Winter 2010

National Water Services:

A leading provider of water conservation services for energy service contractors and large water consumers.

Gallons of Water Saved to Date:
1,507,999,561

Costs Reduced to Date:

$10,555,996

Contact:

Corporate Office

2750 La Mirada Drive

Vista, CA 92081
Voice: 877-240-2350

Fax: 866-530-8172

www.nwsinfo.com

Mid-Atlantic Region Office

107 East Court Street

Doylestown, PA 18901

Midwest Region Office

5109 Craydon Drive

Columbia, MO 65203

Northeast Region Office

44 Granite Street

Medway, MA 02053

Southeast Region Office

22 West Bryan Street, Suite 323

Savannah, GA 31401

  Southwest Region Office

5015 Addison Circle, Suite 255
Addison, TX 75001

Washington D.C. Region Office

10411 Motor City Drive, Suite 750

Bethesda, MD 20817

Western Region Office

2750 La Mirada Drive

Following a successful 2010, National Water Services, Inc. (NWS) is now positioned to help our clients conserve even greater amounts of water and realize huge savings with reduced water, sewer and energy costs. During 2010, NWS gained national certification as a Woman Business Enterprise, as well as certification in our home state of California and many other states throughout the country.

As of the first of the year, NWS has set up new offices in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. and moved its Corporate Offices to a larger facility in Vista, California.  NWS now has an even stronger national presence, with offices in Massachusetts, California, Texas, Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

In January Jack Doyle was hired as our Regional Sales Representative for the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Jack brings with him more than 30 years of commercial sales experience and a wealth of knowledge in water and energy conservation and plumbing applications.  Jack can be reached by phone at 877-240-2350, ext. 724 or via email at jack@nationalwaterservices.com.

In late 2010, NWS made other major personnel changes when it promoted Bob Wilson to Executive Vice President.  Bob is our senior water conservation expert with more than 23 years of experience in developing and managing water conservation projects.  Additionally, Jason Mayer became our Chief Operating Officer.  Jason has more than 15 years experience in operational management and government contracting.

Brian Boyle, our Vice President of New Business Development, was appointed to the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Water Authority by the Oceanside City Council.  Along with the Board appointment, Mr. Boyle received two additional appointments to the Conservation and Imported Water Subcommittees.

In March, NWS reached an important milestone by helping its clients to surpass a combined total savings of more than one billion gallons of water.  This milestone represented a culmination of more than a decade of developing water conservation programs and proving water saving opportunities to Energy Service Companies, school districts, colleges and universities, corporations, housing authorities, military installations and government agencies.

All these changes and accomplishments mean that NWS is in a stronger position to provide our clients with proven water and energy saving opportunities.  I encourage everyone to keep a watchful eye on our website at www.nwsinfo.com.  We will soon be launching a redesigned website featuring the latest in water conservation news and showcasing an extensive collection of water project case studies.

About the Author:  Patricia Hartman is President and Majority Owner of National Water Services, Inc.  She can be reached via email at patricia@nwsinfo.com or through our website at www.nwsinfo.com. 

"What are the potential water savings for upgrading an aging Steam System?  Are there retrofit options, or should we be looking to replace our entire system?"

A good portion of the US utilizes a form of energy that tends to be overlooked.  It has a great deal of raw power and a fair amount of potential.  However, when the system itself is not optimized, or has not been properly maintained, it can cost a lot of money due to wasted energy.  That energy and power is steam.  It is one of the most basic forms of energy and can both cost and waste a lot of energy if not run properly.  The best way to save money is by adding and installing the correct steam trap or fixing broken traps in existing systems.

Steam systems utilize one substance in abundance... water.  Water in the form of steam has great power that can be harnessed and used as a way to heat and create energy to run just about anything needed.  But with that steam, comes condensate.  Condensate is what comes from the steam after losing its potential energy and heat.  It stops being a gas and turns into water.  This water must be removed from the system as it can create problems such as water hammer and rust and can kill the lifespan of a complete steam system, making it very ineffective and expensive to run.

One way to optimize a system is to make sure all steam traps are up-to-date and properly maintained.  A properly functioning steam trap means the system should be running at its full potential.  Another is to make sure that you have the most effective steam trap for each specific condition because every steam trap is not created equal and, while all ultimately do the same thing, they all go about it in different ways.

Another way to improve a system is to not waste the condensate.  It takes a lot of water to make a steam system work efficiently, and while the condensate may only be a small portion of what might be used, it still adds up in the long run.  Reducing or reusing the condensate can help save potentially hundreds to thousands of gallons of water a year.  Something as simple as this could easily pay for itself in a short amount of time.  Properly sized lines also can really make a system more efficient. If you have lines that are too big for what they are feeding into, the system will require more energy to keep it running effectively compared to a system with properly sized lines.  A system that is too small will never reach its absolute potential and will over work the system, resulting in a shorter lifespan than intended.

About the Author: Griffin Wilson is a Project Analyst for National Water Services. He can be reached via email at griff@nwsinfo.com or through our website at www.nwsinfo.com

Steam Traps - A Commercial Case Study

Steam is one of the oldest and rawest forms of power that we still manage to harness on a daily basis.  It is something that we used in Industrial processes before the Civil War.  We continue to use it today to help run our factories, wash our dishes, sterilize medical equipment and press our clothes.  Steam can be used to create electricity through turbines and used to create heat within spaces.  It is a simple, and often overlooked application, that when properly maintained can cost very little to run.

In a recent investigation of steam trap failure, a participating hospital had their steam traps tested using the thermal temperature monitoring method on approximately 20 percent of a 500 plus trap system. It was determined that 25 traps had failed in the open position, wasting a significant amount of energy.  After performing a cost versus saving analysis, it turned out that by replacing the 25 traps, the projected annual energy savings would be more than $48,000 over a three year period.  Given an average replacement cost of $275 per trap, and using the same failure rate over the entire system, it was determined that  by replacing 80 faulty steam traps the hospital would reduce its energy costs by more than $98,000 annually with an installation cost of around $22,000.

Doesn't it make sense to perform a steam trap assessment, especially if you could find substantial savings in your steam system?  Who can afford not to investigate this important source of energy cost savings?  Contact National Water Services, Inc. to find out how you can have a steam system evaluation done on the steam traps in your facility.

  - About the Author: Bob Wilson is the Chief Operating Office for National Water Services and has more than 22 years of water conservation experience. Mr. Wilson can be reached at NWS' Northeastern Regional office via email at bob@nwsinfo.com.

Rainwater Harvesting Offers Innovative Water Savings Opportunities

Rainwater harvesting is a technique used for collecting, storing and using rainwater for landscape irrigation and other applications. National Water Services, Inc. has more than 40 years experience in developing all aspects of water saving opportunities for Commercial, Institutional and Industrial clients.  The rainwater can be collected from various surfaces such as roof tops and/or other types of manmade, above ground hard surfaces. This ancient practice is currently growing in popularity throughout our communities, due to interest in reducing the consumption of potable water, and the inherent qualities of rainwater.

The systems that catch and collect rainwater come in all shapes and sizes, from simple systems under a downspout, to large cisterns with complex filtration systems.  They can be either above and/or underground and can store thousands of gallons of water. The basic components of a rainwater collection system are:

• Catchment Surface:  This is usually a raised solid surface or a rooftop. The amount of water that can be harvested depends on the quantity of rainfall, the size of the surface and the slope of the catchment area.
• Gutters and Downspouts:  These are also known as distribution systems that channel the water from the catchment area to a holding container such as a barrel, cistern, planted area, etc.
• Leaf Screens:  Leaf screens help to remove or catch large debris from gutters and downspouts.
• Roof Washers: These are devices that divert the "first flush" of rain before it enters the storage tank.  Most rainwater suppliers recommend that the "first flush" of water is diverted to an outside area of the storage system, since the catchment surface may accumulate bird droppings, debris and other pollutants.
• Storage Tanks: In general, the storage tank is the most expensive component of a rainwater harvesting system. There are numerous types and styles of storage tanks available.  Storage can be above-ground or underground.  Containers can be made from galvanized steel, wood, concrete, clay, plastic, fiberglass, polyethylene, masonry, etc.  Storage tank prices vary based on different variables such as size, material and complexity.  To inhibit the growth of algae, storage tanks should be opaque and preferably placed away from direct sunlight.  The tanks should also be placed close to the areas of use and supply line, to reduce the distance over which the water is delivered.  Also consider placing the storage in an elevated area to take advantage of gravity flow.  The tank should always be placed on a stable and level foundation to prevent it from leaning and possibly collapsing.
• Delivery Systems:  Delivery systems can be either gravity-fed or pumped to the landscape or other end use areas.
• Purification/Treatment System: These systems are required for potable systems to make the water safe for domestic use and/or human consumption.  Gray water treatment systems can also be used in conjunction with a rainwater harvesting system to treat water for non- consumption domestic use.
• Local Regulations: Rainwater harvesting policies vary from state to state. Check with your local health department for information regarding filtration systems and certification requirements.

Rainwater Harvesting Advantages and Disadvantages 

Rainwater Harvesting Advantages

• Makes use of a natural resource and reduces flooding, storm water runoff, erosion and contamination of surface water with pesticides, sediment, metals, and fertilizers
• Reduces the need for imported water
• Excellent source of water for landscape irrigation, with no chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine, and no dissolved salts and minerals from the soil
• Promotes both water and energy conservation
• No filtration system required for landscape irrigation

Rainwater Harvesting Disadvantages

• Limited and uncertain local rainfall
• Can be costly to install - rainwater storage and delivery systems can cost between $200 to $2,000+ depending on the size and sophistication of the system
• Payback period varies depending on the size of storage and complexity of the system
• Requires some technical skills to install and provide regular maintenance
• If not installed correctly, may attract mosquitoes (i.e.; West Nile Disease and other waterborne illnesses)
• Certain roof types may seep chemicals, pesticides and other pollutants into the water that can harm the plants
• Rainwater collected during the first rain season is generally not needed by plants until the dry season.  Once catchment is full, cannot take advantage of future rains.