Water-reduction Project Results in 3 Million Gallons Saved

In 2018, Smithfield’s hog processing facility in Sioux Falls, S.D. was using close to 100 million gal of water per year. But today, a small investment in a new tank system and pumps has paid dividends for the facility. The new equipment includes a round 300-gal storage-to-tank system that receives cold water that is then pumped by a Fristam FPX-702 pump with a Baldor 5 HP 3,600 rpm motor. It feeds a Travaini TRH Liquid Ring vacuum pump driven by a 15 HP 1800 rpm motor, and then recirculates back to the tank, allowing the facility to reuse the water.

Completed in just three months in 2019, this project reduces the need for city water used in the processing facility by about 5.15 million gal per year, allowing the city to instead use this water for approximately 145 residents annually.

“The ROI on this project was less than one month,” states Charles Schulz, environmental coordinator for Smithfield Foods. “The cost of both purchasing city water and then treating the clean water in our wastewater system is $0.0062 per gal. The project cost was $6,000, and the water saving cost is $31,917.60 annually.”