Cox Enterprises and its Manheim Georgia auction operation celebrated the fifth anniversary of its Water Conservation Center. The event was attended by company leadership, local officials, and representatives from environmental nonprofits.

The Water Conservation Center opened in 2008 during the region’s historic drought. The Center continues to reduce the location’s daily water demand by reusing 60 percent of the treated water and returning the remaining 40 percent to the county.

As part of Cox Enterprises, Manheim participates in Cox Conserves, the company’s national sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water.

Manheim Georgia’s Water Conservation Center saves approximately 2 million gallons of water each year. Nationwide, Cox Enterprises’ companies save 32 million gallons of water annually, and through a partnership with American Rivers, Cox employees have removed more than 16 tons of trash at river cleanups in Ga., N.C., Ohio and Pa. Locally, the company partners with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and is receiving the organization’s River Guardian award on Oct. 9 for conserving water through operations, employee volunteerism and media coverage.

“Water is a limited resource that we need to guard for tomorrow,” said Cox Enterprises’ Chief Operating Officer John Dyer. “At Cox, we pride ourselves on being prepared for the future. We should always be thinking about conservation and how we can make a positive impact on the environment.”

In addition to the Center, Manheim Georgia features eco-friendly fixtures that save one million gallons of water annually, as well as a solar thermal installation that prevents 25 tons of carbon from entering the environment each year. The location also moved from solvent to water-based paint to reduce carbon emissions.

“I believe that the best businesses will also be the best caretakers of the resources given to them,” said Janet Barnard, Manheim’s executive vice president and chief operating officer.  “Our conservation efforts at Manheim Georgia are examples of how our company is taking action to preserve our natural resources today and in the future.”

The Water Conservation Center features a four-step process:

1. Run-off water from vehicle washing flows into floor drains leading to a series of underground tanks where water is collected and equalized.

2. Water proceeds to the bioreactor tank where substances are separated and broken down to prepare for treatment.

3. Ultra-filtration separates the remaining solids not fully broken down.

4. Reverse osmosis membranes remove dissolved solids that remain, improving water quality to better than its original state.