WISCONSIN DELLS, WISC.—Kalahari Resorts’ longstanding commitment to energy efficient operations continues as it adds the AquaRecycle system, a laundry water recycling and filtration system that will allow Kalahari Resorts to reuse 70 percent of its laundry water. The AquaRecycle system’s chemical-free filtration and treatment recycle process will provide clean, disinfected and pre-heated water to the laundry systems at Kalahari Resort properties in Wisconsin Dells, Wisc., and Sandusky, Ohio, and eventually a third resort in Fredericksburg, Va.
Home to a 740-room hotel in Wisconsin and an 884-room hotel in Ohio, Kalahari Resorts estimates the AquaRecycle system, which is expected to be operating by June 1, to:
• Conserve 26 million gallons of drinking water per year.
• Prevent 26 million gallons of waste from returning to the environment.
• Prevent more than 8,400 pounds of total organic carbon from being released to a waste water treatment plant each year.
• Prevent more than 400 tons of green house gases from entering the atmosphere in the form of CO2.
• Reduce water and sewer costs by 70 percent and energy costs by up to 50 percent.
Winner of the 2006 Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air Recognition Award, Kalahari Resorts began exploring options for energy efficiency for its properties in 2005.
“The effectiveness of our energy efficient operations has been impressive and we remain committed to adding measures that will save energy and protect our environment,” said Todd Nelson, president and owner of Kalahari Resorts which are home to two of America’s largest indoor waterparks. “As we design our third property in Fredericksburg,
Va., we are researching a wide array of state-of-the-art green initiatives to implement.”
In addition to its new AquaRecycle system, Kalahari Resorts’ green initiatives in Wisconsin include:
• A recent installation of a 103-panel solar hot water system, Wisconsin’s largest solar hot water system, to provide approximately 11,800 therms per year of hot water which heats 60 percent of the hot water utilized by the resort’s laundry facility.
• Installation of Entergize Energy Control Systems in guestrooms to control energy use based on guest presence. For example, when a key card is removed from a wall-mounted slot, lights turn off and the HVAC system goes into standby mode.
Green initiatives in Ohio
• Installation of a Texlon transparent roof system which allows natural light in to help heat America’s largest indoor waterpark.
• Installation of an ozone laundry system which allows for faster washing and drying using less chemicals and less energy.
• Partnering with a local landscaping company to implement a food waste composting system.
Initiatives in Ohio, Wisconsin
• Low-flow showerheads in guestrooms, reducing water consumption by more than two million gallons per year in each resort.
• Massive fans in the waterparks to lower heating costs by pushing warm air near the ceiling to floor level.
• HVAC energy management systems.
• LED exit signs and fluorescent light fixtures in the indoor waterparks.
• Compact fluorescent bulbs in more than 5,500 fixtures, saving 294,000 kWh per year.
• Motion-sensored lights in public areas of the resort.
• Low-flow dishwasher sprayheads.
Kalahari Resort is also in the process of installing high-efficiency boilers in its indoor waterparks and is exploring geothermal heat recovery and the use of wind turbines.
Go to Kalahari Resorts and AquaRecycle.
