Water Resources Best Management Practices

conservation submeters water projects storm water waterways watershed infrastructure

Water and Energy Projects are catalysts in generating new employment opportunities and entrepreneurial efforts in communities that are in the forefront of managing watershed and water resources issues in urban and rural settings.

Managing Water Resources

Communities are confronting new and complex challenges to achieve safe and affordable water supplies, collect and treat waste water and storm water, flood protection, rivers and streams for fishing and swimming. There are also challenges with aging infrastructure and the impact of climate change on human health and ecosystems.

Challenges that Require New Infrastructure and Approaches to Urban Water Resources

Storm Water if rain is not properly managed and flows over impervious surfaces into the nearest storm drain, it can have a detrimental effect on rivers and streams. In an urban environment, storm water is also closely related to safety, flooding, waterway health and drinking water.

Waterways urbanization is responsible for many of the sources that contribute to waterway degradation. Increases in impervious surface area and runoff have negative effects on stream flow. Once the natural physical condition of a waterway is compromised by pollution or excessive runoff, it sets off a chain of degradation: erosion, water temperature changes and habitat loss.

Watershed groups, municipalities, agencies, and conservation groups working together to develop watershed and restoration plans, implement projects and return streams to healthy thriving systems by implementing watershed assessments and planning programs, quality control plans, floodplain protection, land use management and storm water best management practices and more.

Infrastructure Requires Continuous Inspection and Maintenance

Water Conservation the true cost of water in a property should be measured as the water rate + the sewer rate multiplied by the water consumption volume + plus fees and other associated costs. In addition, while the water usage profile varies by building type and use, mechanical systems account for 30 percent of water use in a typical building, with cooling towers nearly 50 percent and outdoor usage another 20-30 percent.

Water Heating Accounts for Eight Percent of Energy Consumption in Commercial Buildings

Sub meters help identify inefficiencies and malfunctions as leaks account for six percent of water usage and older fixtures consume up to five times more water prompting installation of leak detection systems.

Innovative Solutions to Achieve Water Quality

Innovative Water Conservation and Energy Efficiency Strategies on Main Street

Business and Commercial Districts Historic Towns and Neighborhoods

Integrated Water Systems in Small Towns and Rural Communities by 2030 the world will need to produce 50 percent more for food and energy and 30 percent more fresh water. Solar pumps are reliable technology which can compete with conventional pumping technologies such as diesel pumping. Large amounts of energy are used in the entire water cycle. Water Pumps play a major role in all water and waste water processes.

Small and Medium-sized Commercial Buildings account for 95 percent of building stock and consume half the energy in a sector of the economy responsible for 20 percent of the total energy consumption. Owners of smaller buildings are often unaware of the amount of energy wasted and the opportunity for savings that building automation systems provide. This sector hasn’t BAS for the following reasons: the high cost of tailoring software and acquiring hardware components is beyond the reach of most small- and medium-sized properties; the owner is not always the tenant that pays the utility bill, hence limited incentive to invest in the building’s energy efficiency.

Building Leases spell out how energy costs are divided between tenants and owners. Often, these leases are not structured in a way that promotes energy savings. Tenants have no incentive to save energy in their leased premises because energy costs are based on tenant square footage. Building owners have no incentive to invest in energy efficiency because the operating expenses are passed onto tenants. Green Leases promote energy efficiency by creating lease structures which equitably align the costs and benefits of efficiency investments between building owners and tenants.

Energy Management Systems can be used to centrally control devices like HVAC units and lighting systems across multiple locations. EMS also provide metering, sub-metering and monitoring functions that allow facility managers to gather data and insight to make more informed decisions about energy activities across their sites.

LEED Neighborhood Development building technologies and advanced real-time energy smart meters allow business and residential energy users to verify consumption in workplaces and homes. Passive Solar Buildings take advantage of the local climate with window placement and glazing, thermal mass, insulation and shading. Walls, floors and windows are designed and located to collect, store and distribute energy without the use of mechanical and electric devices. Conservation and efficiency are energy reduction techniques; conservation implies sufficiency and is the key to sustainability as it lowers energy costs by reducing resource depletion.

Digital Metering and Smart Grids smart meters enable two-way communication between the meter and the central system; unlike home energy monitors, smart meters can gather data for remote reporting. With the inception of electricity deregulation and market-driven pricing, utilities have been looking for a means to match consumption with generation. Smart meters provide a way of measuring site-specific information, allowing utility companies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season.

Sub-meters identify best practices to reduce energy and water consumption in a building allowing owners, property managers, condominium or homeowners associations to bill tenants for measured utility usage via individual water, gas and electric meters. Water Sub-meters promote conservation and help offset maintenance costs.

Distributed Generation occurs on a property site when energy is sold to the building occupants; here, commercial PPAs enable businesses and governments to purchase electricity directly from the generator rather than from the utility. Power Purchase Agreements PPA is a legal contract between an electricity generator and a power purchaser. 

Financing Energy Efficiency Projects face several financial impediments, including information. Financial institutions often lack a full understanding of energy efficiency technologies which are almost always investments with long repayment terms. Small towns and rural communities require specific and unique knowledge, expertise and funding sources.

 Innovative Water Resources and Energy Savings Strategies

 

Managing Water Resources in Resilient Communities

Innovative Solutions for Your Home Neighborhood and Business

Urban Flooding many small towns across the country lose drinking water because of aging pipes, in addition, asphalt and concrete prevent rainwater from soaking into the ground. The solution to inadequate storm water and drinking water management: green infrastructure like rain gardens and bios wales. 

Aging Pipes and Outdated Systems Waste 14 percent of Daily Water Consumption

Water Losses from aging infrastructure and faulty metering lead to lost revenue for utilities and higher rates for water users. Also, increasing demand, maintenance and energy costs are responsible for a 90% increase in utility rates. This trend can be countered by best management practices BMP that include state-of-the-art audits, leak detection monitoring, targeted repairs and upgrades, pressure management, and better metering technologies.

Cost-effective Solutions for Homes Neighborhoods and Business

Your Home may be affected by water or sewage backup, basement seepage and flooding in your yard. A Full Service Strategy comprises yard landscaping to manage storm water and increase property values.

Coordinated Improvements are carried out by experts in landscaping, paving, plumbing, sewer and foundation repairs, waterproofing, gutters and downspouts.

Your Neighborhood flooding often affects multiple properties in a community, necessitating the participation of neighboring properties to improve local water management via risk mapping and low-cost flood reduction and mitigation.  Solutions include: downspout disconnection and drywells, rain gardens and tree planting on parkways. Affordable improvements also address cracked or blocked sewer pipes and flooding from nearby creeks and ditches.

Benefits often include inclusion of storm water management into downtown improvement plans that lead to transportation amenities and economic revitalization, creation of pocket parks and wetlands to store and infiltrate storm water, restoration of tree canopies and river corridors, emergency planning and flood warning systems.

 
Water Management Solutions

Economic Development Entrepreneurs