Water
Although EMC has a relatively small operational water footprint, we take a conscientious approach to conserving this important global resource. In our owned and operated facilities, we minimize water consumption and control wastewater streams. Our manufacturing facilities produce no industrial wastewater.
Water conservation
EMC primarily uses water in general building operations, such as for drinking, cooling, and sanitation systems. In our owned and operated facilities we conserve water with low-flow plumbing fixtures. We use rainwater capture systems to reduce energy consumption and reduce local groundwater extraction in some of our facilities.
Wastewater Treatment Plant
The wastewater treatment plant at EMC headquarters reclaims wastewater and passes it through three treatment and disinfection processes. We reused more than 5.5 million gallons of this treated "gray" water in 2010 for cooling, sanitation, and irrigation. Unused gray water is returned to the ground through infiltration systems to replenish local watersheds. In 2010, we increased our water reuse by more than 36 percent, exceeding our goal of 30 percent.
