Water Conservation at Georgia Aquarium
Water conservation is a concern of the Georgia Aquarium, and we are taking the necessary measures to ensure our water supply is plentiful. Read below what the Aquarium is doing to conserve and learn what you can do around your home to do your part.
Georgia Aquarium Water Conservation Measures:
- Upgrading facility to add waterless urinals that save up to 40,000 gallons of water each per year. With so many guests, this measure alone may save more than 1,000,000 gallons of water per year. We are currently in the process of acquiring the urinals, so this will take weeks to months before completion.
- Recapturing condensation from our cooling units. With a 500,000+ square-foot facility, we can save 1,500,000 gallons per year, possibly more.
- Observing the outdoor watering ban on all our landscaping. We are looking at replacing current landscaping features with low or no water plantings as a permanent alternative.
- Shutting off re-supply to all non-essential water features, such as waterfall, atrium lake and shrimp boat moat. We are exploring non-water displays in the atrium lake and shrimp boat moat going forward.
- Low-flow faucets and showerheads are being installed in the bathrooms, locker rooms and kitchen.
- Events at the Aquarium will no longer serve individual glasses of water, but instead will place pitchers on the tables, cutting water usage in half. Additional water conservation measures will take place in the kitchen.
- Making ‘conservation notebooks’ to cut down on paper and therefore water usage.
- Water conservation is our facility and maintenance team’s number 2 priority after taking care of the animals. We are exploring every opportunity for savings. The opportunities are not just in the exhibits. While the Aquarium is home to tens of thousands of animals, it also has seen millions of visitors since opening in November 2005, served more than a million meals and is the base of operation for hundreds of employees and 1,500 volunteers.
- Employees must take a mandatory conservation training course, which includes water conservation.
- Most important, we have a huge opportunity to educate at the Aquarium through our staff and volunteers on the floor, signage/displays and Web site about ways individuals can conserve water. We will be developing methods to take advantage of this opportunity.
Georgia Aquarium Water Use:
- All Georgia Aquarium exhibits are closed systems in which the water is filtered, treated, as required, and returned to the exhibit. The Aquarium recycles and reuses as much water as possible within the limits of providing our animals with the best care.
- Our water consumption in caring for our animals and accommodating our guests is similar to the amount of water used by any one of the many downtown hotels.
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