Protecting the Planet - and your Pocketbook
Fairfax Water strives to be a good steward of the resources we manage. Our efforts to protect the environment are also designed to help us operate more efficiently. Here are a few examples: u Fairfax Water utilizes an energy management program that has consistently reduced our energy use each year since the program was put in place. u All mobile field workers are equipped with mobile-computing resources, which reduces travel time and mileage and increases our efficiency. u Residuals from the water treatment process are captured at both of our treatment plants to prevent them from entering the receiving streams. The Corbalis plant in Herndon removes the water from the residuals, which are then re-used as filler on agricultural land. The Griffith plant in Lorton takes advantage of an adjacent quarry that acts as a giant clarifier to remove residuals before they can enter the river. u Fairfax Water has less unaccounted-for water than the national average. Accurately measuring water usage against the amount of water produced is critical in identifying water loss in the system. We’ve determined the point at which meters tend to lose accuracy and replace them before they reach this point, increasing the accuracy of this comparison. Our leak detection program uses stateof-the-art electronic equipment to identify leak sounds within the distribution system and precisely pinpoint the location of the leak even before it surfaces. Identifying leaks early reduces the amount of water lost and allows us to repair leaks efficiently with minimal disruption to our customers. The beauty of these programs is not only do they protect the environment, they also help us control costs and operate more efficiently.