Water

We continue to make progress with water-reduction efforts through alternative production methods, treatment technologies, water recycling solutions and employee awareness training on water management. In 2013, we cut our water use by 5 percent from the previous year, saving enough water to fill more than 140 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Reverse Osmosis

As a part of its recent tank line system update, the Boeing Portland facility included a water reuse component. The new system uses reverse osmosis as a high-pressure filtration system to take the existing wastewater* and then filter it to make it reusable. The recycled water is returned to the tank line, along with city water, and then is used again in most of the tank line’s processes. Previously, the water was disposed of down the sanitary sewer. Now, as much as 80 percent is reclaimed and, after more than a year in operation, more than a million gallons of water are recycled each month.