Water Conservation Study Could Mean Big Savings
An article by Steve Patterson in The Florida Times Union reported that conservation could be a relatively inexpensive way to ease the pressure utility companies are facing in finding new water resources. Through wide-spread conservation efforts, up to 50% of new water needs for the next 20 years could be met according to the St. John’s River Water Management District’s estimates.
While some efforts may require an up front capital investment of approximately $60 million, this is a bargain in comparison to desalination plants which can cost upward of $158 million and systems to remove additional water from the St. Johns River could be $40 million if used only for irrigation, far more if drinking water is needed.
For those environmental activists that were worried about the drain on our natural resources, including the rivers and aquifer, this news is quite welcome. Some are hoping that conservation will now be seen as a cost-effective alternative and more aggressively pursued as a solution.
Analysts are trying to determine how such factors as house size, age of homes, plumbing fixtures, yard size raise or lower water consumption. By combining address by address information from property appraisers databases and other resources that help estimate water conservation steps, water supply planning is being thought about in entirely new ways.
Water conservation measures could vary greatly from county to county but include such steps as updating toilets, adding moisture sensors to sprinkler systems, replacing household showerheads, using rain barrels, or updating construction codes to require more efficient fixtures in new buildings.
What Others Are Saying
Currently there are no comments. Feel free to add yours below.
Add Your Thoughts