Water Efficiency Watch is the
online newsletter of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, edited by Peter Mayer.
In this issue
of Water Efficiency Watch...
Veronica Blette Wins 2016 AWE Water Star Award
Veronica Blette, head of the EPA WaterSense Program, is the winner of the
prestigious 2016 AWE Water Star Award. The award was announced at the 2016
Water Smart Innovations Conference in Las Vegas.
The Alliance for Water
Efficiency’s Water Star Award recognizes individual excellence in water
efficiency. It celebrates the “unsung hero,” the water conservation practitioner
working in the trenches who makes a huge difference by their personal passion
for water conservation, a quiet dedication to obtaining those needed reductions
in water use, and persistence in the face of numerous obstacles and
challenges.
Veronica Blette was the perfect choice to lead the important
new fledgling labeling program called WaterSense®. She had clear program
experience at EPA, and knew how to grow a startup program in the face of
numerous government obstacles. Under her quiet but persistent leadership EPA
has made substantial achievements:
- Created a robust
WaterSense Partner Network; more than 1,800 organizations, manufacturers,
and retailers have signed on.
- Developed a
certification system with Stephanie Tanner that would provide for
independent certification of products in order to earn the label, a system
designed so well that ENERGY STAR chose to emulate it in 2010 when they made
changes in their program to move to a more formal third-party certification
system.
- Launched a comprehensive social media program and the
“We’re for Water” tour -- a national outreach campaign to encourage
consumers to save water.
- Created a BMP Guide that covered 36 BMPs
in the commercial and institutional sector and launched the H2Otel
Challenge.
- Launched a webinar series with partners such as HUD,
Energy Star, and AWE.
- Added a number of campaigns, such as Fix a
Leak Week, Shower Better, the outdoor Sprinkler Spruce Up, and the When in
Drought campaigns.
- Launched a directory of more than 2,800
certified landscape professionals to allow users to seek available people
within their area.
But the true impact of WaterSense over these
two years is in the savings achieved and the products labeled. Highlights of
what has happened under her watch:
- 16,110 products
labeled – a staggering amount. This includes:
- 2,458 toilets
- 9,359 faucets
- 3,697
showerheads
- 367 flushing urinals
- 204 weather-based
irrigation controllers
- 25 pre-rinse spray valves
- 1.5 trillion gallons of water saved to date. That’s more than the entire
amount of water used by all households in California for a year!
- 212 billion KWh, enough power to supply 19.4 million homes for a
year
- 78 million metric tons of GHG, the equivalent of planting 2
billion trees
- $32.6 billion in savings on consumer water and energy
bills
In this 10th landmark anniversary of the WaterSense program,
the Alliance for Water Efficiency is very proud to award its 2016 Water Star
award to Veronica Blette.
Updated
Conservation Tracking Tool Released
AWE has released its much anticipated Version 3.0 of the Water Conservation
Tracking Tool. The Tracking Tool is an Excel-based model that can be used
evaluate the water savings, costs, and benefits of conservation programs. The Tracking
Tool is available free of charge to AWE members.
The Tracking Tool
can evaluate the water savings, costs, and benefits of conservation programs for
a specific water utility, using either English or Metric units. Using
information entered into the Tracking Tool from the utility’s system, it
provides a standardized methodology for water savings and benefit-cost
accounting, and includes a library of pre-defined conservation activities from
which users can build conservation programs.
Water utility managers can
use the Tracking Tool in a variety of ways to aid their water resource planning
operations:
- Develop long-range conservation plans.
Construct conservation portfolios containing up to 50 separate conservation
program activities.
- Quickly compare alternative conservation
measures in terms of their water savings potential, impact on system costs,
and potential benefits to utility customers.
- Track the
implementation, water savings, costs, and benefits of actual conservation
activities over time.
- Evaluate a utility’s changing revenue
requirement with conservation.
- Estimate the reduction in energy
and GHG emissions resulting from both plumbing and energy codes and water
conservation program activity.
The Tracking Tool counts the
savings achieved from national fixture and appliance standards. Due to differing
standards among states, users can select from five options depending on their
location: California, Colorado, Georgia, Texas, and all other states.
Water Efficiency TV: AWE YouTube Channel
The AWE
YouTube channel features more than 30 videos on the value of water,
financing sustainable water, and the Alliance for Water Efficiency itself.
From managing drought to managing cooling towers, you can learn about it from
the AWE YouTube
channel.
Member Highlight: Arizona
Municipal Water Users Association and AWE Promote Building Better Water Rates in
Arizona
Designing, adopting and implementing effective rates – that both meet revenue
needs AND encourage efficient use – is one of the most challenging tasks water
managers face today. They must consider changing weather patterns, declining
demand, and other more unpredictable forces that may impact revenue and water
availability. In Arizona, uncertainty related to economic drivers and supply availability from the Colorado River add to the
complexity of designing rates that balance fiscal health, secure resources and
affordability.
That’s why, on September 20, the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association and AWE hosted
a day-long workshop on this topic in Mesa for nearly 100 water
professionals and decision-makers from around the state. The event brought
together city managers, utility directors, resource management staff, finance
staff, and city council board members to learn about available resources and
exchange in discussions about challenges and solutions.
The workshop
featured resources from AWE’s Financing Sustainable Water initiative, which provides a
free Sales Forecasting and Rate Model that can help manage some
of this uncertainty, a Handbook with guidance on balancing competing objectives,
and messages for stakeholders. Attendees also learned about a
local Tucson area water provider’s experience revising their rate structure for
resiliency, and heard directly from elected officials about the challenges they
face in approving rate changes.
“Well-crafted rate structures provide revenue stability for the utility,
ensure water flows reliably and safely, and encourage the efficient use of
water, while still being affordable for the customer. That’s not an easy
balancing act.” – Warren Tenney, AMWUA President
AMWUA is
a non-profit corporation governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors and
council members representing its ten member cities and towns. For nearly half a
century, AMWUA has worked to protect their members' ability to provide assured,
safe and sustainable water supplies to their communities. AMWUA’s assistant
director serves on the Alliance’s Board of Directors.
Learn more in this
blog post from AMWUA’s
Executive Director Warren Tenney.
AWE is available to help organize
and host similar workshops. Contact Megan
Chery.
AWE Program Manager, Bill
Christiansen, Steps Down
Bill Christiansen, an outstanding AWE staff member since 2007, is leaving to
seek new opportunities. Bill will be greatly missed by the AWE staff and
everyone associated with the organization. Water Efficiency Watch obtained this
exclusive interview which we bring to you as a fond farewell.
- When did you start and why did you choose to work for
AWE?
I started working for AWE way back in October of 2007.
I can’t believe that much time has passed! I wanted to work for AWE because of
its mission. I wanted to contribute to the water conservation and efficiency
movement. I was also drawn to AWE because of Mary Ann Dickinson and the
esteemed AWE Board of Directors.
- What are
some of your favorite parts of working for AWE?
My
favorite part of being an AWE employee was working with AWE members. There are
so many amazing people dedicated to promoting water conservation and
efficiency. The staff at AWE are incredibly motivated and fun to work with as
well. My favorite things to work with members on were the AWE
Water Conservation Tracking Tool and the AWE
Sales Forecasting and Rate Model . These resources are fun to use and help
make informed planning decisions.
- What do you
see as the top three issues in water efficiency today?
This is a tough question because there are so many issues to choose from. My
top three right now are:
- Outdoor Water Use
- CII Water
Use
- Customer Access to Consumption Data/Communication
When I think of top issues in water efficiency today (and in the future) I
see a lot of potential for water savings. I think the industry will continue to
make efficiency improvements related to outdoor water use and nonresidential
water use, and we will see more customers gain access to real time water use
data. AWE’s outdoor research savings initiative will produce important
information that will help improve the management of outdoor water use.
Connecting customers to usage data will help them make better choices about
their consumption. Water utilities are continually improving communication with
customers and I believe that trend will continue. Resources like AWE’s
Water What You Pay For video help make that connection and inform customers.
As you can see, I am still a big fan of AWE.
- What are you going to do next?
I am going to
stay involved in water conservation and efficiency through my new consulting
business (and soon to be AWE member) Water Forever.
- How can people stay in touch?
I would
love to stay in touch with all the great people I have worked with through the
years. My
LinkedIn profile is updated with my new contact information.
From the
editor: Bon voyage Bill Christiansen. Thanks for all of the hard work and
energy you brought to AWE. We wish you all the best in the future.
Wastewater to Beer Project Wins Arizona Water
Challenge
Pima County’s Southwest Water Campus is the winner of the New Arizona Prize:
Water Innovation Challenge and that means the work is just beginning. These
creative water professionals intend to increase the public’s acceptance of
reclaimed water – aka direct potable reuse – for drinking, in this particular
case for drinking beer.
The Pima County team will create a traveling
treatment plant – imagine a tractor-trailer –to tour the State to show how
today’s technology produces the highest standard drinking water from reclaimed
wastewater. The project’s water pros will then challenge local brewers to craft
the best beer in the State with that direct potable reuse water.
Through
the magic of beer, it is hoped people can become more comfortable with the idea
of direct potable reuse for human consumption. As an important water source of
the future, increasing public confidence is a worthy goal.
AWE Outdoor Water Savings Research Projects Move
Forward
AWE’s Outdoor Water Saving Research Initiative is moving forward with two key
projects to be conducted in 2017 and 2018.
- Project 1: Reducing the Requirement – Landscape
Transformation Reasons, Rationale, and Water Savings – Awarded to A&N
Technical Services Team
A research team from A&N
Technical Services led by Dr. Tom Chesnutt was selected to conduct this research
project. The goal is to conduct new empirical research on landscape
transformation projects such as turf removal and replacement, “cash for grass”,
Xeriscape and water wise re-landscaping, and utility-sponsored efforts to
promote and incentivize reductions in the landscape water requirement. The
research will focus on what motivates landscape and irrigation changes and what
changes in water use occurred and therefore can be expected.
Eleven water
suppliers and in the U.S. and Canada have volunteered to assist with this study
and provide both a cash contribution to the budget and information, data, and
assistance with local research.
- Project 2: Use
and Effectiveness of Municipal Irrigation Restrictions during Drought – RFP
released in early December.
This research will compare
the drought response approaches implemented by different water providers and the
impact and water savings achieved through different measures and levels of
implementation. This study will examine the impact of varying levels of
mandatory and voluntary watering restrictions as well and different messaging
and information. The final report will discuss which measures and messaging
provide the most significant drought water demand reductions.
Twelve
water providers, wholesalers, and water organizations in the U.S. have
volunteered to assist with this study and provide both a cash contribution to
the budget and information, data, and assistance with local research.
The
Request for Proposals for this project was released in early December. All
qualified researchers are invited to submit a proposal. The due date for the
proposals is January 20, 2017.
- Project 3: Peak
Day Water Demand Reduction Study
A pilot research
project to “prove the concept” of water demand peak reduction through remote
control of irrigation systems is being conducted by WaterDM and AWE in
association with American Water and Rachio to determine the viability of peak
shaving through internet connected irrigation controllers as an option for water
utilities and to gain insight into implementation methods and barriers.
Results from this pilot project will be available in early 2017.
Water Research Foundation Appoints John Albert as Chief Research
Officer
The Water Research Foundation (WRF), a leading sponsor of research
supporting the water community, has appointed John Albert as Chief Research
Officer. Albert will contribute to the strategic direction of WRF as part of the
Senior Management Team and as director of Research Services and Subscriber
Services.
"We are excited that John has accepted the role of Chief
Research Officer at the Water Research Foundation,” said Rob Renner, CEO of WRF.
“In his 11 years at WRF, John has consistently displayed the knowledge and
leadership needed to guide and grow our One Water research and subscription
programs.”
Albert is a 20-year veteran of the water and wastewater
industry. Joining the Water Research Foundation in 2005, Albert previously
served as Subscriber Services Manager, Regional Liaison, and Research Manager.
In the last year, he led the development and launch of WRF’s wastewater
subscription program, which has already enlisted almost a dozen wastewater
utilities as WRF subscribers.
US Bureau of Reclamation Announces 2017 Funding
Opportunities
The
United States Bureau of Reclamation has announced three funding opportunities
for fiscal year 2017. Information on these funding priorities can be found
here:
Wither the Water Resources Development Act of 2016?
There may yet be hope for the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA of 2016).
Republicans don’t want to linger in Washington any longer than necessary, but
"we hope we can finish WRDA and energy," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
said in November, referring to separate water infrastructure and energy bills
that are stuck in conference negotiations. Lawmakers will, of course, have to
also figure out how to fund the government beyond December 9.
McConnell’s
comments may give a boost to negotiators who indicated work is progressing
slowly on the Water Resources Development Act. Meanwhile, Sen. Barbara Boxer
said the odds of reaching agreement were only “50-50.” The key question is how
invested the House is. The Senate bill costs twice as much as the House’s
version, with those extra dollars largely going to major ecosystem restoration
efforts and EPA water programs that fall under the jurisdiction of a separate
committee in the House. Those programs are top priorities for Boxer, the top
Democrat on EPW, but she’s retiring at the end of this session, and House
Republicans may see little harm in pushing negotiations until after she’s
gone.
“I’d say the House is pretty much in the driver’s seat at the
moment,” said Mike Toohey, president of Waterways Council Inc. “The Senate runs
the risk of getting nothing or getting something less than what they want.”
DOE Publishes a Final Rule Pertaining to Test
Procedures for Commercial Water Heating Equipment
The Department of Energy (DOE) has published a Federal Register final
rule pertaining to test procedures for commercial water heating equipment 81 FR 79261 (November 10, 2016).
Find more
information on the rulemaking, including statutory authority; current standards
and test procedures; waivers, exceptions, and exemptions; and contact
information.
The effective date of this rule is December 12,
2016. The final rule changes will be mandatory for representations
related to energy efficiency or energy use starting November 6, 2017.
All notices, public comments, public meeting transcripts, and supporting
documents associated with this rulemaking are included in Docket No. EERE-2014-BT-TP-0008.
WRF and DOE Publish “Nexus” Report
Energy and water
are critical and mutually dependent resources. Research and collaboration
between the energy and water sectors will result in reliable, resilient, and
sustainable systems that create jobs as well as stimulate energy efficiency,
resource recovery, and water conservation to benefit the customers we serve,
public health, the economy, and the environment according to a
new report from the Water Research Foundation and DOE.
The report
notes that the water sector stands ready to reinforce our partnership with U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) through the new administration and explore
opportunities for collaboration by sharing the following:
- Overview of the Energy‐Water Nexus
- Successful
Energy‐Water Programs and Partnerships
- Policy and Research Gaps
in the Energy‐Water Nexus
- Recommendations and Next Steps
New Survey: Homeowners Like Conservation
Incentives, Will Pay for Water Quality
Respondents to a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences online survey of 3,000 homeowners in Florida, Texas and California
found that reducing the price of water-efficient equipment would be the most
effective strategy. That was followed by more practical information on household
water conservation, easier identification of water-efficient appliances, and
better landscape irrigation ordinances.
Homeowners with irrigation
systems would use less water if they were offered more incentives, according to
the
report. Most will even pay more for better water quality.
Additionally, respondents liked the idea of a real-time water use mobile app
and more information on the environmental impacts of water conservation.
"We know that informed homeowners are aware and concerned about the
environmental consequences of excessive irrigation water use. However, awareness
and concern are necessary, but not sufficient, conditions for resource and water
conservation," said Hayk Khachatryan, an assistant professor of food and
resource economics and the lead investigator in the survey.
"Efforts in
promoting the adoption of water-saving irrigation systems and practices will be
more successful when environmental conservation measures are combined with
economic incentives such as utility or manufacturer rebates on smart irrigation
equipment."
To get better-quality water, 64 percent of survey
participants said they're willing to pay higher monthly water bills. Of those,
26 percent said they'd pay less than 5 percent of their current bill; 30
percent would pay 5 percent to 15 percent more and 8 percent were willing to
pay more than 15 percent.
How to Submit Content for Water
Efficiency Watch
Water Efficiency Watch welcomes
submission of articles, photos, stories, commentary, new technologies, web
links, etc. Please e-mail your submission to Peter Mayer – peter.mayer@waterdm.com.
DISCLAIMER: The Alliance for Water Efficiency reports on research and
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endorsement of any product, service, research effort, analysis, etc. unless
specifically so indicated.