Trends in Water Conservation will Impact Commercial Buildings

Marketers study trends to predict the issues and opportunities that will present themselves to us in the future. If you were studying trends in the computer industry 20 years ago and noticed that the costs of computer speed, memory and storage were rapidly declining, you could have predicted the adaptation and acceptance of computers in almost every facet of our lives.

The more recent trends in the growing cost of energy and an increased concern about our environment is highly predictive of rapid growth in alternative energy sources in the next few years. That conclusion might not have seemed intuitive five years ago when energy costs were higher, but seems obvious today, right? Toyota watched the trends and GM did not - so which company is best positioned now that energy costs have really spiked?

So here's the next trend we need to observe and consider - the growing scarcity of fresh, potable water in our country - particularly in the South, Southwest and Western states. 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.

In the same way we can predict that we will see more electric cars on the road in the future and more solar panels on roofs, we can look at trends and make some fairly object predictions for the future in water conservation.

• 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 is in the process of passing just such an ordinance now. Read about proposed regulations in Arizona.


• 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. Read about Tucson's New Code Requirements


• Governments will begin to reward buildings with sustainable water systems. Like we have seen with renewable energy programs, our governments will begin to incent buildings that included sustainable practices in water conservation. Progressive owners and their communities are already valuing water harvesting as part of comprehensive sustainability features and LEED Certification. As the LEED program becomes more established, communities will begin to reward qualifying buildings with both praise and financial incentives.
  
  
• Buildings with sustainable water systems will have a higher resale value. Because water harvesting systems can only practically be included at the design and construction phase of a building, structures incorporating the systems will see increased demand and value as the economic value of harvesting water grows. The systems should be considered long term assets for any new project.

Building owners and their architects have a responsibility to anticipate the requirements for their buildings far into the future. A building is expected to last 20, 50 or more years. In the same way that an architect will anticipate and plan for flexibility in the spaces in a building or provide wiring and chases to accommodate future needs, they should also anticipate the requirements for how a building will manage its water use.

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.

Take a holistic approach. There are a wide number or approaches to water harvesting, and a holistic approach will evaluate all sources of water as well as the best applications of harvested water. These can include multiple sources for rainwater, greywater and groundwater in a system. There are both active and passive approaches to harvesting These include passive approaches like green roofs, vegetative swales and permeable pavement, as well as active approaches that include mechanically filtering and storing harvested water. On the applications side, harvested water can be recycled to flush toilets, irrigate landscaping, support fire suppression and evaporative coolers. Properly planned systems should use a combination of these approaches depending on the building's planned use, its features, size and physical location.

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.

Water Harvesting Solutions provides consulting and systems for water harvesting to industrial and commercial buildings.