Corning Incorporated's plant in Fairport, New York, welcomed good water news during a hot summer in 2016: approximately 330,000 gallons of water savings recorded in one month, with a projection of nearly 4 million gallons in savings over this year. 

The projected annual water savings — roughly equivalent to the water used to fill 80,000 average-sized bathtubs — resulted from one project completed on the cooling water system in the facility. Fairport's forecasted water savings greatly exceeds the annual water reduction goal Corning’s Global Energy Management (GEM) group poses to Corning's plants.

"We take optical components and test them to make sure they meet customer specifications," said Lucas Coolidge, GEM site energy manager for the facility. "The process creates a lot of heat and therefore we need to cool the different systems using water.”

The project team designed a new cooling water system, which now circulates treated cooling water using a pump, saving energy and money in the process. Saving money by reducing water usage allows Corning to reinvest in current processes and products, or to invent, make, and sell new products.