Trends in water conservation will affect both public attitudes and building regulations in the future

Trends in water conservation will affect both public attitudes and building regulations in the future

According to Fortune magazine back in May 2000, "Water promises to be to the 21st century what oil was to the 20th century: the precious commodity that determines the wealth of nations." More recently, water-rich states near the great lakes have begun to set up coalitions and laws to protect their water wealth from the water-poor states around them. The Council of Great Lakes Governors, representing the eight Great Lakes States, has established a compact to prevent other states from accessing the fresh water in the lakes.

The days of abundant, inexpensive fresh water are gone forever. You need only to look at the growing desperation in those Southern states as a result of their heavy development and long term drought to see the truth in that statement. Like oil, fresh water will only become scarcer in the future while our demands continue to grow. And like it or not, we will all be asked to both conserve water more while paying an increasing price for the water we use.

Municipal water will cost significantly more in the future - particularly in water-poor states. Many communities have already raised rates dramatically and are expecting additional increases in the future to cover costs, slow demand and encourage conservation. The days of abundant and cheap water are over.

Beyond encouraging the capture and use of rainwater, cities will begin to require rainwater harvesting - starting with commercial buildings. Rainwater harvesting addresses a number of problems. By capturing rainwater from roofs and parking areas, the burden on stormwater systems can be significantly reduced, lessening the risk of sewage discharge into waterways during heavy storms. Harvested water can be recycled to flush toilets and water landscaping, reducing the burden on municipal fresh water supplies. Tucson's city council passed an ordinance in 2009 requiring all new buildings to be plumbed for greywater capture and non-potable toilet flushing. That's a big regulatory step in the right direction!

Greywater harvesting (recycling water from sinks and showers to flush toilets and water landscaping) will become more popular; communities will begin to require the practice - starting with commercial buildings. We are all familiar with water-saving fixtures like low-flow faucets and 1.5 gallon-per-flush toilets that have already been regulated on a national basis. But these regulations are only the tip of the proverbial water conservation iceberg. We are now at the leading edge of communities writing code that will require mandatory greywater harvesting in new construction. Tucson passed just an ordinance in 2009 - that requires all new construction be plumbed to capture greywater from showers and sinks and be capable of flushing toilets with non-potable water. That's a big step in the right direction!

Now is the time to act. For those who are planning now for a building that will last far into the future, it is important to incorporate water sustainability into that plan now. The incremental costs of plumbing a new building for separate greywater systems is insignificant at the construction phase. Those same changes are prohibitively expensive once the building is completed. And because active harvesting systems require significant utility space, they must be properly planned early in the building's design.

Similarly, the systems required to support a green roof or the collection and storage of rainwater are far less expensive and intrusive when planned into a building before it is constructed.

So, don't delay consideration of water harvesting for your upcoming projects. Begin the process early to ensure that the maximum economic and environmental value can be a part of the building for decades to come.

POST COMMENT

EnOcean Alliance Technology May Hold the Answers to the Future of Building "Green" Buildings The Nature, Evolution, and Future of Money in Society (Detailed Analysis) Applied Psychology – The Initial Step Towards a Bright Future Lucky Group In Future Green 2010 LNG Industry To 2016 - Increasing Gas Supply Challenges Future Growth Prospects Facing Failure And Future Orientation Challenging and promising future of valve Men faking a future with you AN AMAZING HAZY LOOK at the PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE The Future is going towards 3D technology Your Stop Loss Is Critical When Day Trading Futures Innovation And Stick To The Chinese Toy Industry In The Future Where To Go - Toys, Toys, Innovation Here's a Quick Way To Tighten The Skin Under Your Eyes Naturally and Keep It Firm in the Future