Spirit AeroSystems launches water recycling project

Spirit AeroSystems announced the installation of a water recycling project, designed to improve factory efficiencies and conserve water. Construction of a dedicated three-mile pipeline has been completed, allowing Spirit to begin purchasing up to 500 million gallons of recycled water per year from the City of Wichita for use in manufacturing aerospace structures. To further improve its factory efficiencies and prepare for production rate increases, Spirit will begin purchasing more than a million gallons of recycled water daily, decreasing its total potable water usage by 70%. Since 1998, Spirit has recycled more than 11 billion gallons of water using its internal reverse osmosis system, recycling on average two million gallons of water per day in 2016. The recycled water supply from the city will increase Spirit’s total use of recycled water to more than three million gallons per day.