water reports to measure and monitor longer-term usage patterns . This would be particularly relevant should we partner with concessionaires on water reduction strategies with the goal of measuring the results .
Food Preparation Operations
As noted , food preparation companies used more than 24 million gallons of water at Dulles International in 2018 . It is not surprising that food preparation companies , and food and beverage establishments in general , use significant quantities of water to maintain a clean and hygienic environment . However , there are ways that we may be able to work with them to reduce water use . For example , most food service businesses defrost their frozen food by continuously running tap water over it . Tens of thousands of gallons of potable water are used in this manner , all of which is eventually sent down the drain . While running tap water over frozen food is a USDA-recommended manner for thawing , there are now new , low-cost methods coming on to the market that can materially reduce this water use ( i . e ., Boss Defrost , CNSRV WTR , etc .). We intend to explore some of these new methods with our concessionaire partners to see if they are feasible options . In addition , we can survey the equipment being used to determine if there are more water-efficient appliances and devices the concessionaires could be using to reduce water consumption .
Rental Car Water Usage
As noted above , our rental car partners at Dulles International used 6 %, or more than 17 million gallons of water in 2018 . Based on an initial analysis , rental car water usage at Reagan National may be as high as 10 % of total airport consumption . 41 Based on this data , we plan to conduct outreach to these rental car companies to discuss ways to use less water while keeping their cars clean for the next set of customers . Potential options could include using 100 % recycling systems that reclaim and reuse all water not lost to evaporation , reducing sewage runoff and potable water consumption in the process . Harvested rainwater instead of potable water to wash cars is also worth investigating . Finally , there may be adjustments to , or replacement of , elements of the current car washing equipment that result in less potable water use per car wash .
Irrigation Needs at Dulles International and the Dulles Toll Road
Based on potential usage , we plan to focus upon our current water consumption for irrigation at Dulles International and the DTR . Submetering and monitoring of systems can determine if there are opportunities to reduce the water usage in this area . Given Reagan National ’ s more modest geographic footprint , irrigation is not deemed a high priority now ; however , it may be examined in the future .
Evaluate Rain and Stormwater Harvesting Options to Reduce the Use of Potable Water
Opportunities for non-potable water usage at airports can represent a significant percentage of total water consumption as it includes irrigation , rental car and aircraft washing facilities , and cooling towers . Using potable water for such things is unnecessary . Capturing and diverting rainwater can also positively impact stormwater management practices , decreasing flows into nearby bodies of water . While our initial assumptions lead us to believe that the return on investment for installing the required infrastructure to capture rainwater airport-wide would be low , there may exist more strategic and targeted ways to pursue this water conservation measure in the future . For example , there are
41 2018 Reagan National tenant utility data provided by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority ( 2019 data pending ).
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