Water, Water Everywhere – Even on the Line

The northeast pond, near the North American Production Support Center, will supply water for recycling efforts at the plant.

At TMMK, we’re always looking to save resources. In a pilot project, Facilities Control will use water from the northeast retention pond in some production processes.

“Making cars uses a lot of natural resources,” said Garth McLane, a specialist in Environmental Engineering. “This is one way to reduce our use of water, which in turn saves money.”

New pumps, installed at the pond’s inlet, pump water back to the recycling system in the 502 Building.

The water in the pond is storm water, which runs off the parking lots and rooftops during a rain. There are four such ponds on site, which serve to slow the storm water’s flow off plant property.

A second improvement at the pond slows water discharge even more by keeping more water in the pond for recycling. Environmental Engineering has raised a discharge pipe, so the water must rise higher before it can leave the pond. When the water does spill into the pipe, it flows into a rectangular concrete structure that contains “oil pigs,” or huge absorbent pillows that soak up oil that may have dripped onto parking lots.

In addition to holding storm water, the ponds are environmental structures: In the event of a hazardous spill, the retention ponds serve to contain contaminants and prevent them from getting into local streams.