GEF

Unit 3  |  Water Use and Human Water Systems 84 climate change, power plants in Texas and in other dry areas are forced to shut down when enough water is not available for cooling. Like electricity generation, industries such as paper production, cement manufacturing, metal refining, and chemi- cal fabrication are extremely water intensive. One of the most encouraging developments of water sustain- ability is the vastly increased water reuse in some industries. In some cases, water that is used only for cooling purposes can be reused for other needs. For example, an Audi factory in Ingolstadt, Germany reuses over 98 percent of the water used in producing cars. Oil skimmer machines like this can be used to remove float oil from coolant water so the water can be reused. In some cases, water that is used for industrial purposes becomes contaminated and requires extensive treatment before it can be released to the environment or reused for other purposes. In most developed nations, wastewater from industries such as chemical fabrication and metal processing is usually treated on-site. Although it is a less dire situation than in the past, water pollution by industry remains a serious prob- lem. Especially in developing countries, industrial wastewater