ATLANTA – Cox Enterprises and Manheim, a Cox subsidiary and the world’s largest provider of vehicle remarketing services, recently turned on one of the most advanced wastewater treatment systems in Atlanta.

Faced with a severe water shortage in the state, Manheim Georgia’s Water Conservation Center provides an advanced solution to reduce water usage in the area.

Cox Enterprises’ Chairman and CEO Jim Kennedy joined community and environmental leaders as they received a firsthand tour of Manheim Georgia’s water treatment facility, located at 7205 Campbellton Road in Atlanta.

The water treatment facility will reduce the water demand at the auction’s reconditioning center by 60 percent and return water to Fulton County in a pretreated condition.

Manheim Georgia’s Water Conservation Center, designed in partnership with Ashland, Inc., treats 15,000 gallons of wastewater and produces up to 9,000 gallons of high-quality reusable water per day for its daily vehicle operations. The Manheim Georgia Water Conservation Center will extract more than 24 tons of contaminants from wastewater annually.

The water treatment system is a core element of both the Cox Conserves and “Go Green with Manheim” conservation efforts, which will reduce overall water dependency and improve processes associated with business operations including vehicle painting, mix management and hazardous waste management.

Launched last year, Cox Conserves’ goal is to reduce Cox Enterprises’ energy consumption by an additional 20 percent by 2017; since 2000, Cox Enterprises has reduced its energy consumption by 10 percent. The program encompasses Cox Enterprises’ six major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Newspapers, Cox Auto Trader, Cox Television and Cox Radio) and encourages its 83,000 employees to engage in eco-friendly practices.

Additional Manheim conservation initiatives include reducing electricity demand via solar panel installations, using waterborne paint versus solvent-based paints to reduce air pollutants and identifying improved waste management techniques at its 90 locations in North America. Combined with its wastewater treatment solutions, these efforts will reduce greenhouse gases by more than 200 tons annually.

“We believe that being environmentally responsible through water conservation represents an ongoing commitment to our employees, customers and communities,” said Dean Eisner, president and CEO of Manheim. “As both employers and residents of Georgia who have experienced water shortages, we appreciate even more the importance of having effective water conservation as a best practice.”

David Munnikhuysen, vice president of best practices and “Go Green with Manheim” leader, said, “These proactive initiatives demonstrate Manheim’s firm commitment to operating as a responsible employer, partner, provider and citizen. Through state-of-the-art technology and the ingenuity of Manheim people, we’re able to use and waste less, deliver more and perform better. This is the mission of Manheim Go Green, and we intend to fulfill it.”