Water Efficiency Watch is the online newsletter of the
Alliance for Water Efficiency, edited by Peter Mayer.
In this issue of Water Efficiency Watch...
AWE to Join Forces
with the California Water Efficiency Partnership
The Alliance for Water Efficiency
will soon have a new family member and strategic partner, the California Water Efficiency Partnership
(formerly the California Urban Water Conservation Council). AWE announced that it has begun negotiations
with the California Water Efficiency Partnership with the goal to formalize a
relationship between the two organizations in the coming months.
“I will lead the negotiation process and will provide direction to the Partnership
as it evolves into a formal relationship with AWE,” said AWE President and CEO
Mary Ann Dickinson. “What we want to avoid is the duplication of another very
similar but separate water efficiency non-profit organization to AWE, and
instead allow a merging of purpose and resources. In doing so, we expect the
financial and programmatic benefits will be significant for both organizations
and its collective membership.”
Dickinson will serve as the Partnership’s transition CEO and will work closely with
Deputy Director Sarah Foley, who will continue to run the Partnership’s
day-to-day operations in Sacramento. Dickinson’s role will be to develop the
plan to bring these two valuable organizations together.
Learn
more here.
Trump Cutting the
EPA WaterSense® Program Makes No Sense at All
By Mary Ann
Dickinson, President and CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency
(Originally published on June 8, 2017 in the The Hill)
President Trump promised clean water for all Americans
while preserving our natural resources. Yet his recently announced 2018 budget
seeks to eliminate or drastically curtail programs that do just that.
It is especially perplexing to see EPA’s small but mighty
WaterSense program on the chopping block. WaterSense, like its larger
predecessor ENERGY STAR®, is a
voluntary water product-labeling program that partners with business and
communities to enhance the market for water-efficient fixtures and appliances.
In this way, WaterSense encourages consumers to purchase products that save
water and energy.
In just ten years since its launch, the WaterSense
program has already made valuable contributions to building water security for
American communities. It has saved more than 1.5 trillion gallons of water,
enough to serve all of California’s residents for a year. Those savings help
protect the nation’s water future — ensuring that more water is available for
future generations, emergencies and our waterways. Less water used also means
less energy used to heat, pump and treat water — thereby eliminating 78 million
metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from our atmosphere.
The blue and green WaterSense logo helps customers easily
choose new toilets, showerheads, faucets and irrigation controllers that have
been independently certified to perform as well as or better than standard
models — while using at least 20 percent less water.
That choice is good for American families that already
spend an average of $1,100 per year on water. In fact, it has already saved
consumers $32.6 billion in water and energy bills. With water rates
rising each year, WaterSense can help families better manage their
household expenses.
But WaterSense isn’t just delivering more reliable and
affordable water to consumers; it’s actually driving innovation and supporting
economic growth — goals at the core of Trump’s platform. Large American
plumbing and irrigation manufacturers have seen their businesses grow by adding
WaterSense-labeled products to their portfolios, while start-ups and smaller
shops are getting their products to market more quickly, thanks to the clearly
defined performance standards and certification process in the WaterSense
program. This has resulted in a competitive edge for companies manufacturing
American-made WaterSense products. In addition, as water becomes more scarce
and expensive, WaterSense can help all businesses reduce their operating costs
and increase their resiliency by installing high-efficiency fixtures in their
facilities.
WaterSense isn’t a mandatory program or an example of
overreaching and costly regulations. It is a voluntary, public-private
partnership program where businesses and communities opt in to participate.
And they have overwhelmingly opted in. More than 1,700
partners build their businesses and support their communities by participating
in the WaterSense program. Nearly 200 of them recently
signed a letter asking EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt to continue to
fund it into the future.
So how much money is it? WaterSense costs taxpayers a
mere $3.1 million per year to run — a meager federal expenditure for a
significant economic benefit delivered to businesses and individuals. Continued
public investment is key. A product labeling program run by the private sector
would lack objectivity and credibility to consumers.
The WaterSense program is the best kind of government
program. It leverages a small public investment into big savings for homeowners
and businesses, while ensuring secure and sustainable water supplies. Let’s
make sure it stays in the 2018 budget.
Act Today to Save WaterSense.
AWE Peak Day Water
Demand Management Study Pilots Innovative Load Shifting System
Grabbing a page from
the energy efficiency play book, a new report from the Alliance for Water
Efficiency describes an innovative load shifting experiment carried out during
the summer of 2016 by New Jersey American Water (NJAW), Rachio, and WaterDM. The AWE Peak Day Water Demand Management Study explores the viability of using
remotely-controlled irrigation systems to reduce peak water demands and
introduces a promising new approach.
“This research opens an exciting new chapter in urban
water management where connected devices and partnerships with customers can be
used to solve complex management problems, in this case summertime peak
demands,” said Mary Ann Dickinson, President and CEO of the Alliance for Water
Efficiency. “This pilot study is a small
step in the direction of a more advanced approach to water demand management of
urban water systems and AWE is proud to be at the forefront of this effort.”
The peak reduction concept and research design were
developed by Peter Mayer, P.E. of WaterDM and while this experiment was small
and basic, the expanded implications are significant. In the AWE study, fifteen NJAW customers,
equipped with Rachio irrigation controllers, agreed to have their irrigation
remotely interrupted on two separate dates in August 2016 for the experiment.
Irrigation programs were successfully interrupted and resumed normal operation
the following day, demonstrating the ability to precisely target specific sites
and dates to shave peak demands. Based on historic water use records of the
participants, an estimated total of 84 kgal of peak demand reduction occurred
on each day of interruption.
Further analysis of historic irrigation patterns was
undertaken to extrapolate the potential peak reduction that could be seen if
this approach was implemented on a larger scale. The results of the analysis
suggest that 1 MGD of irrigation reduction can be achieved with approximately
500 to 1,700 participants; reduction of 5 MGD can be achieved with approximately
2,500 to 8,600 participants; and a 10 MGD-reduction can be achieved with
approximately 5,000 to 17,300 participants. Variability in landscape size,
character, and irrigation system output necessitate a broad range estimate,
particularly when extrapolating from a small sample. Future research will further refine these
estimates.
The report concludes, “It is not enough to simply shut
systems off one day and shift the load to the next, thus creating a different,
but similarly large peak day. With thousands of enabled irrigation controllers
in a system, much more sophisticated load shifting approaches become
possible. In a fully developed water
demand management system, urban irrigation could be orchestrated to match water
production profiles during key parts of the summer. The system could also be used to remotely
shutdown irrigation systems across a community or in specific neighborhoods
during an emergency such as a water main break, a major fire, or an
earthquake.”
“AWE research is driving innovation in the water and
irrigation industries,” said Dickinson. “This project is a great example of our
partnership approach and we are always looking for others to partner with.”
Two New AWE
Reports Show How Conservation is Keeping Rates Low in Arizona
AWE has released
two major new reports explaining how water efficiency has helped keep water
rates lower in Tucson and Gilbert, Arizona.
In Tucson, Ariz., customers today pay water and
wastewater rates that are at least 11.7% lower than they might have been if
they had not conserved for the past 30 years. Water customers in Gilbert, Ariz.
today pay water and wastewater rates that are 5.8% lower, and tap fees for new
development that are 45% lower than they would be without 20 years of conservation.
A 2013 AWE report also revealed
that customers in Westminster, Colo. pay water rates that are 47% lower than
what they would be had conservation not been made a priority more than twenty
years ago.
“These findings
demonstrate that conservation – often blamed when rates increase – is an
important sustainable water management strategy that actually keeps rates lower
over time. When communities come together and conserve, it adds up to benefit
water providers and customers’ wallets in the long-term,” said Mary Ann
Dickinson. “By investing in conservation now, communities can keep water available
and affordable into the future, and avoid or minimize unnecessary
infrastructure investments.”
The AWE analyses examined how water demands would be met today if the
communities had not implemented measures to conserve water and consumptive
demand had not thereby changed. Common conservation measures include fixture
and appliance replacements, outdoor water efficiency programs, smart water
metering, efficiency-oriented rates, green infrastructure strategies, changes
to building codes, and customer education.
“Thanks to conservation, each person uses 31% less water today than they did 30
years ago. Had we not invested in long-term conservation programs, we would
have needed to secure, treat, and deliver more water to serve our current
population,” said Candice Rupprecht, Water Conservation Manager, Tucson Water.
“We now know that conservation ensures we raise rates only as much is
absolutely necessary to keep reliable water service flowing, and should be
prioritized in our supply planning”.
Today, Tucson is
able to store over one-third of their annual renewable supply for future use,
because they are producing the same amount of water they did in the mid-80’s,
despite a 40% increase in population.
In Gilbert, the city would have needed to raise rates to cover nearly $341
million worth of investment costs for new water resources and water and
wastewater treatment capital costs. In both communities, water and wastewater
customers avoided the costs of acquiring, delivering and treating additional
water supplies just by conserving water.
“Thanks to reduced demand on the existing system, we didn’t need to build as
much capacity to meet demands for new development,” said Haley Paul, Water
Conservation Specialist, Town of Gilbert. “A residential unit’s system development
fee is $7,700 lower today than it would have been. Water conservation
contributes to our economic success story and affordable system development
fees make Gilbert an attractive place to move to or grow a business.”
The Alliance developed this research as part of its Financing Sustainable Water initiative,
which seeks to help water providers develop rate structures and financial
policies that balance revenue management, resource efficiency, and fiscal
sustainability. The reports were authored by AWE Technical Advisor and
Principal of WaterDM, Peter Mayer, and funding was provided by the Walton
Family Foundation.
Download
the Tucson Report and Fact Sheet
Download
the Gilbert Report and Fact Sheet
View the Infographic
AWE Completes Peer
Review of MWD Conservation Programs
The Alliance for Water Efficiency has
completed a peer review of the conservation programs of the Metropolitan Water
District of Southern California. The
results and final report were presented
to the MWD Board Committee on Local Resources and Conservation on May 23,
by project leader Peter Mayer, P.E.
The goal of the peer review project was to perform a
thorough, but high level, review of
Metropolitan's water conservation program efforts to date
and to offer insights and recommendations about how the program could evolve in
the future to be more effective.
The AWE peer review team included
- Doug Bennett, Conservation Manager,
Southern Nevada Water Authority
- Karen Guz, Conservation Director, San
Antonio Water System
- Erin Morey, Director, NYC Environmental
Protection, Bureau of Environmental Planning & Analysis, Integrated Water
Management
- Kathy Nguyen, Senior Project Manager,
Cobb County Water System
- Carol Ward-Morris, Assistant Director,
Arizona Municipal Water Users Association
- Bill Gauley, Principal, Gauley Associates Ltd.
- Mary Ann Dickinson, President and CEO of the Alliance for Water
Efficiency
The peer review team developed eleven recommendations for
improving Metropolitan’s conservation program including:
- Evaluating and increasing the Base Conservation
Rate
- Expanding conservation research
- Creating a conservation education and outreach
effort
- Re-instating Metropolitan’s turf replacement
program
Download the full report and recommendations here.
The Tough Job of the Elected Water Board Director
By Mary Ann Dickinson, President and CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency
Our country’s water systems are run in a wide variety of governance structures, both public and private, but the most prevalent form of supplying water to a community is through a local public water district with its own locally elected board of directors. These dedicated community leaders provide public service for very little – if any – pay, and often come from non-water backgrounds. They are on the hotseat for all decisions related to safe, affordable drinking water in their communities, and they endure the public’s scrutiny and ire as part of the job. Often the water board is the first elected position for an aspiring community leader, and if they have desires for further political office, pleasing the voters/ratepayers is of paramount concern to them.
So it is important that these elected officials get correct information that they can use to make their decisions and to also discuss with their ratepayer constituents. Undoubtedly, the biggest issue facing a water board official is the setting of rates, and sometimes those discussions turn acrimonious. Voting yes on rate increases usually does not please the voters. The Yorba Linda Water Board in Yorba Linda, California has become a case study for how a fight over a water-rate increase of $25 a month in an affluent community led to bitter debates and ultimately a recall election of their water board members. Rate increases are often proposed in communities like Yorba Linda to compensate for reduced water sales during a drought, when customer water use has been restricted. This rate adjustment then leads to the clear public perception that conservation makes their rates rise, and that conservation is a reduction of the customer’s water use with no direct financial benefit to the community.
Read the full blog post here.
The Psychology of Water Rates: Designing Effective
Messages for a Rate Increase
By Megan Chery, Manager, Alliance for Water Efficiency
It’s not always easy to explain water rates, and no one
likes to hear they’re going to pay more for something – even something as
important as water service. But as DC
Water General Manager George Hawkins reminds us, there are good reasons
water rates are rising, and people will understand that investing in water is
good for their families and their communities. We just have to explain it to
them!
Breaking the news of a rate increase doesn’t have to be a
painful or controversial process. If you communicate to your customers and
other stakeholders consistently over time, and involve
them in the rate design process, they are more likely to trust that your
utility is making smart decisions for them and the community.
As more rates are changing nationwide, it’s timely that
new research is telling us more about how to design rates-related messages that
customers understand. Research conducted by AWE partner Hahn Public on 13
messages most commonly used by utilities (and others) during a rate change
revealed useful findings on which utility rates messages work best and why.
These messages were categorized as being either “fact”, “feature”, and
“character and competence” messages.
Read the full blog post here.
New Video on
Conservation and Rising Water Rates
AWE launched a new video, "Good Question: Why Are My Rates Going Up?," as part of its Financing
Sustainable Water initiative, which seeks to help water providers develop rate
structures and financial policies that balance revenue management, resource
efficiency, and fiscal sustainability. To help explain how water conservation
helps keep rates low, AWE’s video contains important consumer messages about
the link between conservation and rising water rates.
View the video entitled “Good Question: Why Are My
Rates Going Up?” click here.
New Vermont Law
Shows How States Can Protect National Efficiency Standards
Vermont’s reputation for innovative energy policy continues. Last month Governor Phil Scott signed
legislation that protects against rollbacks of federal appliance energy
efficiency standards. House Bill H.411 passed with strong support from
Republican, Democratic, and Independent Vermont lawmakers. At a time of
uncertainty about Washington's direction on energy efficiency policy, passing
this protective law makes it clear that Vermont, and hopefully the nation, will
not go backward when it comes to saving energy.
Historically, federal energy efficiency standards (most of which started out as
state standards in places like Vermont) have enjoyed broad, bipartisan support.
But the shifting political environment
in Washington, DC, has created an opening for those who would seek to weaken
the national energy efficiency standards program, or even to remove standards
for some products.
States like Vermont are stepping up to stem the
tide. Learn
more here.
CDC Study finds Legionella Bacteria in Cooling Towers
Across the U.S.A.
A recent
CDC study analyzed water samples from 196 cooling towers from all over the
United States. Legionella DNA was detected in 164 (84%) of the samples, and 79
of those samples had the presence of live Legionella bacteria.
Dr. Anna Llewellyn, a fellow at the pneumonia response and surveillance
laboratory at the CDC, commented that the findings were "surprising"
and "it reinforces the fact that cooling towers probably do play an
important role in Legionella, and that trying to maintain them and test them
and clean them will hopefully prevent Legionella in the future."
Legionella is found naturally in bodies of water, but the
concentration of the bacteria does not always reach levels high enough to
cause illness. In the CDC's report, cooling towers were identified as the
source of the largest number of Legionnaires' disease cases and the second
largest source of exposure for the outbreaks that occurred between 2000 and
2014.
Dr. Laura Cooley, a medical epidemiologist on the CDC's
Legionella team noted that some cases of Legionnaires' disease have been tied
to very low levels of Legionella in the water. Variables such as this make it
difficult to determine exactly how much Legionella bacteria it takes to start
an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.
The researchers now intend to identify exactly what
factors make a cooling tower a risk. However,
there are some steps you can take right away to help minimize the risk of
spreading Legionnaires' disease through the cooling system at your facility.
To start, it is strongly recommended that owners of
cooling towers adopt the voluntary standards issued by the American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in
2015. Additionally, the CDC published a tool kit in 2016 on preventing
Legionella growth in water systems.
Blueprint for a
Water Efficient UK Released
London, UK. Waterwise
has announced an ambitious blueprint for a water efficient UK and released a
new strategy document
Key actions from
the strategy are:
- Support a 110 liter-per-person-per-day consumption
average in areas of water stress.
- Encourage water companies and regulators to
improve their ambition for water efficiency and continue to be innovative and
creative.
- Deliver a clear and consistent message about
water efficiency.
- Address issues of poor products - such as
leaking dual flush toilets leaking on average 215 liters per day.
- Form a Water Efficiency Strategy Steering
Group to deliver the actions within the strategy.
“This strategy sets out a vision for what a
water-efficient UK could look like -- with all of us really valuing water, and
using it wisely every day.” Said Waterwise
managing director Nicci Russell, “Lots of great stuff is happening already, but
we need more innovation and ambition, and I’m really delighted that partners
across the sector have agreed actions to help us deliver our strategy."
A Water Efficiency Strategy Steering Group
supported by Water UK has already been formed and it is chaired by Jean
Spencer, Anglian Water’s executive director of Strategic Growth and Resilience,
and sector resilience leader. The group will ensure delivery of the actions in
the strategy, on which Waterwise will report on progress annually and review
the strategy in 5 years time. More on this program will be presented at the
Efficient2017 Conference July 18-20 in Bath, England.
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DISCLAIMER: The Alliance
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not be considered an explicit or implicit endorsement of any product, service, research
effort, analysis, etc. unless specifically so indicated.