Managing Every Drop of Water Wisely
With rapid urbanization, economic growth, and climate change threatening urban water supplies, a variety of cities around the world are embracing demand management tools to make better use of existing water supplies before plans are made to increase supply.
Demand management
Demand management promotes water conservation, during times of both normal conditions and uncertainty, through changes in practices, cultures, and attitudes of society towards water resources. In addition to the environmental benefits of preserving ecosystems and their habitats, demand management is cost‐effective compared to supply‐side management as it allows the more efficient allocation of scarce financial resources (which would otherwise be required to build expensive dams and water transfer schemes from one river basin to another). Demand management also lowers energy costs of treating water and wastewater as well as carbon emissions associated with the processes. Finally, demand management ensures the equitable use of water by all users (domestic, industry, recreational, electricity, agriculture, etc.).
Water Corporation of Western Australia’s block pricing structure
The Water Corporation of Western Australia has a pricing structure where the price of water per kiloliter increases as customers use more water across the billing year (Figure 1.)
San Francisco’s Automated Water Meters
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has installed automated water meters in more than 96% of its water accounts. The smart meters transmit hourly water consumption data to the utility’s billing system by a wireless network. SFPUC’s My Account lets customers download detailed daily and monthly water usage data and learn ways to conserve water. SFPUC also uses the hourly water consumption data to notify residential customers when they have a leak. Leak alerts are provided via email, mobile phone text, phone call, or letter and will indicate the dates and amounts of continuous usage.
New Zealand Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme
The New Zealand Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme (WELS) provides information on a product’s water efficiency and water consumption in a standardized form. It applies to six product class: clothes washing machines, dishwashers, toilets, showers, taps, and urinals. The WELS label provides a star rating indicating relative water efficiency and a water consumption or water flow figure. Each product label displays a rating out of six with the more stars the more water efficient.
Welsh Water helping business customers become water efficient
Welsh Water helps business customers reduce water wastage and lower overheads by offering two types of water efficiency audits. The Standard water efficiency audit is an assessment of ‘domestic’ water use on-site (toilets, taps, kitchens, and cleaning facilities). The process audit is carried out by a Welsh Water industrial process engineer who will look at water consumption within the production and operational processes found on-site to identify areas of high consumption or wastage, plus cost-saving opportunities.
Los Angeles’ Water Conservation Pledge
The City of Los Angeles’ Water Conservation Pledge encourages citizens to take a pledge to conserve water. The pledge involves taking actions to conserve more water including running only full loads of dishes and clothes, fixing leaking taps, turning off the water when brushing teeth, planting drought-resistant native plants, watering early in the morning or later in the evening when temperatures are cooler to minimize evaporation.
The take-out
Demand management tools may come in all shapes and sizes, but they all have the same goal: the wise use of water now and into the future.
**Join the new ‘Blue-Green Infrastructure’ LinkedIn group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10412555/
**Join the new ‘Circular Water Economy’ LinkedIn group here: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10416662/
