Water Conservation
Water conservation includes all the policies, strategies and activities to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, to protect the hydrosphere, and to meet the current and future human demand. Population, household size and growth and affluence all affect how much water is used. Factors such as climate change have increased pressures on natural water resources especially in manufacturing and agricultural irrigation. Many countries have already implemented policies aimed at water conservation, with much success.
The goals of water conservation efforts include:
* Ensuring the
availability of water for future generations
where the withdrawal of freshwater from an
ecosystem does not exceed its natural
replacement rate.
* Energy conservation as water pumping,
delivery and wastewater treatment facilities
consume a significant amount of energy. In
some regions of the world over 15% of total
electricity consumption is devoted to water
management.
* Habitat conservation where minimizing
human water usage helps to preserve
freshwater habitats for local wildlife and
migrating waterfowl, but also water quality.
Strategies
The key activities to conserve water are as follows:
* Any beneficial
reduction in water loss, use and waste of
resources.
* Avoiding any damage to water quality.
* Improving water management practices that
reduce the use or enhance the beneficial use
of water.
One of the strategies in water conservation is rain water harvesting. Digging ponds, lakes, canals, expanding the water reservoir, and installing rain water catching ducts and filtration systems on homes are different methods of harvesting rain water. Many people in many countries keep clean containers so they can boil it and drink it, which is useful to supply water to the needy. Harvested and filtered rain water can be used for toilets, home gardening, lawn irrigation, and small scale agriculture.
Another strategy in water conservation is protecting groundwater resources. When precipitation occurs, some infiltrates the soil and goes underground. Water in this saturation zone is called groundwater. Contamination of groundwater causes the groundwater water supply to not be able to be used as a resource of fresh drinking water and the natural regeneration of contaminated groundwater can take years to replenish. Some examples of potential sources of groundwater contamination include storage tanks, septic systems, uncontrolled hazardous waste, landfills, atmospheric contaminants, chemicals, and road salts. Contamination of groundwater decreases the replenishment of available freshwater so taking preventative measures by protecting groundwater resources from contamination is an important aspect of water conservation.
An additional strategy to water conservation is practicing sustainable methods of utilizing groundwater resources. Groundwater flows due to gravity and eventually discharges into streams. Excess pumping of groundwater leads to a decrease in groundwater levels and if continued it can exhaust the resource. Ground and surface waters are connected and overuse of groundwater can reduce and, in extreme examples, diminish the water supply of lakes, rivers, and streams. In coastal regions, over pumping groundwater can increase saltwater intrusion which results in the contamination of groundwater water supply. Sustainable use of groundwater is essential in water conservation.
A fundamental component to water conservation strategy is communication and education outreach of different water programs. Developing communication that educates science to land managers, policy makers, farmers, and the general public is another important strategy utilized in water conservation. Communication of the science of how water systems work is an important aspect when creating a management plan to conserve that system and is often used for ensuring the right management plan to be put into action.
"Water Conservation Day" is celebrated on 22nd of March.
Social solutions
Water conservation programs involved in social solutions are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public outreach campaigns, tiered water rates (charging progressively higher prices as water use increases), or restrictions on outdoor water use such as lawn watering and car washing. Cities in dry climates often require or encourage the installation of xeriscaping or natural landscaping in new homes to reduce outdoor water usage. Most urban outdoor water use in California is residential, illustrating a reason for outreach to households as well as businesses.
One fundamental conservation goal is universal metering. The prevalence of residential water metering varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK households. Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percent. In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leakage. Water metering would benefit society, in the long run, it is proven that water metering increases the efficiency of the entire water system, as well as help unnecessary expenses for individuals for years to come. One would be unable to waste water unless they are willing to pay the extra charges, this way the water department would be able to monitor water usage by the public, domestic and manufacturing services.
Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop irrigation accounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use. The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force farmers to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful irrigation techniques.
New technology poses a few new options for consumers, features such as full flush and half flush when using a toilet are trying to make a difference in water consumption and waste. It is also possible to use/"pollute" the water in stages (keeping use in flush toilets for last), hereby allowing more use of the water for various tasks within a same cycle (before it needs to be purified again, which can also be done in-situ). Earthships often use such a setup.
Also available are modern shower heads that help reduce wasting water: Old shower heads are said to use 5-10 gallons per minute, while new fixtures available use 2.5 gallons per minute and offer equal water coverage. Another method is to recycle the water of the shower directly, by means a semi-closed system which features a pump and filter. Such a setup (called a "water recycling shower") has also been employed in houses. Besides recycling water, it also reuses the heat of the water (which would otherwise be lost).
Household applications
Contrary to the popular view that the most effective way to save water is to curtail water-using behavior (e.g., by taking shorter showers), experts suggest the most efficient way is replacing toilets and retrofitting washers.
Water-saving technology for the home includes:
* Low-flow shower heads
sometimes called energy-efficient shower
heads as they also use less energy
* Low-flush toilets, composting toilets and
incinerating toilets. Composting toilets
have a dramatic impact in the developed
world, as conventional Western flush toilets
use large volumes of water
* Dual flush toilets include two buttons or
handles to flush different levels of water.
Dual flush toilets use up to 67% less water
than conventional toilets
* Faucet aerators, which break water flow
into fine droplets to maintain "wetting
effectiveness" while using less water. An
additional benefit is that they reduce
splashing while washing hands and dishes
* Raw water flushing where toilets use sea
water or non-purified water (i.e. grey
water)
* Wastewater reuse or recycling systems,
allowing:
o Reuse of gray water for flushing toilets
or watering gardens
o Recycling of wastewater through
purification at a water treatment plant.
* Rainwater harvesting
* High-efficiency clothes washers
* Weather-based irrigation controllers
* Garden hose nozzles that shut off the
water when it is not being used, instead of
letting a hose run.
* Low flow taps in wash basins
* Swimming pool covers that reduce
evaporation and can warm pool water to
reduce water, energy and chemical costs.
* Automatic faucet is a water conservation
faucet that eliminates water waste at the
faucet. It automates the use of faucets
without the use of hands.
Commercial applications
Many water-saving devices (such as low-flush toilets) that are useful in homes can also be useful for business water saving. Other water-saving technology for businesses includes:
* Waterless urinals (also
can be installed in schools)
* Waterless car washes
* Infrared or foot-operated taps, which can
save water by using short bursts of water
for rinsing in a kitchen or bathroom
* Pressurized water brooms, which can be
used instead of a hose to clean sidewalks
* X-ray film processor re-circulation
systems
* Cooling tower conductivity controllers
* Water-saving steam sterilizers, for use in
hospitals and health care facilities
* Rain water harvesting
* Water to Water heat exchangers.
Agricultural applications
Water is a very important part in
irrigation. Plants always take a lot of
ground water thus ground water should be
replenished. For crop irrigation, optimal
water efficiency means minimizing losses due
to evaporation, runoff or subsurface
drainage while maximizing production. An
evaporation pan in combination with specific
crop correction factors can be used to
determine how much water is needed to
satisfy plant requirements. Flood
irrigation, the oldest and most common type,
is often very uneven in distribution, as
parts of a field may receive excess water in
order to deliver sufficient quantities to
other parts. Overhead irrigation, using
center-pivot or lateral-moving sprinklers,
has the potential for a much more equal and
controlled distribution pattern. Drip
irrigation is the most expensive and
least-used type, but offers the ability to
deliver water to plant roots with minimal
losses. However, drip irrigation is
increasingly affordable, especially for the
home gardener and in light of rising water
rates. Using drip irrigation methods can
save up to 30,000 gallons of water per year
when replacing irrigation systems that spray
in all directions. There are also cheap
effective methods similar to drip irrigation
such as the use of soaking hoses that can
even be submerged in the growing medium to
eliminate evaporation.
As changing irrigation systems can be a
costly undertaking, conservation efforts
often concentrate on maximizing the
efficiency of the existing system. This may
include chiselling compacted soils, creating
furrow dikes to prevent runoff, and using
soil moisture and rainfall sensors to
optimize irrigation schedules. Usually large
gains in efficiency are possible through
measurement and more effective management of
the existing irrigation system. The 2011
UNEP Green Economy Report notes that
"improved soil organic matter from the use
of green manures, mulching, and recycling of
crop residues and animal manure increases
the water holding capacity of soils and
their ability to absorb water during
torrential rains", which is a way to
optimize the use of rainfall and irrigation
during dry periods in the season.
Water reuse
Water shortage has become an increasingly difficult problem to manage. More than 40% of the world's population live in a region where the demand for water exceeds its supply. The imbalance between supply and demand, along with persisting issues such as climate change and population growth, has made water reuse a necessary method for conserving water. There are a variety of methods used in the treatment of waste water to ensure that it is safe to use for irrigation of food crops and/or drinking water.
Seawater desalination requires more energy than the desalination of fresh water. Despite this, many seawater desalination plants have been built in response to water shortages around the world. This makes it necessary to evaluate the impacts of seawater desalination and to find ways to improve desalination technology. Current research involves the use of experiments to determine the most effective and least energy intensive methods of desalination.
Sand filtration is another method used to treat water. Recent studies show that sand filtration needs further improvements, but it is approaching optimization with its effectiveness at removing pathogens from water. Sand filtration is very effective at removing protozoa and bacteria, but struggles with removing viruses. Large-scale sand filtration facilities also require large surface areas to accommodate them.
The removal of pathogens from recycled water is of high priority because wastewater always contains pathogens capable of infecting humans. The levels of pathogenic viruses have to be reduced to a certain level in order for recycled water to not pose a threat to human populations. Further research is necessary to determine more accurate methods of assessing the level of pathogenic viruses in treated wastewater.
Wasting of water
However, definition of water waste is often given in local drought emergency ordinances. One example refers to any acts or omissions, whether willful or negligent, that are "causing or permitting water to leak, discharge, flow or run to waste into any gutter, sanitary sewer, watercourse or public or private storm drain, or to any adjacent property, from any tap, hose, faucet, pipe, sprinkler, pond, pool, waterway, fountain or nozzle.". In this example, the city code also clarifies that "in the case of washing, "discharge," "flow" or "run to waste" means that water in excess of that necessary to wash, wet or clean the dirty or dusty object, such as an automobile, sidewalk, or parking area, flows to waste.
Water utilities (and other media sources) often provide listings of wasteful water-use practices and prohibitions of wasteful uses. Government should enforce permanent water use restrictions on wasteful practices such as leaks, runoff, irrigating during and immediately after rainfall, and use of potable water when non-potable water is available.
Strictly speaking, water that is discharged into the sewer, or directly to the environment is not wasted or lost. It remains within the hydrologic cycle and returns to the land surface and surface water bodies as precipitation. However, in many cases, the source of the water is at a significant distance from the return point and may be in a different catchment. The separation between extraction point and return point can represent significant environmental degradation in the watercourse and riparian strip. What is "wasted" is the community's supply of water that was captured, stored, transported and treated to drinking quality standards. Efficient use of water saves the expense of water supply provision and leaves more fresh water in lakes, rivers and aquifers for other users and also for supporting ecosystems.
A concept that is closely related to water wasting is "water-use efficiency." Water use is considered inefficient if the same purpose of its use can be accomplished with less water. Technical efficiency derives from engineering practice where it is typically used to describe the ratio of output to input and is useful in comparing various products and processes.[44] For example, one showerhead would be considered more efficient than another if it could accomplish the same purpose (i.e., of showering) by using less water or other inputs (e.g., lower water pressure). Urinals are more efficient than toilet stalls in public restrooms for men or boys in situations where the user only needs to urinate; and although this is a natural function, urinals offer considerably less privacy. The technical efficiency concept is not useful in making decisions of investing money (or resources) in water conservation measures unless the inputs and outputs are measured in value terms. This expression of efficiency is referred to as economic efficiency and is incorporated into the concept of water conservation. .