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EPA Goals
In This Section
Under Executive Order 13423, EPA is required to reduce its water intensity (water use per gross square foot) by 2 percent annually through fiscal year (FY) 2015 relative to EPA’s FY 2007 baseline. EPA has also established an internal goal to reduce its total water use by 15 percent by 2010 from 2000 consumption levels. To help achieve these goals, EPA is assessing water use at several of its facilities and developing Water Management Plans to increase water efficiency.
Water Management Challenges
Because EPA facilities vary in age, the Agency faces a unique challenge in reaching its water conservation goals, since the age of a facility can greatly impact how water is managed. For example, EPA's newest laboratory, the Kansas City Science & Technology Center in Kansas City, Kansas, was designed with a variety of water conserving features, most notably the unique rooftop rainwater recovery system. This new system collects and filters rainwater for use in flushing toilets and cooling tower make-up water. As a result, this innovation is expected to reduce treated domestic water use at the facility by 50 percent, cut site runoff by 40 percent, and ultimately supply 763,000 gallons of water per year.
Pressurized holding tank for rainwater from rooftop system at Kansas City Science & Technology Center.
By comparison, the Environmental Research Laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island, is an older building that was not originally constructed with sustainability in mind. In an effort to address water conservation measures at this laboratory, EPA vigorously monitors water use with a specialized software system. The system maximizes facility maintenance and leak detection primarily through improved organization and quicker response. In turn, areas of water waste, such as a leaky faucet that can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water a year, are quickly corrected.