Isfahan Oil Refining Company is making concerted efforts to provide its units with much-needed water, one of which is tapping into greywater from counties near the complex, the managing director said.
"Shahin-Shahr county's greywater will be treated and transferred to the refinery soon," Morteza Ebrahimi was quoted as saying by ISNA on Monday.
According to the official, if the water crisis in the province is not addressed, the refinery will be forced to either cut production or close down.
"The refinery's water share from Zayandehroud Dam stood at 10 million cubic meters per annum in 1978," he said, adding that that has now declined to 400,000 cubic meters.
Ebrahimi noted that the company refines 375,000 barrels of crude per day and this level cannot be sustained unless the refining units get sufficient water.
"Plans are being implemented to treat wastewater from towns in the surrounding areas like Shahin-Shahr and use it to help contain the refinery's water problems."
Greywater or sullage is all wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination that is all streams except for the wastewater from toilets.
Located in arid regions of Iran with minimal annual precipitation, Isfahan Province has been struggling with drought for seven years.
Mohsen Mehralizadeh, the governor general of the province, says water flow into Zayandehroud Dam was close to 1.2 billion cubic meters in 2017, which has declined to as low as 400 million cubic meters.
Of the total flow, 320 mcm are used for drinking purposes and the rest is channeled to industries," he said, noting that due to the dramatic decline in precipitation levels industries have cut their water use by 25%.
Unrestrained urbanization, outdated farming practices and the presence of water-intensive industries such as Mobarakeh Steel Company have put extra pressure on the province's fast dwindling water resources.
The refinery in Isfahan accounts for 23% of oil derivatives and produces 8 million liters of Euro-4 quality gasoline per day.
