The global market for environmental services, already strong thanks to continued infrastructure investments by both developed and developing nations, now has the added driver of addressing increasing threats of water scarcity brought on by climate change and pressure on groundwater supplies. “Urbanization and economic development have always challenged us in finding sufficient supplies of potable water,” says Paul Brown, executive vice president, global market development for Camp Dresser & McKee Inc. (CDM), Lexington, Mass. “Superimposing climate change exacerbates issues that were already quite formidable.”
Experts point to Australia's prolonged drought as an example of how fragile the balance of supply and demand can be. A number of large-scale water and wastewater treatment facilities are under way there aimed at maximizing what is becoming an increasingly precious, yet uncertain resource. For example, CH2M Hill Cos., Denver, is part of an alliance working on the Gippsland Water Factory, an innovative wastewater treatment and recycling system that will treat up to 35 megaliters of domestic and industrial wastewater daily. When the first stage of the project completes in early 2009, the plant will produce approximately 8 megaliters of high-quality recycled water each day for use by local industry.