A cement plant self-sufficient in process water

Objectives

• Find an alternative water source in order to stop drawing on natural fresh water resources;
• Increase volumes of water from rainwater recovery  and recycling of used water;
• Help protect the site, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, in consultation with local communities.

Summary

The River Hamps is a unique natural site labelled a British ‘Site of Special Scientific Interest' and ‘Special Area of Conservation' and an EU ‘Special Conservation Area'. Each summer, parts of the river dry up on the surface and become subterranean, which can become an issue in times of drought.

In order to eliminate the need to draw water for its process from this river, Lafarge Cauldon Works (United Kingdom) "killed 2 birds with 1 stone": the lake created by the rehabilitation plan drawn up for part of its quarry was used as a fresh water reservoir. This artificial lake, which operates on a closed loop system, is fed by rainwater recovery and recycling of the site's used water. It has allowed the plant to be no longer dependent on natural fresh water resources. As a result, the 300,000m³ drawn from the River Hamps in 2009 was down to 0 in 2009!

Results

• No abstraction of natural fresh water;
• Reduction in energy consumption as a result of ending pumping from the river;
• Reduction in the risk of local flooding (since the lake's creation the village of Waterhouse has not experienced the floods it did in previous years);
• Reduction in the risk of pollution since the lake may be totally isolated from the river in the unlikely event of an accident;
• Promotion of the region with the creation of a natural habitat which forms a protective barrier for the fragile ecosystem of the River Hamps. Creation of footpaths and a bird-watching site.

This performance has been recognized by the Environment Agency which gave the Lafarge cement plant 2 awards: the Chief Executive's Award and also the Gold Award in the Water Save category.    

People concerned

• Environmental protection charities;
• Local residents who no longer face the risk of flooding from the River Hamps;
• The English Environment Agency which has recognised the initiative with two major awards;
• The Lafarge plant's employees, who are proud to contribute to protecting their ecosystem.

© Lafarge / BulkInside