Water Efficiency
Caitlin Plaza
November 2009
POL 233
There has been much concern over water efficiency in recent years. Not
only is water efficiency important due to the fact that we are using
more water than is available, but using water inefficiently causes the
release of greenhouse gasses. On October 5, 2009 the White House issued
an
Executive Order which set goals for energy,
water efficiency, and economic performance. This is one of the many ways
that the government is working to improve water efficiency.
The
most effective way that homeowners would be able to save the earth’s
water supply and be environmentally friendly would be to follow the LEED
for homes point system. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design. In the LEED for homes program, water efficiency is
one of the eight main categories. There are three different credits that
can be achieved in the water efficiency category. Those credits are
labeled as water reuse, irrigation systems, and indoor water use. There
is a maximum of 15 credit points available in the water efficiency
category.
The
main ways
that you can get points under the water reuse section are by having a
rainwater harvesting system or a gray water re-use system. The
irrigation system section allows for a few more options. In this section
the home can have any of the following and still receive a point,
central shut-off valve, sub-meter for the irrigation system, at least
50% of landscape planting beds have a drip irrigation system, spate
zoning for turf and each type of bedding area, timer/controller that
activates valve for each watering zone, pressure-regulating device to
maintain optimal pressure and prevent misting, high-efficiency nozzles,
valves in heads inspected, and moisture sensor controller or rain delay
controller. Or the homeowner could have a third party inspection of the
irrigation system or install the landscape designed by a licensed or
certified professional that needs no irrigation. In order to meet the
standards of indoor water use the home needs to consist of either high
efficiency fixtures or very high efficiency fixtures. The specific
fixtures that need these ratings are the lavatory faucet, the shower
head, and the toilet.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has partnered with
WaterSense to help promote water efficiency. WaterSense is a company
that is working towards providing water efficient appliances for homes,
businesses, offices, etc. They along with the EPA have recognized that
failing to use water efficiently can
hurt our
water supply in many forms.
This consists of altering stream flows, causing saltwater to intrude
into freshwater aquifers, increasing the amount of dirty runoff water
that flows into natural water supplies, and creating the need to build
additional dams. Another great concern that both the EPA and WaterSense
have with the use of water is the water supply itself. Of the earth’s
water supply only 3% of that water is fresh water. The other 97% is salt
water. Around 70% of the freshwater is trapped in ice glaciers or
underground which is inaccessible. This leaves less than 1% of fresh
water available for usage.
A recent
government survey showed at least 36 states are
water shortages by 2013. If one out of every 100
American homes
used appliances that were water efficient, we could save about 100
million kWh of electricity per year. By doing this Americans would be
avoiding 80,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the 36 states that is expected to have water shortages is
Illinois. The Bloomington-Normal area is currently seeking new ways to
obtain water. The water is currently being acquired from
Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake.
These two lakes are losing water due to sedimentation. Bloomington is
looking into obtaining water from underground aquifers. The aquifer,
which is called Mahomet, is in Mclean and Tazewell Counties. There are
currently many other counties that are dependent on this exact aquifer.
The central concern over the water supply in the
Bloomington-Normal area is what are the available options in the future.
It is said that
by 2050
the water supply will be down by 40 to 70
percent. Since there is such a concern over the water supply the
Regional Water Supply Planning Committee has put together a regional
plan consisting of recommendation for water conservation. Within this
plan there are many key recommendations that are very eco-friendly and
water efficient. This plan realizes the necessity for water efficiency.
Not only are there environmental benefits to using WaterSense or
EPA approved appliances, but there are also financial benefits. The
average household spends as much as $500 a year on
its water and sewer bill. By making a few adjustments towards more water
efficiency, one could save about $170 a year. If every American
household used water-efficient appliances, the country could save around
3 trillion gallons of water and about $18 billion dollars a year.
There are many different products that can contain the WaterSense
label. This includes high-efficiency toilets, high-efficiency faucets,
showerheads, and more. Many of the products that are certified by
WaterSense are affordable for the homeowner. In the case of
high-efficiency
toilets, the average toilet will cost anywhere from $100-$1000, toilets
that could potentially have the WaterSense label are only around $200.
As for performance, WaterSense not only takes into account
high-efficiency but also high-performance. So when looking to buy
products that are water efficient there is no need to worry about
performance.
Home owners now have many different ways that they can promote
water-efficiency. One of the most basics is to fix any leaks that are
around the house. More than
1 trillion gallons of water leak from
American homes every year. Homeowners can also purchase water efficient
products that bare the WaterSense label. By doing these things
homeowners will save gallons of water, money, and the environment.