Posts Tagged ‘water conservation’

Water Infrastructure Requires Investment

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

“I don’t care why these pipes aren’t working!” one of the residents yelled. “I pay $60 a month for water! I just want my toilet to flush! Why do I need to know how it works?”

- New York Times

The person quoted above just wants their water to work. What many people don’t understand is that our water system is a luxury to those that lived before. Imagine walking a mile for a bucket of your daily water supply. For several generations, we have had the convenience of running water and we forget how good we have it. However, there is a cost.

An E.P.A. study last year estimated that $335 billion would be needed simply to maintain the nation’s tap water systems in coming decades. In states like New York, officials estimate that $36 billion is needed in the next 20 years just for municipal wastewater systems.

Saving U.S. Water and Sewer Systems Would Be Costly

Since our water infrastructure is aging, it needs continued maintenance. The cost may seem high, but it should be considered an investment in our future as we know it.

Water Efficiency – Bridging the Infrastructure Gap

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Below are the highlights from the article from Water Efficiency Magazine (July-August 2009).

Jimmy Carter, Senior Director of Field Services of American Leak Detection, was interviewed for the article linked above, and we had the chance to ask Jimmy about certain quotes from the article to provide more insight on the state of the infrastructure.

- nation’s water infrastructure system 2009 grade of D-.

Jimmy Carter: “Due to our water system’s age coupled with supply and demand issues, our water infrastructure is in desperate need of repair. Typical systems lose as little as 4-5% while some systems reach as high as 40 to 60% of unaccountable water that could be due to leaks, theft or non-metered usage.  Loss not only means waste, but also the expense of treatment and lost revenue.

Homeowners hate to see their water bills go up, but may not understand the bigger picture from the water district side. The cost for treating the water, upgrading infrastructure by replacing old lines, keeping the supply for new construction of new potable and non-potable systems, increasing production at their treatment plants, and dealing with issues such as the smelt belt in our California aqueduct systems are just some of the many issues water districts must face that would impact customers.

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Property Managers – Watch the Water Bill

Thursday, April 30th, 2009
author: g2thek2thea

author: g2thek2thea

Property managers have many responsibilities for the properties they oversee, including property infrastructure integrity. When property managers do not bill their tenants for water usage, it is important to make sure there are no leaks in the system. You may want to consider sub-metering for your system so you can track usage, and proactively seek out reports of high water usage to discover if it is due to tenant behavior, a running toilet, or worse, a compromised plumbing system.

Check out these resources for more information on saving water and money:

If you cover the water bills for your property you may want to do an audit on your system to find out what is normal water usage. Then when you get the monthly water bill you should be able to see if there is something unusual. You could track your water usage in a spreadsheet to see over time if there are seasonal spikes. Seasonal spikes could be from different sources. In the winter its possible to have freezing pipes burst and increase water bills. In the summer, you may have tenants in apartments washing cars, or kids using more water for water fights. As many areas are on drought alert, make sure you are doing your part to conserve water and your money.

EARTH DAY – April 22, 2009

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

This year make everyday Earth Day.

thanks to tree007

thanks to tree007

American Leak Detection has been helping people conserve water since 1974, however this Earth Day, we would like to help you reduce your environmental impact and stay hydrated at the same time.

The Value of Water

As many areas face serious water shortages and even drought, we can do our part to conserve precious supplies through small, thoughtful changes in their lifestyles and activities.

There is no shortage of news stories on the merits of tap water and bottled water from a variety of different perspectives. The truth is, while tap water and bottled water are regulated differently, both are generally safe, healthy choices. But only tap water delivers public health protection, fire protection, support for the economy and the overall quality of life we enjoy. Whatever you choose drink, the water system infrastructure needs constant attention to keep safe water flowing through our communities every day.

Bottled water impact

  • Tap water costs much less than bottled water
  • Plastic bottles are a source of pollution as 90% are not recycled
  • Bottling companies and tap water utilities are not regulated by the same standards
  • More energy used in manufacturing, storing and transporting bottled water
  • Every year about 1.5 million tons of plastic go into manufacturing water bottles for the global market, using processes that release toxics such as nickel, ethylbenzene, ethylene oxide and benzene. In the U.S. alone 1.5 million barrels of oil are consumed in making the bottles. Most bottles end up in landfills, adding to the landfill crisis.

Simple changes effect larger outcomes

  • When drinking bottled water, be sure to reuse or recycle your bottles to limit the environmental impact of plastic bottles.
  • Install an in-home water filtration system for improved tap water quality

Conserve Water:

Safe Drinking Water Needs Assessed

Thursday, March 26th, 2009
2007 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment

2007 Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment

The Environmental Protection Agency has conducted a study on the needs of improving our drinking water infrastructure. There is room for a lot of improvement in our infrastructure.

03/26/2009: Safe Drinking Water Needs Assessed.

The Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment, which is done every four years, reflects data collected in 2007 from states. According to the survey results, the nation’s water utilities will need to invest an estimated $334.8 billion over the next 20 years to deal with aging infrastructure.