Water Efficiency Incorporated in Federal Legislation?

With water as a valuable resource, doesn't it make sense to for us to try and use it wisely?

Senator Ron Wyden (OR) has proposed an amendment to Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010. This Watersense Amendment would add product water efficiency retrofits on a short term basis.

Take some time and learn more about the amendment at the Alliance for Water Efficiency.  Let your senators know your views on conserving water.

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National Water Expert Provides Case for Metro Atlanta to Pursue Water Conservation and Efficiency to Meet Water Supply Needs

Today, the Georgia Water Coalition hosted a media briefing conference call with Mary Ann Dickinson, President and CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency.

To listen to a recording of the media briefing, click here: http://www.garivers.org/gawater/DickinsonBriefing.htm

The Georgia Water Coalition (GWC) hosted the media briefing for Ms. Dickinson to present the opportunity that Metro Atlanta has to meet much of its water needs through water conservation and efficiency and at a cost significantly less than other options. She offered examples from other metropolitan areas in the Southeast and across the nation where communities have met their water needs through conservation and efficiency and saved millions – in gallons of water and dollars.

On Monday, November 23, consultants for the Governor’s “Water Contingency Task Force” unveiled a list of water supply options for Metro Atlanta and rationale for their implementation. The Task Force’s list currently has a $2.3 billion price tag and includes many proposals that if pursued would place a strain on Georgia taxpayers, threaten the economic future of communities outside Metro Atlanta, and sacrifice the health of our rivers, lakes and streams. Though water conservation and efficiency measures were included in the Task Force options, the Task Force has the opportunity to recommend much greater savings.

Tomorrow, Dec. 11, the Task Force meets in Atlanta for its third and final time and is expected to unveil its findings. The Governor is expected to use recommendations from the Task Force to formulate legislative measures to introduce in the 2010 General Assembly session which begins Jan. 11.

For more information on the opportunities available for Georgia, you can also view the American Rivers report: “Hidden Reservoir: Why Water Efficiency is the Best Solution for the Southeast.”

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North Georgians Continue to Conserve, Even Without Restrictions

June 2009 use up only 1.8 percent from last year, 18 percent lower than June 2007

Georgians have continued to conserve water, even with relaxed outdoor water use restrictions in place, according to June 2009 water use data compiled by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD).

“These numbers indicate that Georgians have made water conservation part of their daily lives,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Conservation is obviously critical during drought, but I am particularly encouraged to see our efforts continue now that the rains have returned and the drought is over.”

According to water use data collected from water utilities and local governments throughout the 55-county north Georgia area, water use in June rose an average of just 1.8 percent as compared to June 2008. Most types of outdoor water use had been prohibited in those 55 counties since September of 2007. Non-drought schedules took effect June 10, which allow people to water any time of the day up to three days a week determined by odd and even-numbered addresses.

Even more impressive are the comparisons to June 2007 before the drought worsened and outdoor water use was allowed midnight to 10 a.m. three days a week. June 2009 water use was down 18.4 percent as compared to the 2007 data, even though the current schedules are for times of non-drought.

For example, some of the largest metropolitan Atlanta water systems showed significant water savings during June, including the city of Atlanta and Gwinnett, Clayton and Cobb counties. Other large metro water users saw only modest increases in water use, including North Fulton, Cherokee and Fayette counties, and the city of Marietta. EPD is working closely with communities to continue to improve water conservation practices.

Monthly water use data is posted on the EPD web site at www.georgiaepd.com. To learn more about water conservation go to www.conservewatergeorgia.net.
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Atlantans Urged To Continue To Respect Limited Water Resources

Mayor Shirley Franklin has urged Atlantans not to take advantage of the fact that the statewide drought declaration has been lifted, noting, “Our water resources are not unlimited. The City of Atlanta is doing its part with the $4 billion Clean Water Atlanta water and sewer infrastructure overhaul, and we hope that Atlantans continue to do their part by conserving water wherever possible.”

Atlantans rose to the challenge over the last two years during the recent drought, cutting their usage by 17 percent over pre-drought usage. In addition, Atlantans’ outdoor water use is very low compared with that of our neighbors, with a 23 percent to 26 percent increase during the summer months; many of the metro area counties see an increase between 50 percent and 100 percent over the summer.

Programs put in place to encourage water conservation in the commercial/industrial community have yielded impressive results, as well. Atlanta’s Top 50 users, which range from hotels to soft drink plants to tourist destinations like the Georgia Aquarium have cut their use dramatically. All 50 have shown usage decreases, some by as much as 45 percent.

Hotels and the hospitality industry have shown great leadership in water conservation; other facilities like the Aquarium and Delta Air Lines have been extremely creative in their use of water efficiency technologies; and other facilities, like Zoo Atlanta and Atlanta’s City Hall, have instituted educational campaigns and gone to great lengths to change customer behavior.

The City itself has implemented numerous programs designed to encourage conservation, including distribution of water conservation kits, flush valves and “instant-off” devices for faucets; free water audits; rain barrel construction programs; educational workshops for residents, landscapers and large users; toilet rebates; new toilet installations for low-income, elderly customers; establishment of the Save Water Atlanta Team to enforce watering restrictions; and implementation of three-tiered conservation rates that reward low use.

Additionally, at Mayor Franklin’s direction, the City has created a Sustainable Building Ordinance that significantly tightens water efficiency standards for new buildings, The ordinance is currently pending before the City Council.

Programs completed or currently under way as part of Clean Water Atlanta also are contributing to decreased usage by eliminating leaks that waste millions of gallons of water. The City is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to inspect every inch of its 1,600 miles of sewer pipe, repairing or replacing pipe when it is deemed necessary. To date, Atlanta has evaluated almost 1,300 miles of pipe and completed rehabilitation of 314 miles of the 600 miles it is estimated will need to be rehabbed.



Atlanta also purchased the Bellwood gravel quarry, which will eventually be a 1.2-billion-gallon reservoir. Design on the project, which will be part of what will become the City’s largest park, is ongoing.

The City also has replaced about 100 miles of water mains, some of which were originally installed in the early 1900s, and it is repairing more than 750 reported leaks every month (for comparison purposes, the contractor that ran the drinking water system prior to 2003 repaired about 750 leaks a year!)

In fact, Clean Water Atlanta is the largest water/sewer infrastructure overhaul currently under way in the United States.

It is not only dramatically reducing leaks, it also is resulting in a cleaner, healthier Chattahoochee River. Sally Bethea, executive director of the river’s watchdog, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, says that the work the City is doing is having a demonstrable effect on the river’s health. Improvements to the City’s combined and sanitary sewer systems, including construction of two eight-mile-long tunnels and separation of three combined sewer basins, are ensuring that the wastewater returned to the river meets and exceeds all federal Clean Water standards. (Of the water taken from the Chattahoochee for drinking and other purposes, the City returns about 85 percent in the form of highly treated wastewater.)

Despite all this, however, Mayor Franklin urges Atlantans to continue their conservation efforts. “Take shorter showers,” she advises. “Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth, limit your outdoor water use, if you have leaks at your house, repair them. Running toilets can waste thousands of gallons of water a day! The State has lifted its drought declaration, but those of us who have been around a while know that another drought could be – and, in fact, very likely is – lurking around the corner. We need to conserve to make sure that our children and their children have access to clean, safe drinking water and can enjoy the same quality of life that we have.”
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GA Tech Plan Keeps Green Space, Water Conservation Efforts Moving Forward

Although Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue announced on June 10 the state drought was over, Georgia Tech will continue its path of conservation, both by continuing landscaping projects to increase the Institute’s green space and expanding upon new water conservation and reclamation methods.

These projects ”the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons (CULC), the Challenge Course, the Marcus Nanotechnology Building, the Old Civil Engineering building and Tech’s Eco-Commons” fall under the Institute’s Landscape Master Plan.

Proposed in 2004 and established in 2006, Tech’s Plan goes beyond that of most universities and organizations, striving to develop “an integrated, ecologically based landscape and open space system that helps Tech achieve its goal of environmental sustainability; a landscape that enhances the living, working and learning environment; and a landscape that unifies the campus and gives it a distinct sense of place.”

Specific goals include reclaiming impervious surfaces ”parking lots and paved areas” for green space and establishing the goal of 55 percent tree canopy and 22 percent woodlands coverage around the campus.

“It’s a very unique feature,” said Landscape Architect and Master Planner Anne Boykin-Smith. “Most campuses cite their outdoor furniture ”benches, accessories, that sort of thing. Ours explains how we treat the soil in different zones of campus before we plant, and what plants are preferred.”

In addition to separating the campus into zones, Boykin-Smith says the plan defines campus “design corridors,” to establish a consistent style among streetscapes throughout campus. The document also aids with Landscape Services in Facilities to maintain what has been planned, planted and built. The Campus Tree Care Plan, required to be named a Tree Campus USA (for which Tech was nationally recognized in 2008), was established as a collaborative effort between Facilities and Campus Planning & Space Management.

During the planning process in 2004 for the Campus Master Plan, CPSM hired landscape architect and Institute consultant Rob Fisher of Robinson Fisher Associates of Athens, Georgia to craft the Landscape Master Plan. Now in its third year, the plan will be updated in the coming months to include lessons learned and other long-range project opportunities.

“We’re really just cutting our teeth on it,” she said. “Many projects ”[landscaping at] Klaus, Old CE and others” were well under way when we started the Plan. The CULC is one of the first buildings [started] under the plan.”

During the nearly two-year drought, Tech has continues to move toward more sustainable solutions for irrigation, such as using cisterns for capturing rain water and air-conditioning condensate, as well as using an underground aquifer for watering the stadium. With the plan, Boykin-Smith and CPSM Director Howard Wertheimer are taking a more strategic look at cistern locations around campus, both above and below ground.

“During the drought, Georgia Tech developed and implemented numerous campus-wide water conservation strategies to reduce our reliance on potable water,” Wertheimer said. “As such, we will continue on our existing course of water conservation, while looking for even greater opportunities to develop new water conservation strategies.

"One such strategy is the development and implementation of a Geographic Information Systems “based Cistern Master Plan where we will systematically capture rainwater and building condensation to meet our landscape irrigation needs and for campus water features, combined with computerized irrigation water management systems that control and monitor real-time environmental conditions such as flows, daily weather and soil moisture content.”

The current campus approach places cisterns near buildings as they are constructed or renovated. Boykin-Smith says that the strategic plan, utilizing the College of Architecture’s Center for Geographic Information Systems (CGIS) mapping technology, will place cisterns more regionally, rather than within the limits of a typical building project. Cisterns placed near CULC, for instance, will help water more than just the building-specific landscaping.

“The ultimate goal is to fully eliminate the Institute’s use of potable water to manage our irrigation needs,” Wertheimer said.

Current projects


Landscaping for the Old Civil Engineering Building and the Marcus Nanotechnology Building, as well as the Atlantic Drive Promenade streetscape, has been completed. On West Campus, work has been completed on Alumni Park, allowing for better use of the two sand volleyball courts. “We solved the drainage problems and made it larger,” Boykin-Smith said.

While utility work is ongoing for the planned CULC, CPSM is currently working with Facilities on the building’s planned hardscaping, (paving and walkway surfaces).

Construction continues on the Institute’s Challenge Course, with a completion anticipated in early August.

A cantilevered concrete deck is being constructed behind the Molecular Science and Engineering building, overlooking the proposed Institute Eco-Commons. Expected completion is late July.

Upcoming projects

Tech’s Eco-Commons is a storm-water management and green space reclamation project, with the primary basin stretching from Couch Park to the President’s Glade. A prominent water feature near the overlook at the Molecular Science and Engineering building and a network of shade trees will help manage the storm water runoff better. “Water that goes into cisterns or into trees doesn’t go into pipes,” Boykin-Smith said. In addition to providing storm water management and a wooded area for campus, a main affect of the Eco-Commons is to reduce Tech’s contribution to the city’s combined sewer system, thereby reducing the quantity of water that must be chemically treated.

Tech Green, the open area west of the CULC, will be graded into more of an open-field space, Boykin-Smith said. The Current Campus Master Plan identifies a frontal addition to the Van Leer building, which will eventually form a steps-and-stage area at the northern end of Tech Green.

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Registered Georgians Can Water New Outdoor Plantings Longer

Georgians are taking water conservation seriously, saving up to 180 million gallons per day in counties under the level 4 drought category. And many of these people still give their plants the water they need to grow.

Between June 2007 and June 2008, water use was down 20 percent in 55 north Georgia counties. Helping in that reduction were Georgians who pledged to reduce their outdoor water use by 10 percent through the Outdoor Water Use Registration Program (outdoorwateruse.com). The program was developed by the University of Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture, along with the Environmental Protection Division and the Urban Ag Council.

As of February 2009, 22,200 people had completed the program either through local UGA Cooperative Extension Service offices or online.

They’re reducing, not eliminating, water use.

“The long and short of it is, the governor wanted reassurance that citizens would use water in the most efficient way possible and recognize that landscapes are essential,” said Todd Hurt, a UGA Extension water specialist. “We need to water a little bit so all our soil doesn’t wind up in lakes and rivers.”

Soil erosion is the No. 1 pollutant in rivers, he said. Plants hold the soil in place and help it absorb water after a rain.

In Oct. 2007, a complete outdoor watering ban was issued in many parts of Georgia. The state soon learned that when outdoor spigots turn off plants die, soil washes away and Georgia’s $8 billion plant industry shrivels.

The plant, or green, industry lost an estimated $230 million a month and 35,000 jobs during that drought. Cities and counties that sell water through local utilities lost revenue.

The UGA Center for Urban Agriculture created the program to help soothe some of the problems watering bans create. The program went live in Feb. 2008 when Gov. Sonny Perdue signed an order allowing limited outdoor watering.

The program, Hurt said, allows landscapes that have been in the ground less than 30 days to be watered longer than 25 minutes at a time. Only property owners in areas under level 4, level 4A or level 4B droughts need to complete the program and become certified. Level 4C allows for watering three days a week, therefore the certificate would not be a benefit.

People certified through the program can use their irrigation systems if they pledge to use less water than they did before the drought.

“You would take your certificate and post it in your landscape,” Hurt said, “and that would allow you to water on the odd-even system from midnight to 10 a.m. for 10 weeks.”

Some local water providers ask for the certificate before issuing a local watering permit, he said.

The program is composed of a 40-slide presentation and certification quiz. It covers topics such as Georgia’s water basins, where water originates, water use, landscape value, how to water efficiently, where to put plants, mulch and how to find alternative water sources.

It’s hard to teach water conservation in a state that receives as much as 50 inches of rain a year, Hurt said. Some states get less than 5 inches.

“We have to find ways to capture (water) and reuse it in a wise fashion,” he said. “We can’t give up our landscapes. We can’t plant cactus. It’s going to rot when the rain comes back.”

Hurt is revamping the program to focus more on sustainable landscapes and less on drought.

Georgia’s plant industry hasn’t recovered, yet, he said. The number of new landscapes being installed is still greatly reduced. The program has helped, though.

For more information or to complete the certification, call 1-800-ASK-UGA1 to schedule an appointment at your local UGA Extension office. Or, complete it online for $4.95 at outdoorwateruse.com.

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

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Water Efficiency by Walter Reeves

by Walter Reeves, host of the Georgia Gardener on Georgia Public Television

Water efficiently– Over-watering is wasteful and harms plants; target thirsty plants that are wilting or turning colors by hand-watering at the root base and not the foliage.

The Coca-Cola System Announces New Global Targets for Water Conservation and Climate Protection in Partnership with WWF

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Coca-Cola Company, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), today announced ambitious new targets to improve water efficiency and reduce carbon emissions within its system-wide operations, while promoting sustainable agricultural practices and helping to conserve the world’s most important freshwater basins.

“Our sustainability as a business demands a relentless focus on efficiency in our use of natural resources. These performance targets are one way we are engaging to improve our management of water and energy,” said Muhtar Kent, president and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.

“In this resource constrained world, successful businesses will find ways to achieve growth while using fewer resources,” said Carter Roberts, president and CEO of WWF-US. “The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to conservation responds to the imperative to solve the global water and climate crisis.”

The partnership, announced by WWF and The Coca-Cola Company in 2007 with $20 million in funding, has now been extended an additional two years (through 2012) with the Company providing $3.75 million in new funding.

The Coca-Cola Company also joined WWF’s Climate Savers program in which leading corporations from around the world work with WWF to dramatically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. By 2010, Climate Savers companies will collectively cut carbon emissions by 14 million tons annually – the equivalent to taking more than 3 million cars off the road each year.

Water Efficiency -- Saving 50 billion liters in 2012

The Coca-Cola system will improve its water efficiency 20 percent by 2012, compared to a baseline year 2004. While water use is expected to increase as the business grows, this water efficiency target will eliminate approximately 50 billion liters of that increase in 2012.

To support this efficiency target, The Coca-Cola Company and WWF have developed a Water Efficiency Toolkit to help reduce water consumption within bottling plants. This software-based instruction manual has been distributed to managers and operators throughout the Coca-Cola system, providing strategies to shrink the water footprint of their operations.

Climate Protection -- Preventing 2 million tons of CO2 emissions

The Company has set two emissions reduction targets: 1) grow the business, not the carbon system-wide and 2) a 5 percent absolute reduction in Annex 1 (developed) countries. The emissions targets apply to manufacturing operations in the year 2015 compared to a baseline year of 2004.

The Coca-Cola Company and its bottlers anticipate substantial volume growth globally during this period, thus growing the business without growing the carbon is a significant commitment. Without intervention, emissions would grow proportional to volume and reach 7.3 million metric tons in 2015. Thus, the global commitment will prevent the release of more than 2 million metric tons of CO2 in 2015 – the equivalent of planting 600,000 acres of trees.

Supply Chain Sustainability

The Coca-Cola Company also will work with WWF to promote more sustainable agricultural practices in an effort to reduce the impact of its supply chain on water resources. This work will initially focus on sugarcane production. The Coca-Cola Company and WWF are working with the Better Sugarcane Initiative to establish standards, evaluate suppliers and set goals for the purchase of sugar. The Coca-Cola Company will identify two additional commodities on which to work in 2009.

Freshwater Conservation

The Coca-Cola system and WWF are working together to conserve some of the world’s most important freshwater resources, including the Yangtze, Mekong, Danube, Rio Grande/Rio Bravo, Lakes Niassa and Chiuta, the Mesoamerican Reef catchments, and the rivers and streams in the southeastern region of the United States. More than a dozen production plants and/or bottlers in the areas surrounding these rivers are developing and implementing water stewardship plans to serve as models throughout the Coca-Cola system.

“Water and energy conservation are areas where we can truly make a difference. Last year, we set a goal to return to communities and to nature an amount of water equal to what we use in our beverages and their production. These targets support our work to achieve that goal,” said Kent. “The expansion of our partnership with WWF demonstrates our shared dedication to achieving large-scale results, and a grounded understanding that collaboration is key if we are to help address the world’s water challenges.”

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Georgia Water Coalition Urges Governor Perdue to Embrace Cost-Effective Water Solutions in Tight Fiscal Times

Members of the Georgia Water Coalition (GWC) today (September 18, 2008) urge Governor Sonny Perdue, after he delivered his annual State of the Environment speech, to continue to recognize the importance of water conservation by embracing water efficiency as the cheapest, most timely solution to addressing our water shortage.

“The Governor can show real leadership by investing in water assessments and water efficiency to get the fastest and cheapest water savings,” said Joe Cook, Upper Coosa Riverkeeper. “It’s been shown that water conservation and efficiency are the most cost-effective ways of extending our water supplies. Because of the fiscal crunch, our state may not be able to afford new reservoirs, but investing in water conservation is very economical.”

According to the Georgia EPD, water efficiency measures cost a mere $.50 to $1.40 per 1,000 gallons of water saved while reservoirs cost $4,000.00 per 1,000 gallons.

In October 2008, Governor Perdue mandated water utilities and permit holders in 61 North Georgia counties to reduce their water use by 10 percent. Later, the Governor and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) reported that November water use in those counties was reduced by 350 million gallons a day – an amount above and beyond the 10 percent goal and December water use was down 13 percent compared to the previous year.

“We applaud Governor Perdue for his past efforts to require water conservation and urge him to support the most cost-effective, most timely solutions to address our ongoing water shortage,” said Jim Stokes, President of the Georgia Conservancy.

The Georgia Water Coalition today urged the Governor to look at more fiscally sound approaches during these tight times, such as conservation pricing, retrofits of old-fashioned indoor plumbing, drought-tolerant landscaping, fixing leaks in municipal water lines and requiring sewer hook-up for homes instead of septic tanks in urbanized areas.

For example, according to the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District (Metro District), the Metro Atlanta area could reduce its demand for water by 91 million gallons per day (mgd) by 2035 if these top 12 top water efficiency measures are implemented (in mgd):

Conservation pricing: 24.0

Replace older, inefficient plumbing fixtures: 9.2

Pre-rinse spray valve retrofit education program: 0.0

Rain sensor shut off devices on irrigation controllers: 2.5

Multi-family sub-metering requirement: 4.8

Water loss reduction: 36.7

Residential water audits: 0.2

Low flow showerhead & aerator distribution: 1.9

Commercial water audits: 8.7

Public education program: 1.3

HETs & high efficiency urinals in government buildings: 0.9

Require car washes to recycle water: 0.6

The Metro District projected a 152.3 mgd reduction in water supply if these conservation measures are implemented and combined with water savings that will automatically occur over time as people upgrade appliances and fixtures. That’s enough water to quench the thirst of each one of DeKalb County’s 700,000-plus residents (or fill up the Georgia Aquarium more than 12 times every day.)

“We can create new economic opportunities across the state by requiring all sectors of water users to get more out of a gallon of water,” said April Ingle, Director of the Georgia River Network. “History shows that incredible innovations are made in the toughest of economic times if the political will exists.”

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West Georgia Excels in Water Conservation

Water conservation is still a hot topic as government agencies grapple on how to conserve water during the dry summer months. The 10-month state mandate on water conservation continues and so does the University of West Georgia’s highly successful water conservation program.

UWG has exceeded the state’s mandate for reduction of water consumption despite record enrollment numbers and a continuing drought. Since Gov. Sonny Perdue gave the executive order for state institutions to reduce water consumption by 10 to 15 percent last October, UWG has complied by 39 percent for the month of November and has maintained an average monthly reduction of 23 percent in water consumption.

The university’s water conservation plan began years before the mandate and that is one reason for the university’s success, said Robert Watkins, director of facilities.

“The university has been proactive in conserving resources with a goal of sustainability on this campus and in the community,” said Watkins. “We have succeeded on many levels and look forward to the new academic year with more successes under our belts.”

In response to the governor’s mandate, UWG implemented additional conservation initiatives that include postponing landscaping projects, extensive training of UWG staff in water conservation, a change in dish washing and food disposal in food services and discontinuing washing state fleet vehicles. UWG crews also increased surveys of university water fountains, faucets and other plumbing for leaks and repaired the equipment as needed.

In 2005, the university’s energy and resource conservation program intensified after an Ad Hoc Energy Conservation Committee formed in response to a request from UWG President Beheruz N. Sethna. For several months the group met to assess ways to reduce natural gas, electric and water usage throughout the campus.

"I am very proud of our water management,” said Sethna. “From the entire spectrum of finding aquifers through the exceptional work of Dr. Randy Kath and our other geosciences faculty twenty years ago to the present day conservation efforts headed by Facilities and Grounds and then the implementation by faculty, staff and students of the University of West Georgia. Water conservation is a way of life at this campus.”

As a result of the committee’s findings, West Georgia began a progressive conservation program that has saved thousands of dollars in energy costs and hundreds of thousands of gallons in water resources.

In addition to the successful conservation efforts on campus, West Georgia’s conservation efforts are being realized off campus. The university has partnered with the city of Carrollton and using one of several artesian wells operating on campus, a water usage agreement allows the city to take 15,000 gallons of water daily, an amount that totals 300,000 gallons a month. Dan Lewis, coordinator of Business and Finance development, said it is a service gladly given to university neighbors.

“This is a way West Georgia helps its community,” said Lewis, who posts a UWG Energy Report each month on the university website. “The wells are a tremendous resource and thanks to those professors in our geosciences department that helped to locate these resources, we are able to utilize them on and off campus.”