Waterless Co. Offers Advice for Looming ‘Silent Disaster’

Sept. 25, 2013
Klaus Reichardt, founder and CEO of Waterless Co., says building owners, managers, and cleaning professionals can do much to use water more efficiently.

A “silent disaster”—the United States running out of fresh water—is looming, and few Americans seem concerned about or even aware of it, Waterless Co., manufacturer of no-flush urinals, says.

Citing comments by Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Waterless says:

• Global water consumption has tripled over the last 50 years.

• By 2030, the demand for fresh water in the United States will exceed supply by as much as 40 percent.

• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says 36 states are facing local or regional water shortages.

• The Rio Grande is listed as one of the top 10 endangered rivers in the world.

Klaus Reichardt, founder and chief executive officer of Waterless Co., says building owners, managers, and cleaning professionals can do much to use water more efficiently, including:

• Look for the EPA’s WaterSense label on water-using products.

• Organize a “Fix a Leak Week,” letting building engineers know about and fix leaking pipes.

• Cultivate a water-efficiency “culture,” encouraging building users to think about how they use water and how they can use it more efficiently.

“This is far more than a water-conservation issue,” Reichardt said. “We can use far less water than we do today and still maintain our lifestyle if we conserve water and keep looking for more and more ways to use water more efficiently.”

About the Author

Scott Arnold | Executive Editor

Described by a colleague as "a cyborg ... requir(ing) virtually no sleep, no time off, and bland nourishment that can be consumed while at his desk" who was sent "back from the future not to terminate anyone, but with the prime directive 'to edit dry technical copy' in order to save the world at a later date," Scott Arnold joined the editorial staff of HPAC Engineering in 1999. Prior to that, he worked as an editor for daily newspapers and a specialty-publications company. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Kent State University.