Protect and Conserve Water

by the WBDG Sustainable Committee

Last updated: 05-02-2008

Overview

Within the federal sector, alone, it is estimated that expenditures for water and sewer run between $0.5 billion and $1 billion annually. Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality are key objectives of sustainable design. This is critical because consumption of water in many areas of the country exceeds the ability of the supplying aquifer to replenish itself. To the maximum extent feasible, federal facilities should increase their dependence on water that is collected, used, purified, and reused on-site.

Fort Worth Texas Post Office landscaped with native plants

Fort Worth Text Post Office with rainwater catchment basins

Water conservation strategies implemented at the Post Office in Ft. Worth, TX include landscaping with native, or indigenous, plantings and rainwater catchment basins.
Photo courtesy of Don Horn.

The protection and conservation of water must be considered throughout the life of the building, and federal agencies must seek to:

Reduce, control, and treat surface runoff;
Use water efficiently through ultra-low flow fixtures, elimination of leaks, water conserving cooling towers, and other actions;
Improve water quality; for example eliminate lead-bearing products in potable water;
Recover non-sewage and gray water for on-site use; and
Establish waste treatment and recycling centers; and
Apply the FEMP Best Management Practices for Water Conservation.

Recommendations

Reduce, Control, and Treat Surface Runoff

Use low impact development principles.
- Use vegetated swales and depressions to reduce runoff.
- Reduce and filter surface runoff.
- Use pervious paving materials.
Use Integrated Pest Management to reduce water pollution from pesticides.
Consider incorporating green roofs into the project.
Consider storm water events in the overall management of surface water runoff.

Use Water Efficiently

Incorporate efficiency in construction specifications.
Use ultra water-efficient plumbing fixtures and integrate other water-saving devices into buildings.
Design landscape for water efficiency through use of native plants tolerant of local soil and rainfall conditions.
Meter water usage; employ measurement and verification methods; comply with the Department of Energy's International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP) for water use.
Install water-conserving cooling towers designed with delimiters to reduce drift and evaporation.
Reduce evaporation through scheduled irrigation at dawn and dusk.
Eliminate leaks; caulk around pipes and plumbing fixtures; conduct annual checks of hoses and pipes.

Protect Water Quality

Install water quality ponds or oil grit separators as storm water runoff filtration systems.
Eliminate materials that are lead-polluting.
Use non-toxic bathroom and kitchen cleaning products.

Recover Non-Sewage and Gray Water for On-Site Use

Use non-sewage wastewater.
Use roof water and groundwater for on-site activities.
Use groundwater from sump pumps.

Design Waste Treatment and Recycling Programs

Use biological waste treatment systems to treat waste on-site.
Use gray water, roof water, and groundwater for on-site activities.

Apply the FEMP Best Management Practices for Water Conservation

Part of a water management plan includes identifying opportunities for water conservation at a facility. Some are construction related and some are O&M related. Per the requirements of Executive Order 13423, FEMP recommends implementing at least four of the following ten Best Management Practices (BMPs) for water conservation at federal facilities.

BMP #1—Public Information and Education Programs
BMP #2—Distribution System Audits, Leak Detection, and Repair
BMP #3—Water Efficient Landscaping
BMP #4—Toilets and Urinals
BMP #5—Faucets and Showerheads
BMP #6—Boiler/Steam Systems
BMP #7—Single-Pass Cooling Systems
BMP #8—Cooling Tower Systems
BMP #9—Miscellaneous High Water-Using Processes
BMP #10—Water Reuse and Recycling

The International Storm Water Best Management Practices (BMP) Database, developed under a grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, contains best management practices, and study references for the effective design of storm water management systems.

Emerging Issues

Dry Fire Hydrants

One of the synergistic technologies for achieving water conservation and fire safety is a dry fire hydrant. Dry hydrants are non-pressurized suction pipe systems that are permanently installed in ponds or lakes and use the untreated water, instead of municipal water, to fight fires. Utilized in areas that lack conventional fire protection; areas that cannot handle the large volumes of water due to antiquated systems; or during peak use seasons when there is low water pressure, dry hydrants allow fire departments to be much more efficient by providing close water sources to fire risks. Since dry hydrants are installed below frost line and do not require electricity, they are capable of supplying water in the case of natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes when electricity lines are knocked down, or during extreme cold or hot weather where conventional hydrant pipes can freeze or break. Also, dry fire hydrants help to save precious drinking water and conserve energy by using rainwater that does not need to be processed to be used for fighting fires. More

Relevant Codes and Standards

Clean Water Act
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (PDF 1.9 MB, 550 pgs)
Executive Order 13423, "Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management"
Department of Defense:
UFC 3-210-10, Low Impact Development
UFGS 01 57 23, Temporary Storm Water Pollution
General Services Administration:
P100 Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service, 2005

Major Resources

WBDG

Publications

Beneficial Landscaping Guidance (PDF 1.5 MB, 35 pgs) by the U.S. Coast Guard Environmental Management Division (G-SEC-3).
EPA NPDES General Permit for Storm Water Discharges From Construction Activities—Fact Sheet (PDF 461 KB, 38 pgs).
EPA Permitting Stormwater Discharges from Federal Facility Construction Projects—Fact Sheet (PDF 108 KB, 3 pgs).
EPA Storm Water Management for Construction Activities: Developing Pollution Prevention Plans and Best Management Practices (PDF 4.2 MB, 39 pgs) by U.S. EPA. 1992.
FEMP Product Energy Efficiency Ratings (PEER) by U.S. Department of Energy. Pages for water efficient fixtures include faucets, showerheads, urinals.
GSA LEED® Applications Guide
GSA LEED® Cost Study
High Performance Building Guidelines by New York City Department of Design and Construction. April 1999. Chapter on Water Management (PDF 182 KB, 6 pgs)
Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines by Regents of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, College Design, Center for Sustainable Buidling Research. Section on Water
The Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting (PDF 1.9 MB, 88 pgs) by Texas Water Development Board.

Organizations

American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA)
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC)
USACE Technical Note ERDC TN-05-DRAFT No-Water Urinals (PDF 94 KB, 2 pgs), January 2007.
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC):
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System

Others

FedCenter.gov—FedCenter, the Federal Facilities Environmental Stewardship and Compliance Assistance Center, is a collaborative effort between the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, and the U.S. EPA Federal Facilities Enforcement Office. FedCenter replaces the previous FedSite as a one-stop source of environmental stewardship and compliance assistance information focused solely on the needs of federal government facilities.
Green Seal—Standards for environmentally responsible products including water efficient fixtures
International Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) Database—Developed under a grant from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, the BMP Database contains best management practices, and study references for the effective design of stormwater management systems.
Low Impact Development, EPA
Smart Communities Network—Water Efficiency, DOE
Strategic Computing Complex (SCC)—case study on the WBDG
Water Efficiency, Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)
Water Wiser—The Water Efficiency Clearinghouse