Industrial Water Service Operations

Industrial waterworks provides water for use at industrial production sites. Industrial water is supplied to manufacturers and suppliers of gas, electricity and heat. Unlike tap water, industrial water is not suitable for drinking.

1) History

• Osaka City’s industrial waterworks was built as part of the land subsidence prevention plan. Industrial water was first supplied to Konohana Ward and Fukushima Ward in 1954.
• Regulations were set to limit the amount of ground water drawn for industrial use and the areas subject to these regulations were gradually expanded. Accordingly, our industrial waterworks facilities were expanded four times and the standard daily supply capacity reached 575,500 m³ in 1967.
• Upon completion of the industrial waterworks, it was entirely prohibited to draw ground water in December 1968. As a result, land subsidence was almost completely halted and the industrial waterworks accomplished its initial mission. The waterworks also began to play an important role in supporting Osaka City’s industrial activities.
• Due to an abnormal water shortage in 1973 and the recession following the oil shock, however, the industrial water supply continuously decreased. In order to maintain a good balance of supply and demand and achieve efficient operations, some of the water purification/ distribution plants were closed and the water supply capacity of our facilities was reviewed.
• As a result, since 1992 the average daily water supply capacity has been 300,000 m³.
• Based on the Local Autonomy Law, the Osaka Prefectural and municipal governments jointly established the Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group (hereinafter briefly called “Corporation Group”) as a regional affairs association. The Corporation Group supplied industrial water to the Sakai port area (under prefectural jurisdiction) and the Osaka Nanko area (under municipal jurisdiction). The Corporation Group also supplied water to Osaka City’s industrial waterworks, which provided water for in-house use at industrial production sites in Taisho, Naniwa, Suminoe and Nishinari wards.
• However, the Corporation Group was dissolved at the end of fiscal 2003, following the complete withdrawal, at the end of fiscal 2002, of an enterprise that was the largest and sole remaining source of demand from the prefectural side. Since the dissolution of the Corporation Group, remaining customers within Osaka City have been supplied by the Osaka municipal government. To link the Higashiyodogawa Water Purification Plant in Osaka City and the Corporation Group’s facilities so as to make operations more efficient, in fiscal 2004 we launched the Project for Expanding the Industrial Water Supply Network. The Project was completed at the end of fiscal 2006.
• As a result, the average daily water supply capacity was reduced by 40,000 m3, which was previously supplied by the Corporation Group, to its present volume of 260,000 m3.

2) How Industrial Water is Processed

Raw water is drawn up from Yodo River and Okawa River (formerly the Yodo River). Aluminum sulfate is added to a settling basin at the purification plant to settle impurities in raw water. The water is then pressurized by pump from a service reservoir and supplied to plants. The water is not filtered and chlorine is not added.

3) Quality of Industrial Water

• Unlike the regular water supply, industrial water in Osaka is not filtered nor treated with chlorine. The quality is maintained as industrial water. Therefore, the water can be used in most services as for cooling, cleaning, or raw material use.
• Since the required level of water quality differs depending on its usage, customers are asked to independently purify the water if a higher quality is needed (such as water for boilers and dying).

4) Areas Supplied with Industrial Water

Industrial water is supplied to the following 19 areas from three water systems, the Higashiyodogawa Purification Plant, the Joto Purification Plant, and the Tsumori Purification Plant.

• All areas in the following wards: Miyakojima, Fukushima, Konohana, Minato, Taisho, Naniwa, Nishiyodogawa, Yodogawa, Higashiyodogawa, Higashinari, Asahi, Joto, Tsurumi, Nishinari
• Some areas in the following wards: Kita, Ikuno, Suminoe, Higashisumiyoshi, Hirano

5) Industrial Water Fee System

The liable volume system is adopted for charging the fees of Osaka City’s industrial water. This is a system where customers pay water fees calculated based upon a liable water volume. When customers’ usage exceeds the liable volume limit, they pay excess fees. Also, automated meter-reading was introduced in 1994 whereby information from an electronic meter is transmitted to the inspection center (computer system)

electronically and is then processed. With this automatic system, the meters are read on the first of every month and customers are able to estimate monthly water usage more accurately.

To calculate water fees, amounts based on the following classification are multiplied by 105/100. Meter usage fees are charged separately. New users will be charged for a minimum of one cubic meter of water per day.

• Per cubic meter of liable volume 35 yen
• Per cubic meter of excess volume 70 yen

6) Situation Subsequent to the Disbanding of the Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group

Following the disbanding of the Osaka Coastal Industrial Waterworks Corporation Group at the end of FY2003 (hereinafter referred to as “the Corporation Group”), Osaka City is meeting residual user demand in the city formerly met by the Corporation Group. In order to link the Higashiyodogawa Purification Plant and the Corporation Group’s facilities with a view to realizing efficient water service operations for Osaka, the city has created an industrial water project serving a large area. For the duration of the project, the needs of residual former Corporation Group users in the Osaka City region will be supplied water by Osaka City via interim operation of the Corporation Group’s Tsumori Purification Plant.

Contact

Customer Service (industrial water services)
General Affairs Division
e-mail: eigyou@suido.city.osaka.jp

[Page Industrial Water Service Operations under Industrial Waterworks under For Customers on the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau Website ends here.]