What is the conventional approach to wastewater treatment in the United States?

The conventional approach relies on a centralized municipal sewer network, where wastewater from buildings is collected through an extensive system of underground pipes and transported to a central treatment facility. After treatment, the water is typically discharged into a nearby water source, such as a river, ocean, or groundwater, and is generally unavailable for reuse in the communities where it originated. This linear model has been in use for nearly 200 years.

What are the main challenges facing municipal water and sewer infrastructure today?

Municipal water and sewer infrastructure faces challenges such as aging pipes (many over 100 years old), capacity limitations (15% of plants at or over capacity), high costs for repairs and upgrades, and vulnerability to leaks or breaks. These issues are compounded by increased demand from population growth and urbanization.

How does the conventional system impact water reuse in local communities?

In the conventional system, treated water is typically discharged far from the communities where it originated, making it unavailable for beneficial reuse. This means water is used once and then discarded, rather than being recycled for non-potable uses like irrigation or toilet flushing.

What are the environmental consequences of the traditional wastewater treatment approach?

The traditional approach contributes to water scarcity by failing to recycle water locally, increases energy consumption due to long-distance transport, and can lead to environmental degradation if leaks or overflows occur in aging infrastructure. It also misses opportunities to recover resources from wastewater.

How does population growth and climate change affect water security?

Population growth and climate change increase demand for limited water supplies and disrupt historical weather patterns, leading to more frequent droughts and water insecurity. This puts additional strain on already aging and overburdened water infrastructure.

What is meant by a 'linear' approach to water management?

A linear approach means water is used once and then discarded after treatment, rather than being recycled or reused within the community. This model does not maximize the value of water resources and contributes to waste and inefficiency.

Why is there a need to change how we manage water and wastewater?

There is a need to change due to increasing water scarcity, aging infrastructure, rising utility costs, and the environmental impact of current practices. A more sustainable, circular approach can help address these challenges by recycling water and recovering resources locally.

What is onsite water reuse and how does it work?

Onsite water reuse is the process of capturing wastewater within a building, treating it locally to produce recycled water, and then reusing it for non-potable applications such as toilet flushing, irrigation, laundry, or HVAC cooling. Epic Cleantec's systems are custom designed to scale based on building size and usage, with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 gallons per day.

What are the benefits of onsite water reuse compared to the conventional approach?

Onsite water reuse creates a circular infrastructure, allowing up to 95% of a building's wastewater to be recycled. This reduces water bills, lowers sewer fees, minimizes energy consumption, and decreases overall waste. It also provides a reliable local water supply and supports sustainability goals.

What products and services does Epic Cleantec offer?

Epic Cleantec offers onsite water reuse systems, soil amendment solutions (upcycling wastewater organics into nutrient-rich soil), wastewater heat recovery, and comprehensive operations and maintenance services. They also provide end-to-end project support, including design, permitting, installation, and ongoing system operations.

How efficient are Epic Cleantec's water reuse systems?

Epic Cleantec's systems can recycle up to 95% of wastewater, significantly reducing water consumption and reliance on municipal water supplies. For residential buildings, water reuse potential can reach as high as 50%.

What building sizes can Epic Cleantec's systems support?

Epic Cleantec's onsite water reuse systems are custom designed to scale based on building size and average daily water usage, with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 100,000 gallons per day. For example, a 100-unit multifamily building may require about 5,000 gallons per day, while a 2,000-unit building could need up to 100,000 gallons per day.

What types of water can be recycled using Epic Cleantec's systems?

Epic Cleantec's systems can recycle blackwater, greywater, rainwater, and condensate, treating them to produce recycled water suitable for non-potable uses such as toilet flushing, irrigation, laundry, and HVAC cooling.

What are the key features of Epic Cleantec's water reuse systems?

Key features include modular and scalable design, compact footprint (equivalent to a few parking spaces), energy efficiency, full automation, customizable components, and comprehensive end-to-end services from design to ongoing operations.

How does Epic Cleantec help customers meet sustainability goals?

Epic Cleantec's solutions help customers achieve certifications like LEED and the Living Building Challenge by providing innovative water reuse and resource recovery systems. These solutions also support alignment with ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) goals.

What is the business impact of implementing Epic Cleantec's solutions?

Customers can expect significant cost savings on water and sewer utility bills, improved ROI (often within 3-7 years), enhanced sustainability profiles, operational efficiency, and resilience to water scarcity.

How does Epic Cleantec's technology support a circular water economy?

Epic Cleantec's technology transforms wastewater into clean water, renewable energy, and soil products, enabling water to be used and reused multiple times within a community and minimizing environmental impact.

Who can benefit from Epic Cleantec's solutions?

Epic Cleantec's solutions are ideal for real estate developers, property owners, architects, engineers, sustainability consultants, and industries such as commercial and residential real estate, hospitality, mixed-use developments, community-scale projects, universities, wineries, breweries, and data centers.

What industries are represented in Epic Cleantec's case studies?

Industries include commercial real estate (e.g., Salesforce Tower), residential real estate (e.g., The Brady, Kuilei Place), hospitality (e.g., Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills), mixed-use developments (e.g., Chorus), and community-scale developments (e.g., Park Habitat, 601 W. Beech).

Can you share specific case studies or success stories?

Yes. For example, Salesforce Tower in San Francisco features a 30,000 GPD blackwater, rainwater, and condensate recovery system; The Brady recycles over 6,000 gallons daily, saving 7K annually; Campus at Horton recycles 8.7 million gallons of blackwater annually; Kuilei Place will recycle 8.5 million gallons of greywater per year; Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills reuses over 438,000 gallons per year for landscaping.

Who are some of Epic Cleantec's customers?

Customers include Commercial Plumbing Inc., Crescent Heights, Forge Development Partners, The Green Cities Company, Greython, Iron Mechanical, JWM, Kobayashi Group, Pūlama Lānaʻi, Related Companies, Salesforce, Sentral, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Southland Industries, Stockdale Capital Partners, Strada, Tālo Management Group, Westbank, and LAXWA.

What pain points do Epic Cleantec's customers typically face?

Common pain points include water scarcity, rising utility costs, aging infrastructure, the need to meet sustainability certifications, environmental impact concerns, and the operational burden of managing water systems. Epic Cleantec addresses these with efficient, automated, and sustainable solutions.

What core problems does Epic Cleantec solve for its customers?

Epic Cleantec solves water scarcity by enabling up to 95% water recycling, reduces utility costs, alleviates strain on aging infrastructure, helps meet sustainability goals, minimizes environmental impact, and improves operational efficiency with automated systems.

How long does it take to implement Epic Cleantec's solutions?

Implementation is designed to be simple and efficient. Clients can start without upfront costs. The process involves data collection, a Water Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and end-to-end support for design, permitting, and installation. Timelines vary by project complexity.

What technical documentation is available for Epic Cleantec's products?

Technical resources include downloadable spec sheets and Revit files for the OneWater™ system, a technology overview, integration considerations, and free project assessments with preliminary equipment lists and dimensions.

What integration requirements should be considered for Epic Cleantec's systems?

Integration considerations include three-way valves for diversion, sufficient storage for treatment, waterproofing of tanks, safety showers, operator/lab sinks, foul air treatment, high-speed internet, leak detection, and ongoing operations and maintenance.

How does Epic Cleantec differ from conventional wastewater treatment solutions?

Unlike conventional, centralized systems, Epic Cleantec provides decentralized, onsite water reuse solutions that recycle up to 95% of wastewater locally, reduce reliance on municipal infrastructure, and support a circular water economy.

What makes Epic Cleantec's solutions stand out in the market?

Epic Cleantec's solutions feature modular and scalable design, compact footprint, energy efficiency, full automation, customizable components, and comprehensive end-to-end services. They are trusted by leading organizations and have a proven track record in high-profile projects.

Are there specific features that solve unique use cases?

Yes. Features like modular scalability, compact footprint, and full automation make Epic Cleantec suitable for projects ranging from small residential buildings to large community developments, universities, and industrial facilities.

Why should a customer choose Epic Cleantec over alternatives?

Customers should choose Epic Cleantec for its high water recycling efficiency (up to 95%), cost savings, support for sustainability certifications, alignment with ESG goals, modular and scalable systems, and proven success in diverse, high-profile projects.

How does Epic Cleantec's approach benefit different user segments?

Real estate developers benefit from utility cost savings and ROI; community-scale projects gain sustainability and cost advantages; universities achieve water resilience; and industries like wineries and breweries secure reliable water supply and reduced environmental impact.

What are the steps to get started with Epic Cleantec?

Clients begin by providing three years of financial information, one year of water usage and rate data, and a review of corporation details. Epic Cleantec then establishes a Water MOU and provides end-to-end project support, including design, permitting, and installation.

What support does Epic Cleantec provide during and after installation?

Epic Cleantec offers comprehensive support, including design, permitting, installation, and ongoing operations and maintenance. This ensures seamless implementation and efficient long-term system performance.

What performance metrics are associated with Epic Cleantec's systems?

Performance metrics include up to 95% water recycling efficiency, modular scalability (1,000 to 30,000 gallons per day), compact system footprint, energy efficiency, and automation for minimal manual oversight.

How does Epic Cleantec ensure system reliability and efficiency?

Epic Cleantec's systems are fully automated, require minimal manual oversight, and are supported by comprehensive operations and maintenance services to ensure reliable and efficient performance.

What are the main benefits of switching from conventional to onsite water reuse?

Main benefits include reduced water and sewer bills, lower energy consumption, less waste, improved sustainability, and a reliable local water supply. Onsite reuse also helps buildings meet regulatory and certification requirements.

Why the conventional approach to wastewater treatment and management is no longer sustainable

The toilet. The shower. The sink. All essential household fixtures that we rely on each day. And for the most part, they do their jobs well, operating quietly in the background of our busy lives. In the United States, we’ve developed a “flush and forget” mentality, which is to say we rarely think about what happens after we flush our toilets, or how clean drinking water magically appears from our taps.

In many ways, our collective lack of awareness around water and wastewater is an unintended consequence of an incredibly well-designed system. It makes sense that most do not take the time to learn about these systems; our infrastructure is highly complex, involving an intricate network of treatment plants, pipes, and underground systems. In many cases these water and sewer networks stretch for miles under our streets and throughout our walls, very literally out of sight and out of mind. As a result, we take these systems for granted and most people simply do not know about the extended journey that our water takes each day.

How wastewater treatment and management works

The conventional approach to wastewater management hasn’t fundamentally changed in centuries. It’s based on the centralized model of the municipal sewer network which relies on a labyrinthine network of underground pipes to collect and transport wastewater to a central treatment facility. Wastewater, commonly called greywater or blackwater in buildings, is the term for used water sent down our drains after we do our dishes, flush our toilets, or wash our clothes. Essentially, any fixture that uses water will produce wastewater. The approach for most buildings is to bring clean water in from the city’s municipal supply and then to dispose of the wastewater back into the city’s sewer networks. This is how we have designed our cities for almost 200 years, but as we know, a lot has changed in 200 years.

With growing populations and rapid urbanization, we have more demand for limited water supplies. Our infrastructure is rapidly aging and, in many cities, we continue to rely on pipes installed before the First World War. In fact, 15% of wastewater treatment plants nationwide have reached or exceeded their designed capacities. Unlike other essential infrastructure, repairs and upgrades to our water and sewer pipes is often more difficult and costly as it necessitates digging up streets which in turn impacts traffic.

So, let’s put the framework further into the context of the urban built environment. Picture a high-rise multifamily building. In the conventional setting, wastewater from each apartment travels down pipes and exits the building into the sewer network, ultimately flowing to a city’s centralized wastewater treatment plant. These centralized treatment plants are generally (and intentionally) located away from populations centers, and many miles away from the building itself. This means wastewater must navigate through old sewers where mishaps like leaks or broken pipe infrastructure are unfortunately an all-too-common occurrence. For wastewater that makes it to a municipal wastewater treatment facility, it is discharged into a nearby water source after treatment, such as a river, the ocean, or sometimes to replenish groundwater.

In this approach, the treated water is often unavailable for beneficial reuse in the communities where it originated. In other words, the current centralized system is largely based on a linear approach in which water is used once and then discarded. By contrast, Epic is advancing the idea of a circular approach — one where water is used and reused many times over.

The need for a changing tide

Water usage has become a central topic of conversation under the backdrop of pervasive drought, quickly aging infrastructure, and a rapidly changing climate that is disrupting historical predictability around our weather patterns.

We rely on water for everything and yet, all around the world we are experiencing the alarm bells of rising water insecurity — the levels of our nation’s largest reservoir dipped to a historic low, Cape Town in South Africa narrowly avoided disaster by everting its Day Zero scenario, and the western United States continues to grapple with unceasing and punishing drought. All of this begs the question: as populations grow and water-intensive industries follow suit to meet the increased demand, where are we going to get our water?

Enter the dark horse of water security: onsite water reuse.

A sustainable solution to water management

Onsite water reuse is the process of capturing wastewater and treating it locally to produce recycled water (or reclaimed water), then sending the treated water back into the building’s plumbing system for immediate reuse. While the treated water can be cleaned to levels that meet or exceed federal drinking water quality standards, it is most often used for non-potable (non-drinking) applications like toilet flushing, irrigation, clothes washing, ornamental water features or in HVAC cooling equipment.

Epic’s onsite wastewater treatment and reuse systems are custom designed to scale based on the building’s size and average daily water usage, ranging from a capacity of 5,000 gallons to 100,000 gallons of water per day. For reference, a 100-unit multifamily building will have a non-potable demand of roughly 5,000 gallons per day; to get up to 100,000 gallons demand per day, the building would be close to 2,000 apartment units.

Deploying these systems onsite creates a circular infrastructure that produces many benefits for owners, residents, and tenants alike. Our onsite water reuse systems can recycle up to 95% of a building’s wastewater; for residential buildings, the water reuse potential can reach as high as 50%. That means reduced water bills, lower sewer fees, minimized energy consumption, and overall less waste. A win for the owner, a win for the tenant, and a win for the environment.

When we stop and consider that most toilets are being flushed with drinking water, making the switch to recycled water for non-potable purposes just makes sense.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Conventional Wastewater Treatment & Sustainability Challenges