Water reuse helps Veterans Affairs clinic obtain LEED Certification

Problem: A new VA Clinic in Sedalia, Montana, wanted to reuse water as part of a plan to attain LEED certification under the U.S. Green Building Council. The desire was to collect wastewater from showers and lavatories, treat it to a quality suitable for reuse, and put it back into a separate water system furnishing flush valves in the lavatories. Estimated use by the flush valves is 250 to 300 gpd.

Solution: Engineers worked with Weber Industries to design a BioMicrobics BioBarrier MBR system. This unit is certified to NSF350 for water reuse. A 500 gpd unit was provided in a three-compartment tank. The first compartment receives wastewater, settles solids and is filtered by a Sanitee 1/16th filter as water flows to the second compartment containing the BioBarrier membranes and air grid. Air passing through the grid oxidizes any organics that may be in the water. Water is drawn through the membranes with pores of less than .04 microns by a pump discharging treated water to the third compartment. A Webtrol Pumps turbine pumps the water to a pressure tank where it is stored for demand at the flush valves. 

Result: At 250 gpd, the clinic can save over 90,000 gallons per year of freshwater. Should water needs increase, the BioBarrier can double that amount. The clinic uses the savings of water resources towards their LEED Certification. 800-769-7867; www.webtrol.com