Issue #15 

Spring 2007

The Basin Bulletin

Newsletter for Stakeholders of the Raritan River Basin

Prepared on behalf of the Raritan Basin Watershed Alliance

As embodied in the Bristol-Myers Squibb corporate pledge, the Company maintains a steadfast commitment to protecting the environment.  This commitment is notably demonstrated at Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Hopewell Township, New Jersey campus, through its innovative watershed approach to environmental management.  Recognizing the importance of water resources in the region, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s watershed management approach directs how the campus obtains, uses, treats, reuses, and ultimately discharges water.

As part of its watershed management approach, Bristol-Myers Squibb-Hopewell has instituted various water conservation measures.  Devices that are in place include a reclaimed water system, automatic shut-offs on bathroom sink faucets, aerators with flow restrictors on bathroom sink faucets, minimum capacity toilets, shut-off valves on hoses, low-flow shower heads, reduced volume laboratory glassware washing machines, high efficiency/low drift cooling towers, and various operational measures to decrease cooling loads especially during warm weather. 

The most significant feature instituted at the campus is the reclaimed water system that was proactively constructed to conserve potable water by providing an additional source of non-potable water.  This system enhances the sustainability of the campus watershed by minimizing withdrawal from ground or surface waters through the reuse of treated wastewater effluent to meet non-potable demands.  Bristol-Myers Squibb-Hopewell is currently authorized to reuse the effluent only for make-up water in cooling towers, which is classified as a beneficial reuse by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), but intends to seek approval to also use reclaimed water for toilet flushing in new buildings.  Bristol-Myers Squibb-Hopewell intends to use the reclaimed water system for up to 60,000,000 gallons per year at full campus build-out. The following table presents a summary of recent annual reclaimed water usage.

Bristol-Myers Squibb-Hopewell recently obtained a renewed Water Allocation Permit from the NJDEP.  The Permit and the use of the reclaimed water system has successfully demonstrated that non-potable demand can be primarily satisfied with lower quality reclaimed water and surface water, avoiding an increase in groundwater allocation and staying within the safe yield of the aquifer, and that water conservation measures will reduce diversion needs at campus build-out. 

Bristol-Myers Squibb is committed to conducting ongoing evaluations of its use of water conservation methods and practices that have the ability to improve water efficiency at the Hopewell Campus.  The Company believes that use of the watershed management approach at its Hopewell Campus allows it to integrate its business goals with its commitment to the environment and promises more efficient resource use and stewardship of natural resources.