Page 66 - 2022 Sustainability Report

ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP

Water and the Needs of Our Communities

Not only do we focus on ensuring that our discharges Institute’s Water Risk Atlas tool, known as Aqueduct. A
do not diminish the quality of local water resources, we profile of our building materials operations (which includes all
also are committed to being responsible users of the businesses other than Magnesia Specialties) is shown below:
available water in the communities in which we operate.
Martin Marietta’s production processes rely on water.
Importantly, we implement water management practices “Importantly, we implement
recognizing that clean and reliable water is also critical to water management practices
our local communities.
recognizing that clean and reliable
To this end, in 2021 we examined the water stress levels of
these communities, measured as a ratio of annual water water is also critical to our local
withdrawals to total available annual renewable supply. A communities.”
higher percentage indicates that there are more water
users competing for the water resource.

Areas with high water stress are those with a range of 40
percent to 80 percent and areas with extremely high water
stress are those greater than 80 percent. We analyzed our
operating locations by zip code, using the World Resources

43 aggregates locations in areas 20 ready mixed concrete 1 cement plant located
in area classified as
as high water stress
high water stress
48 aggregates locations in areas 58 ready mixed concrete 1 cement plant in area
classified as extremely
as extremely high water stress
water stress
high water stress
Geographically, the majority of our locations classified as washed products has increased dramatically over time,
high or extremely high water stress areas are primarily in these improvements still led to an estimated 20 percent
Texas, Colorado and California. In those areas, responsible drop in water usage per ton of stone produced or an
water use and recycling are critical, and we have made annual savings of approximately 390 acre feet of water.
significant efforts to reduce water waste, as described in the
following examples. The water recovery system at Beckmann Quarry, installed
in 2010, continues to provide significant benefits and
Over the past several years, Martin Marietta has invested in reduced the facility’s water withdrawal by an average of
water recovery equipment at Medina Rock & Rail Quarry, 50 percent compared to 2009. This equates to a pumping
Beckmann Quarry, Chico Quarry, Black Spur’s Bird Hill reduction of more than 20,000 acre-feet, resulting in
Plant and Hunter Stone Quarry, each located in Texas and billions of gallons of additional Edwards Aquifer water that
our Maple Grove plant in Minnesota. For example, at our is available to South Central Texas communities for other
Medina Rock & Rail plant between 2018 and 2020 we beneficial uses.
completed a number of operational improvements,
including an on-site water recycling pond as well as paving At our Maple Grove Plant in Minnesota, we installed a
4 miles of roadway. While the plant’s production of state-of-the-art wash plant / plate press in 2017. This

64 2022 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT