Water is a critical issue for companies as well as for society. At GE, we are big consumers of water at our production and manufacturing sites, and we are developers of water technologies through our Water & Process Technologies business. Considering that access to clean water is a basic human need, it is of great concern that the United Nations projects approximately 2.8 billion people will be living in water-scarce areas by 2025. GE is part of the conversations around the need for innovative solutions to the problem, such as viable, cost-effective recycling strategies.

At the “From Used to Useful” water summit, held at John F. Welch Leadership Center in Crotonville, New York in November 2009, a mix of water experts from academia, business and government converged to tackle some of the obstacles that are currently blocking actions. Discussions centered on the ways in which technology, economics and public policy intersect when solving the problems.

One of the surprising facts about the global water crisis is that it's not just an issue in developing countries or those places in traditionally arid climates. As Heiner Markhoff, president and CEO of Water and Process Technologies for GE Power & Water, says: “It's often said that an economy runs on oil, but it also could be said that it runs on water. It's estimated that 15 percent of freshwater worldwide is used for industrial purposes, and in the United States the number is even higher — some 45 percent of freshwater withdrawals are used for industrial purposes such as cooling, as a solvent or in chemical processing.”

The figures for water reuse are particularly telling. According to the WateReuse Association, the United States reclaims and reuses about 6 percent of its wastewater. In some other countries, however, the level is much higher. Israel is reusing 70 percent of its wastewater and Australia currently reuses about 8 percent and has set a national target of 30 percent by 2015.

Another example of aggressive action can be seen in Singapore. One of the key speakers at the summit was Khoo Teng Chye, chief executive of the national water agency of Singapore. With water shortages, polluted rivers and widespread flooding, Singapore is taking the lead on reuse, having successfully restored 30 percent of its wastewater back into drinking water. Singapore has also created a Water Efficiency Fund that provides up to 50 percent of the capital cost of water recycling facilities.

As Steve Bolze, president & CEO of Power & Water for GE Energy, said at a U.S. Senate testimony on the issue: “Although energy gets a tremendous amount of attention, it seems like many people take clean water for granted. Perhaps that is because they have never been in a situation where quality water was not available when and where needed. The simple reality is that we need water for everything.”