Water Conservation for Small- and Medium-Sized Utilities

182 Pages·2009·18.79 MB·English

by  Deborah Green

Water Conservation
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For utilities serving up to 100,000 customers, v
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this book is a fact-filled guide to planning and t
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implementing water conservation programs. n

With a menu of conservation approaches from fo
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which to choose, you’ll learn how to plan and
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implement a custom program for your utility m
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and customers. Includes cost-benefit analysis
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worksheets, sample programs, and recom-
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mended budgets. n
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With this guidebook, you will be able to e
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• Build a case for funding a water conserva- m
tion program -
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• Establish current and future water usage z
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by customer type d

• Perform cost-benefit analyses U
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• Learn a variety of conservation techniques il
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• Determine potential water savings i
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• Gain public support
• Plan, budget, and implement a conserva-
tion program
• Monitor and evaluate results
Deborah Green
AWWA is the authoritative resource for knowledge, information, and advocacy
to improve the quality and supply of water in North America and beyond. AWWA
is the largest organization of water professionals in the world, advancing Advocacy
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Water Conservation
for Small- and Medium-Sized Utilities

Water Conservation
for Small- and Medium-Sized Utilities
Deborah Green
Water Conservation for Small- and Medium-Sized Utilities
Copyright © 2010 American Water Works Association
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, elec-
tronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information or retrieval system, except in the form of
brief excerpts or quotations for review purposes, without the written permission of the publisher.
Disclaimer
This handbook is provided for informational purposes only, with the understanding that the publisher, editors,
and authors are not thereby engaged in rendering engineering or other professional services. The authors, editors,
and publisher make no claim as to the accuracy of the handbook’s contents, or their applicability to any particular
circumstance. The editors, authors, and publisher accept no liability to any person for the information or advice
provided in this book or for loss or damages incurred by any person as a result of reliance on its contents. The reader
is urged to consult with an appropriate licensed professional before taking any action or making any interpretation
that is within the realm of a licensed professional practice.
AWWA Publications Manager: Gay Porter De Nileon
Project Manager/Technical Editor: Melissa Valentine
Production Editor: Cheryl Armstrong
Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Green, Deborah, 1950-
Water conservation guidebook for small- and medium-sized utilities / by Deborah Green.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-58321-746-7 (alk. paper)
1. Water conservation. I. Title.
TD388.G729 2010
363.6’10682--dc22
2010001652
ISBN 1-58321-746-0
9781583217467
6666 West Quincy Avenue
Denver, CO 80235-3098
303.794.7711
www.awwa.org
Printed on
Recycled Paper
1
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Foreword xi
How to Use This Guidebook............................................ xi
Organization of the Guidebook ......................................... xi
Introduction 1
What is Water Conservation? ............................................1
Why Should Utilities Emphasize Water Conservation? ......................2
How to Begin..........................................................5
Utility Evaluation 7
Overview of Planning ..................................................7
Factors Determining Future Water Demand ...............................8
Determine Current Water Usage .........................................8
Characterize Your Service Population ....................................9
Review Utility (Supply Side) Conservation Measures 17
System Audit.........................................................17
Utility Leak Detection And Repair ......................................19
Pressure Management .................................................21
Metering.............................................................21
Pricing ..............................................................22
Billing Systems .......................................................23
Funding the Water Conservation Program................................26
Water Conservation Coordinator Training................................27
Public Information ....................................................28
In-School Education ...................................................31
vv
Water Conservation for Small- and Medium-Sized Utilities
Review Consumer Conservation Measures 33
Residential Measures, Indoor ...........................................34
Outdoor Residential Measures..........................................46
Low Water-Use Landscaping (Xeriscape) .................................46
Irrigation Systems ....................................................51
Promotions and Incentives .............................................63
Regulations, Water Wastage, and Retrofit on Resale........................64
Alternative Water Sources..............................................67
Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Measures .......................71
Commercial Landscape Measures.......................................78
Industrial Conservation Measures.......................................80
Potential Water Savings 83
Potential for Utility (System) Conservation Measures ......................83
Potential for Residential Conservation Measures ..........................84
Potential for Commerical, Institutional, and Industrial
Conservation Measures..............................................84
Example Conservation Program for a Small Utility ........................87
Designing a Conservation Program 93
Provide for Citizen Involvement.........................................93
Research Regulatory Requirements......................................94
Establish Conservation Goals...........................................95
Select Plan Measures ..................................................96
Estimate Benefits and Costs ............................................97
Consider Other Perspectives on Benefits And Costs.......................102
Develop Alternative Approaches.......................................102
Select a Plan.........................................................103
Implementing a Conservation Program 105
Responsibilities of the Conservation Program Manager ...................105
Implementation Tasks ................................................105
Other Program Participants ...........................................106
Program Monitoring and Evaluation....................................106
Summary...........................................................108
Appendix A 109
Appendix B 117
Conducting a Residential Water Audit ..................................115
vi
Contents
Appendix C 119
Example of Public Information Materials................................119
Sample Press Release .................................................119
Sample Press Release .................................................120
Bill Insert Text, City of __________ Utilities..............................120
Sample Tip Sheets....................................................123
Informative Billing...................................................125
Appendix D 131
Typical Water Conservation Plan Outline (From Maddaus 2006)............131
Appendix E 133
Method to Estimate Water Usage From an Unmetered Supply .............133
Appendix F 135
AWWA Policy on Water Conservation ..................................135
Glossary 137
References 151
Index 157
vii

Acknowledgments
In 2007, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Conservation Divi-
sion Planning Evaluation and Research Committee proposed updating a 1993 guide
published by the Pacific Northwest Section of the American Water Works Associa-
tion (PNWS). The result is this book, which was approved by the AWWA Technical
Resources Committee and AWWA Water Conservation Division, and supported by
AWWA Publications. The lead revision writer was Deborah Green, Water Media Ser-
vices, with guidance by Judi Ranton, Portland Water Bureau. Reviewers were William
Maddaus, Alice Darilek, Elizabeth Gardener, Paul Lander, and Mary Ann Dickinson.
Those contributing specific information included Michelle Maddaus, Peter Mayer,
John Koeller, and William Gauley.
The orginal version of this book was produced with a grant from the US Environ-
mental Protection Agency and selected by USEPA’s Water Use Efficiency Task Force
as one of 12 water conservation projects funded during fiscal year 1991. Bryan Yim,
USEPA Region 10, served as project officer for USEPA Grant X000576-01-0. The origi-
nal version was prepared by William Maddaus of Montgomery Watson, under the
direction of the members of the PNWS Water Conservation Committee, whose mem-
bers included Marla Carter, Jack Donohue, Jane Evancho, Kelly Lange, Jerry Parker,
Mark Spahr, Lisa Tobin, Linda Utgard, and Tiffany Yelton. The project manager was
Cynthia Dietz. In addition to Maddaus, Montgomery Watson’s project team included
Peter Macy, Lisa Obermeyer, Nancy Patania, and Edward Tenney. Other contributors
to the 1993 publication were Annabel DeLong, Noel Groshong, and Chrys Uhlig.
ix