Water and Wastewater

In this section:

• Wastewater Management
• Watershed Protection

High-quality water is one of the main ingredients in beer, and a priority for our breweries and the communities where we operate. It is also an important consideration in our agricultural and entertainment businesses. The Anheuser-Busch Water Council helps our company strategically manage this critical resource throughout the supply chain.

In 2006, our companywide water use totaled 1.76 million gallons (6.66 million liters) per million dollars of adjusted net sales. This 1.6 percent reduction over 2005 puts us on track to achieve our 2010 goal of 6.58 million liters per million dollars of adjusted net sales.

Recent water related initiatives include:

Evaluating water sustainability issues in China and promoting sustainable forestry practices
Partnering with environmental groups in the United States to protect watersheds and water quality in the communities where we operate
Working with our peer companies within the beverage industry to share best practices and develop a framework definition for what constitutes World Class Water Resource Stewardship within the industry (see story below)
Evaluating risk of climate change impacts on water supply
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Key Strategies:

Establish water conservation targets
Invest in capital projects and implement process changes that reduce water use and impacts on public water treatment facilities
Implement our Utilities Process Analysis and Reduction program at all breweries — an approach that uses process control, real-time data and utilities trend analyses to help breweries identify and implement practices to reduce energy and water use
Train employees on and making the public aware of water conservation and watershed protection issues
Partner with governmental and nongovernmental organizations to improve water management practices and protect watersheds
Work with our suppliers to conserve water in the supply chain

Water Resource Stewardship in the Beverage Industry Roundtable

Anheuser-Busch is an active member of the Beverage Industry Water Stewardship Roundtable. Formed in August 2006, the objective of this working group of global beverage companies is to advance industry leadership in the realm of water stewardship. The work of the Roundtable is based upon five shared principles:

• Conservation - Water efficiency is fundamental to operational excellence.
• Watershed - Water is a limited and shared resource.
• Community - Community involvement is essential.
• Partnerships - Partnerships lead to more effective water management.
• Supply Chain - Supply chain engagement is a critical element of water stewardship.

The Roundtable meets on a regular basis with efforts focused upon industry-wide benchmarking, development of best practice guidance and peer-to-peer dialogue. The Roundtable has engaged leading non-governmental organizations and is actively supported by the American Beverage Association (ABA).

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Wastewater Management

Brewery wastewater has a high organic composition. Because of this and the potential impact it can have on a community’s wastewater treatment system, Anheuser-Busch relies on two innovative processes for managing wastewater:

Bio-Energy Recovery Systems (BERS), an anaerobic wastewater management system that reduces organic load and captures energy from wastewater; and
Land application, where wastewater byproducts from the brewing process are applied to the land, returning water and nutrients to the soil.
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Bio-Energy Recovery Systems

Anheuser-Busch uses Bio-Energy Recovery Systems (BERS) to manage brewery wastewater at a majority of our breweries. Through BERS, brewing-related wastewater is processed anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) and the resulting biogas (methane) is captured; wastewater is then discharged to the local sewer system (see the energy section for more information). Managing wastewater in this fashion reduces its strength by up to 90 percent, decreasing its impact on local wastewater treatment systems. In addition, the excess biosolids generated by BERS are typically reused to start up or “seed” other systems.

This technology is in place at 9 of our 12 breweries in the United States and at our brewery in Wuhan, China. We continually work to make existing BERS plants more efficient in their capture of biogas.

At our Baldwinsville brewery in New York, wastewater is processed through our BERS plant and then undergoes an additional aerobic polishing step. The brewery captures the resulting biosolids, which are provided to area farms and used primarily as a soil enhancer. In 2006, the brewery processed 1.0 million pounds (454 metric tons) of wastewater solids, and applied 6.8 million pounds (3,084 metric tons) of nutrient rich material to enhance local soil for agriculture.

Link:
Renewable energy from biogas

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Land Application Wastewater Management System

Wastewater byproducts from the brewing process are rich in nitrogen and create a valuable source of soil nutrients. At our breweries in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Jacksonville, Florida, land application provides an environmentally sound method of returning water and nutrients to the soil to produce high-quality turf and forage crops, such as alfalfa. This process reduces the need for fertilizer and the demand for irrigation water. It also reduces the loading to municipal treatment facilities, conserving more energy.

Link:
Biofuel crop research

Baldwinsville Brewery Wastewater Treatment Plant Aeration Upgrade

At the Baldwinsville brewery, aeration is a vital step in the process of preparing wastewater before it is released into the Seneca River. The process also assists in converting brewery wastes into solids, which will eventually be dewatered and recycled by local farms as fertilizer. The microorganisms responsible for this task need air to survive. In a step towards improving efficiency of the aeration system, the brewery replaced the jet aeration system in one of the 6.75 million gallon aeration basins with fine bubble diffusers. The diffuser creates fine bubbles which have a greater surface area for the same volume of air compared to coarse bubbles. The greater surface area allows for more efficient oxygen transfer to the microorganisms. This upgrade will provide a power savings of about 3 million kilowatt-hours per year. The modification has been in planning since February 2005, and began operating in October 2006.

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Watershed Protection

Anheuser-Busch is committed to protect watersheds within the communities where we do business through education and awareness, water use reduction measures and wastewater management techniques. We encourage individual employee responsibility at work and at home for protecting local watersheds through education and participation in volunteer events. In addition, the company has established partnerships with outside organizations working on enhancing water resources, such as the River Network, Restore America's Estuaries, Izaak Walton League of America, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Living Lands & Waters.

Link:
Anheuser-Busch Water Council

Fort Collins Brewery Making Every Drop Count

The Fort Collins, Colorado, brewery joined several of Anheuser-Busch’s corporate environmental partners as part of the brewery’s environmental initiative, “Every Drop Counts.” The initiative is designed to help educate employees and brewery visitors about environmental issues, such as water conservation, wildlife habitat and native plant populations. The program focuses on planting trees and other vegetation to help restore damaged areas critical to maintaining water quality. The creation of a digitized watershed map will help to educate employees and visitors about the main watershed from which the City of Fort Collins draws water.

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Mississippi River Cleanup

Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis employees and their families, joined forces with Living Lands & Waters and 15 local environmental and civic groups to clean up the Mississippi riverfront and beautify the St. Louis Gateway Arch grounds. Completed in 1965 on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Gateway Arch is a recognized symbol of St. Louis. Volunteers collected 10 tons of trash (including 106 tires) from the river and surrounding areas. In addition, volunteers spread much needed mulch and dirt around the trees on the Arch grounds and planted ivy on a new retaining wall.

Anheuser-Busch has sponsored Living Lands & Waters since 2000. This grassroots group conducts a number of projects to preserve and enhance the nation’s major river systems, such as planting trees to stabilize shorelines, running the Adopt-a-Mississippi Mile program and conducting workshops that educate people about the importance of keeping the river system clean.

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