The environment is one of Earth’s most precious resources, and with only 3% of water on the planet being fresh, maintaining a clean supply is especially important. Indiana American Water understands that, as a utility company working directly with the environment, it has a responsibility to oversee the continued health of water in the Region and has enthusiastically taken to the task.
“It's just the right thing to do,” said External Affairs Manager for Indiana American Water Joe Loughmiller. “It's part of our values, and our employees are thinking about that in everything they do. It's really a frame of mind here at our company.”
Part of that commitment to environmental stewardship is a focus on sustainable practices. Emphasis is placed on both large-scale projects, such as backwashing filters, and smaller, everyday actions that contribute to a healthier environment, like using natural light when possible. American Water, Indiana American Water’s parent company, owns and operates several LEED-certified buildings including facilities in Newburgh and Gary, Indiana, as well as its Platinum-rated headquarters in Camden, New Jersey.
On a larger scale, one project that’s both reducing Indiana American Water’s carbon footprint and customer rates is the replacement of older water pumps with pumps containing variable frequency drives (VFDs) that match waterflow to demand.
“VFDs gear up and down; it's not just turning pumps off and on. They'll run at a higher rate if we need more water pumped and at a lower rate if we need less. It uses less electricity and therefore reduces the pollution and the carbon emissions associated with it,” said Loughmiller. “Water is heavy—it's over eight pounds per gallon—so it takes a lot of energy to move. It's a big cost and a big deal for us to reduce that electrical use.”
These sustainability practices go all the way to the top, permeating in everything Indiana American Water does. American Water’s long-term environmental goals are specific, giving employees the opportunity to contribute measurable action. The goals are broken down into three areas: water use and efficiency, water supply resiliency, and greenhouse gas emissions.
By 2035, American Water plans to meet customer needs at 15% less water usage. Between 2015 and 2020, the company head already measured a 5% reduction.
“Some of the things that feed into that are promoting national trends and water use efficiency and replacing older, less efficient appliances. We partner with WaterSense, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program that rates and defines what an efficient water appliance is and how much water it uses,” said Loughmiller.
In addition, Indiana American Water has continued and expanded its water efficiency programs, such as water loss management and customer education, while continuing to invest in innovations and new technologies in the field like smart irrigation and leak detection on underground infrastructure.
American Water’s other long-term goals include increasing its Utility Resilience Index by 10% by 2030 to future-proof for emergencies, and to achieve a net zero scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“For many years, we have helped community-based groups do environmental projects that improve, restore, or protect the watersheds and surface water and groundwater supplies in the communities we serve,” said Loughmiller. “It can be something as simple as a rain garden to habitat restoration projects that affect water quality to education projects. There are all kinds of different projects we've helped to fund over the years.”
The American Water Charitable Foundation operates the Keep Communities Flowing Grant Program that offers competitive grants on a national level for projects that align with American Water’s core values.
All of these environmental sustainability efforts translate into direct benefits for the consumer. On top of being able to trust Indiana American Water to do the right thing for the planet, money saved through sustainability practices gets passed back to customers in the form of lower rates.
“We want to minimize the impact we have on the environment and make it better through our actions. That really makes a better quality of life for everybody,” Loughmiller said. “It also helps to keep costs down. When we keep our costs down, that keeps customer rates down as well. It's good for everybody in the long run.”
As Indiana American Water continues to serve the Region, customers can rest assured in the knowledge that the utility company has the best interests of the Earth and all its residents at heart. From the leaders of American Water to employees out in the field, a commitment to creating a better tomorrow is at the center of everything they do.To learn more about Indiana American Water, visit www.indianaamwater.com.
