that will help your organization improve its efforts of recycling and reusing its wastewater.

Get in touch with us today to learn more about how you stand to benefit from our services.

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