Did you know that water and sewer costs for some dairy plants have risen almost tenfold during the last two decades? This means that water and sewer charges have probably become a significant part of your operating budget.

Water Use

In 1986, Grade A dairies in the United States processed over 60 billion pounds of products (milk, cream, cottage cheese, and ice cream). They used about 9.3 billion gallons (80 billion pounds) of milk to make these products. If the average plant used 4 gallons of water to process each gallon of milk (a typical amount), total water use for that year by the Grade A dairy industry exceeded 37.2 billion gallons.

Some plants now use less than 1 gallon of water per gallon of milk processed. If all dairy plants could save 3 gallons of water per gallon of milk processed, savings would amount to approximately 28 billion gallons of water -- enough to supply a city of 200,000 people for a year.

Waste Load

The average Grade A dairy plant produces 5 pounds of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) per thousand pounds of milk processed.

The resulting annual BOD5 load from dairy processing is almost 400 million pounds.

Some plants discharge as little as 1 pound of BOD5 per thousand pounds of milk processed. If all plants reduced their discharge to this level, about 320 million pounds of BOD5 could be eliminated - the same amount discharged annually from a city of 5.2 million people.

Cost Savings

Water and sewer costs have increased rapidly for many dairy processors. Some dairy plants have experienced an increase of 5 to 10 times in water and sewer costs over the past 25 years. As much as $117 million could be saved annually if the U.S. dairy industry could successfully conserve water and reduce waste load, as shown in the table.

Surcharges for excess waste load are not the only costs associated with waste from dairy processing plants. More than 90 percent of the waste load from a dairy plant consists of product that has been lost to the sewer and therefore can never be sold. A wastewater analysis can thus indicate a plant's efficiency.

One pound of BOD5 in the sewage means that at least 9 pounds of milk have been lost in processing. The 320 million pounds of BOD5 that could be eliminated represents a milk loss of 2.88 billion pounds. With milk valued at $13.50 per 100 pounds, the potential savings could be as much as $389 million per year.

Combine this $389 million with a possible $117 million reduction in water and sewer charges and you can see that the U.S. Grade A dairy industry has the potential for saving $506 million annually.

As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightens restrictions on the quality of water consumed and wastewater released into the environment, water costs will probably rise even more rapidly than in the past. To face these changes and be ready for possible future shortages, leaders in the dairy processing industry must look ahead and start water conservation efforts now.

Water conservation and waste reduction are important because:

• Water costs and sewer charges are on the rise;
• Water quality and availability are threatened by increased consumption and pollution in many areas of the country;
• Pollution is being attacked aggressively by public agencies and the public at large;
• Future regulations may require water conservation and elimination of pollutant discharges;
• A corporation's image can be tarnished and its sales hurt if its plants are perceived as harming the environment.
• Enforcement actions are becoming more severe. Lawsuits, fines, and even prison terms may face those who are not fully in compliance with environ-mental laws.

• Has your dairy processing operation experienced a rapid rise in water and sewer charges?
• Do you supply your own water? How much does this water cost? Is the supply dependable? Is the quality high? How will these factors affect future expansion? Is your water source threatened by pollution?
• How much money could you save by reducing water use from its present level to 1 gallon per gallon of milk processed? How much could be saved by cutting BOD5 discharges from their present level to 1 pound per thou-sand pounds of milk processed? Would these savings be important to your organization? Should even more stringent goals be adopted for your plants?

What Can You Do?

Compute your share of the $500 million opportunity. For example, if your company accounts for 5 percent of all U.S. Grade A milk production, you may be able to save $25 million per year by reducing water use and waste load. If water and sewer costs increase tenfold over the next decade, you may be able to save $250 million annually by 1997.

Here are some suggestions to help you start a conservation program:

• Ensure that plant managers measure water use daily or at each shift change.
• Emphasize to personnel at all levels that conserving water and reducingwaste load are sound business practice. Appoint someone in each plant to be responsible for water conservation and waste reduction practices and for monitoring their effectiveness.
• Provide a training program for your managers and employees.
• Show by your interest and example that you take water conservation and waste reduction seriously. Helping your personnel develop the proper attitude is 90 percent of the battle. IT STARTS AT THE TOP!

Other publications of interest to dairy processors include:

• Liquid Assets for Your Dairy Plant (CD-21)
• Cut Waste to Reduce Surcharges for Your Dairy Plant (CD-26)
• Water and Wastewater Management in a Dairy Processing Plant (CD-28)