Closed-Loop Concepts for the Army: Water Conservation, Recycle, and Reuse

摘要

Potential commitment of U.S. Army troops in the Middle East and Southwest Asia has raised the issue of water supply in the success of combat operations. Moreover, increased demands for water in the face of growing ground and surface water pollution, changes in global weather patterns, and expanding agriculture may affect the Army's mission in the future both at home and abroad. Coupled with increasing costs for potable water and outside wastewater treatment, this outlook suggests a clear need for conservative water use at Army installations. To update existing regulations for Department of Defense facilities, a closed-loop approach is proposed. Water conservation, recycling, and reuse in various combinations can be initiated to reduce the need for fresh water and simultaneously cut the cost of heating wasted water. The closed-loop measures applying to a given installation must be determined individually. Factors such as geography, climate, population numbers, and mission are assessed and then the feasibility of each conservation, recycle, and reuse measures is judged. Possibilities for using closed-loop technology are explored for several types of Army installations.