Domestic Water Use & Conservation

Domestic Water Use & Conservation Soil 516: Assignment 2 • 22 November 2015 • PJ Bell

Introduction Domestic water conservation is a critically important topic for municipal governments, policy makers, and citizens who are concerned with water security. In the Vancouver context, this is especially true in light of the drought and resulting water restrictions that impacted the Lower Mainland this past summer. This was not an isolated incident, nor was it unique provincially, nationally, or globally. As climate change progresses and the human population continues to increase, issues of water security will become both more common and more significant in the future.

In this report, I compare my average daily domestic water consumption to that of residents of Regina, Saskatchewan. I chose to examine Regina because I wanted to familiarize myself with water issues in my hometown while providing perspective from outside the Lower Mainland. Additionally, all residences in Regina have water meters, which is a stark contrast to Vancouver and much of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. This report will also examine water conservation strategies in Regina before exploring opportunities for conservation in my own life.

consumption is shown in Figure 1, which indicates that I consumed an average of 174.07 litres per day. A variety of recording methods were utilized, depending on the activity type; these methods are described below Table 1. Figure 2 shows each activity’s proportion of the total daily water use, with showering and laundry taking up the largest share (64.7% between the two activities).

The first half of my week proceeded as usual and could be described as routine. However, it should be noted that from Thursday to Sunday, my mother was visiting and staying with me, which represents an aberration from my usual routine. This resulted in an extra load of laundry (cleaning to prepare for arrival) and extra visits to restaurants—I normally average much fewer than one restaurant visit per week, but I visited four over the recording period. These differences are significant because laundry and restaurant meals were my second and third largest water uses, respectively (Figure 2).

I recorded my domestic water consumption over the week of November 16 to 22, 2015. Table 1 summarizes my findings. Daily total water

Another potential issue with my consumption data is that it does not consider system leakage, as this data was unavailable. On average, leakage accounts for over 13% of Canadian indoor water use, so depending on the condition of my house’s water system, I could be missing a significant amount of water consumption (Saskatchewan Environmental Society & Saskatchewan Watershed Authority, n.d.).

Figure 1: Total Water Use Per Day (litres)

Figure 2: Percentage of Total Daily Water Use

Personal Water Consumption

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*Measurement Methods: (1) Drinking water measurements based off three different delivery methods: (a) 0.56L glass jar (my favourite cup); (b) 1.00L water bottle; and (c) water fountain at gym. Water fountains “tend to have fairly low flow rates (often 0.5–0.7 gpm)” and my drinks were 2.5 seconds each, meaning that I consumed 0.10L per drink (Beauchamp et al., 2011).

(2) To measure, timed how long the tap was running for that activity. Then, ran the tap for the same amount of time into a 1.00L water bottle that has measurements written on the side, thus recording how much water was used. The water from that water bottle was then counted again as drinking water (rather than dumping it).

(3) “Beamis Toto” toilet: 6L/flush, as indicated on inside of toilet tank (4) Includes washing fruit/vegetables and any water used directly in cooking. Measured out water using a 1.00L water bottle that has measurements written on the side.

(5) Gleick et al. (2002) examined water use per meal in commercial restaurants, based on a medium-sized restaurant (25 employees and 60 seats). They combined water use from food preparation, dishwashers, sanitation, employee/customer restroom use, and other miscellaneous uses. I used their number minus customer restroom use, because I had already accounted for that. They provided specs for regular and efficient kitchens, which I chose to average due my lack of knowledge regarding the efficiency of the restaurants that I visited. As a result, water use was 27.79 litres/meal (Gleick et al., 2002).

(6) Includes pre-rinse and the volume of water left in sink after washing. Sink was approximately 36cm x 44cm, and the depth of the water after each wash was measured in order to determine the volume of water used. Prerinse was measured using Method (1). The overall amount varied greatly by dish load.

(7) “Frigidaire Gallery FGHD2465NF” dishwasher: “both Quick and Normal cycles used about 5.7 gallons [21.6L] of hot water” (Yu, 2013) (8) Normally use dishwater to wipe table and counters. If no dishwater available, measure with Method (1). Do not use water to clean a car, bike, etc.

(9) Apartment contains one drought-resistant indoor house plant. Use leftovers from washing vegetables to water it. Do not own/care for any outdoor plants.

(10) “Kenmore Elite” washer. Water specs were unavailable. It is old, steel barrel, top-loading, and it is not an energy star appliance, so it is likely not very efficient. This type of washer can use 151.42 to 170.34L per cycle (Alliance for Water Efficiency, 2011; Korn & Mattison, 2012). Used the average of 160.88L/cycle.

(11) “New Tempesta Cosmopolitan 100” shower head: flow rate of 9.5L/min (Grohe Canada, Inc., 2015). Multiplied this by length of shower.

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Figure 3 shows the proportion of potable and nonpotable water that I could be using on a daily basis.

In reality, 100% of my current water use is potable water. The only activity that could potentially use non-potable water is toilet flushing. Watering plants is another activity that could theoretically use non-potable water, but as explained in Table 1 (method 9), I do not own or tend to any outdoor plants and I use leftover vegetable-washing water to water my indoor plant. This also means that 100% of my water use is indoors—I do not use water to clean a house, car, bike, etc.

Domestic Water Consumption in Regina, Saskatchewan It was difficult to find per capita domestic water consumption statistics for Regina. The Water Security Agency, a Crown corporation that was established to protect and manage the quality and sustainability of water supplies in Saskatchewan, publishes yearly Community Water Use records.

Unfortunately, the definition of “community water use” is unclear. Based on separate reports from the Water Security Agency (2015a), community water use likely includes “in-home, business and municipal irrigation” within communities. In 2013, Regina’s daily per capita water usage was 369 litres (Water Security Agency, 2015b).

Determining the proportion of this total that describes domestic or residential use required a few assumptions and extrapolations. According to Environment Canada’s 2011 Municipal Water Use Report, the Canadian average daily per capita water use was 510 litres. This total “includes all end-uses of municipal-supplied water (residential, commercial, industries and agricultural operations that obtain their water from a municipal water supply) and water losses” (Environment Canada, 2011). Out of that total, 274 litres—or 53.7%— was residential water use (Environment Canada, 2011).

Using this ratio of total to residential water use, it was determined that Reginians consume 198.15 litres of water per person each day (369L*53.7%).

This method assumes that the proportion of residential water use in Regina is the same of that in Canada overall. This is a significant assumption, but it is the best possible estimate based on the available data. Based on this calculation, I use an average of 24.08 litres or 10.8% less water than a typical Regina resident.

Figure 3: Required Water Type

Since my personal water usage is 100% indoor, it is relatively unaffected by the season. The City of Regina’s residential water use, however, likely sees significant seasonal and climatic variation.

According to Pat Wilson, the director of Regina’s waterworks, the city’s water usage “fluctuates largely based on weather rather than growth” (Lypny, 2015). Additionally, University of Regina professor Peter Leavitt explains that Reginians “want green lawns in an area that it’s normally brown most of the year. They want urban forests in an area that doesn’t naturally have trees, and so we use water in quite a wasteful way” (Lypny, 2015).

I was unable to find Regina-specific data describing the proportion of indoor and outdoor residential water usage, but a study out of California—a state with similar municipal irrigation needs to those of Saskatchewan—examined this ratio. The study assumed that “the difference between winter (October through March) and summer (April through September) use was approximately equal to outdoor use,” because a separate study demonstrated that “outdoor water use made up more than 95 percent of the observed increase in peak summer consumption” (Gleick et al., 2002a).

The results show that outdoor water use accounts for approximately 16% of total residential water use but 27% of summer time use (Gleick et al., 2002a). Gleick et al. (2002) explain that these values are somewhat lower than they expected and hypothesized that some homeowners do in fact irrigate between October and March. This would rarely occur in Regina.

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Regina’s Conservation Efforts Regina (Figure 4) is known for having one of the lowest rates of per capita water usage in Canada (Brandes & Ferguson, 2003). A significant reason for this is that municipal and provincial governments have been preaching conservation out of necessity; Regina, like many other cities and towns in Saskatchewan, has limited access to water (Wiens, 2015). Regina’s drinking water supply is Buffalo Pound Lake, which is fed from Lake Diefenbaker, “a large reservoir formed in 1967 by damming the South Saskatchewan and Qu’Appelle rivers” (Wiens, 2015) (Figure 5). The Qu’Appelle is a tributary of the South Saskatchewan, which is itself a tributary of the Bow and Oldman rivers in Alberta (Figure 5).

Glaciers in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, which are of course sensitive to climate change and seasonal variability, feed these rivers. Interprovincial regulations dictate how much water must flow from Alberta to Saskatchewan (and then on to Manitoba, which also relies on water from this same source). As a result, climate change presents a real risk of drought and water scarcity for the Canadian prairies. At the same time, industrial, agricultural, and community demand for water in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan is increasing (Wiens, 2015). Wiens (2015) explains that demand management “will be a critical tool in addressing water scarcity challenges.”

Even back in the early 1980s, Regina was struggling to meet community water demand, which prompted the implementation of a municipal Water Conservation Program in 1985 (Wiens, 2015). The program was initially put in place to

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avoid costly infrastructure upgrades, but a positive byproduct has been increased water security.

It has been developed incrementally over the past 25 years and includes a number of positive measures. Regina has a water pricing system that encourages conservation by charging a fee for each cubic meter of water consumed, rather than a fixed price (Wiens, 2015). All residential units are metered in Regina, and these were upgraded in 2002 to provide accurate, monthly updates, promoting conservation by allowing consumers to change their habits quickly when they notice a change in their monthly bill (Wiens, 2015).

The City of Regina has also supported regional and provincial conservation efforts, such as communitybased planning in the Wascana Creek and Upper Qu’Appelle River watersheds (Wiens, 2015). These efforts are led by the Water Security Agency and aim to include a diverse range of stakeholders, such as environmental organizations, farmers, rural and urban municipalities, and industry representatives (Wiens, 2015). These plans tend to include a longer-range vision and consider climate change “an integral part of source water protection decisions” (Wiens, 2015).

Finally, the City of Regina has made advertising and communication “a central component” of the city’s water conservation efforts. The city emphasizes the message “save water, save money” in their advertisements (via radio, television, billboards, newspapers, and online) as well as through school visits, local trade shows, and workshops. Table 2 lists the numerous water conservation tips listed on the City of Regina’s website. The City’s strategies focus heavily Figure 4: Regina skyline (Tourism Regina, 2013)

Conclusion: Suggestions for Conservation

Figure 5: South Saskatchewan River Basin (Wikipedia, 2015)

on outdoor use, explaining that they need to “manage ‘peak demand’ for water during hot, dry summer months, when the demand for water can spike to twice the normal daily average” (City of Regina, 2015d). The City also released its own Xeriscape Workbook and provides workshops to teach residents these techniques. Additionally, the City partnered with a local school to create an educational xeriscaping demonstration site, featuring diverse plant species, an artificial creek, and an amphitheater for outdoor lessons (City to Regina, n.d.).

Regina’s conservation efforts have proven to be quite successful, with the city’s annual water consumption dropping from 39 billion litres in 1988 to 28.5 billion litres in 2007 (Wiens, 2015).

Recently, water consumption has remained relatively stable despite population growth (Wiens, 2015).

However, significant problems still arise: in May of 2015, the City of Regina released a statement urging citizens to reduce their consumption by 25% in an effort to keep up with demand (CBC News, 2015). The City was forced to tap into its reserve well system, but it was worried that even these reserves would prove insufficient (CBC News, 2015). This issue was related directly to poor water quality; the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant was struggling treat the water due to “warm weather, lack of wind to mix the water, temperature fluctuations between daytime and nighttime and the early algae bloom” (Water Canada, 2015). Due to the sensitive nature of the Buffalo Pound Lake ecosystem, water conservation is extremely important to the City of Regina moving forward.

Clearly, water conservation is critical not only in Regina, but also everywhere throughout Canada and the rest of the globe. There are a variety of conservation methods that can be deployed in the household, and the City of Regina’s suggestion in Table 2 cover a lot of them. I personally do not have any outdoor water use, but using rain barrels and collecting water in buckets while the shower is heating up are great ways to collect water for watering plants.

My number one conservation strategy should be to take shorter showers. In only seven showers, I consumed a total of 466.76 litres of water. If each shower lasted only four minutes (compared to the five to eight minutes I usually take), I would have saved an astonishing 200.76 litres of water.

Additionally, it would be helpful to install a lowflow showerhead, although I currently have little control over household appliances as a renter.

As such, I am also stuck with an old, inefficient washing machine, so it is important that I only use it for full loads. Finally, cutting down on eating out is also important. Commercial kitchens tend to be more wasteful than when people cook at home, so limiting my culinary adventures could conserve a significant amount of water.

It is also important to be mindful about the smaller domestic water uses, such as washing dishes, brushing teeth, and washing hands. While these use less water per occurance, they often occur much more frequently and have the potential to add up over time. Getting in the habit of conserving water at all times will be increasingly important as climate change and increasing population further strain our water resources in the future.

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Table 2: City of Regina: Water Reduction Tips Bathroom: Turn off the faucet while brushing teeth or shaving; only use water when you need to rinse.

Reduce the time you spend in the shower, even if it is just a minute or two.

Turn off the shower when you are shampooing.

If you use the tub, bathe in only a couple of centimetres of water instead of a full tub.

Reduce toilet flushing.

Replace old shower heads with a low-flow shower head (less than 9 litres a minute).

Install faucet aerators on your bathroom taps.

Replace old toilets with new low-flow or ultra-low flow toilets (6 litres per flush or less).

Kitchen: Use the dishwasher only when there is a full load.

Do not pre-rinse dishes; most modern dishwashers do not require this step.

When washing by hand, use a basin to rinse dishes instead of using running water.

Pour yourself a drink of cold water from a pitcher from the refrigerator instead of running the tap.

Wash fruits and vegetables in a partially-filled sink instead of rinsing them under running water.

Replace old dishwashers with ENERGY-STAR dishwashers that conserve water.

Install faucet aerators on your kitchen taps.

Laundry room: Wash clothes when there is a full load only.

Replace old washers with front-loading ENERGY-STAR washers that conserve water.

Install faucet aerators on your laundry tub taps.

Outdoors: Restrict your outdoor watering to one day a week: houses with odd-numbered addresses should water on either Monday, Thursday or Saturday; houses with even-numbered addresses should water on either Tuesday, Friday or Sunday.

Water lawns in the early morning or later evening in 20 minute intervals.

Use a broom instead of your hose to remove debris from your driveway or sidewalk.

Bathe your pets outdoors in areas that need water.

Install a shut-off nozzle on your water hose; a garden hose left running can waste up to 20 litres per minute.

Direct downspouts towards shrubs and trees in your garden.

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Works Cited: Alliance for Water Efficiency (2011). Home Water Works: Clothes Washer. Retrieved from http:// www.home-water-works.org/indoor-use/clothes-washer Beauchamp et al. (2011). Green Building Operations and Maintenance Manual: A Guide for Public Housing Authorities in the northern Climate Region. Retrieved from http://www.greenseal.org/ Portals/0/Documents/IG/PHA%20Manuals/Green_Building_OM_Manual_PHA_Northern.pdf Brandes, O. & Ferguson, K. (2003). Flushing the Future? Examining Urban Water Use in Canada.

Retrieved from http://poliswaterproject.org/sites/default/files/report1_full.pdf CBC News (2015, May 27). City of Regina please for 25% drop in water use. CBC News. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/city-of-regina-pleads-for-25-drop-in-wateruse-1.3089737 City of Regina (2015a). Benefits of Xeriscaping. Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/students/ water-sewer/protecting_our_water/save-money/benefits-xeriscaping/ City of Regina (2015b). Check For Water Leaks. Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/students/ water-sewer/protecting_our_water/save-money/water-leaks/ City of Regina (2015c). Low Flow Water Devices. Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/students/ water-sewer/protecting_our_water/save-money/low-flow_-water-devices/ City of Regina (2015d). Odd/Even Watering Schedule. Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/students/ water-sewer/protecting_our_water/save-money/watering-schedule/ City of Regina (2015e). Reduce your water use. Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/students/ water-sewer/reduce-water-use/ City of Regina (n.d.). Xeriscape Workbook: A practical guide to low-water, low-maintenance landscaping (4th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.regina.ca/opencms/export/sites/regina.ca/ residents/water-sewer/.media/pdf/xericsape_handbook.pdf Environment Canada (2011). 2011 Municipal Water Use Report: Municipal Water Use 2009 Statistics.

Retrieved from https://ec.gc.ca/Publications/B77CE4D0-80D4-4FEB-AFFA-0201BE6FB37B%5C2011Municipal-Water-Use-Report-2009-Stats_Eng.pdf Grohe Canada, Inc. (2015). New Tempesta Cosmopolitan 100. Retrieved from http://www.grohe. com/ca-en/6422/showers/hand-showers-shower-sets/tempesta-cosmopolitan/productdetails/?product=27575-G290&color=000&material=27575000 Gleick et al. (2002a). Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California.

Appendix B: Outdoor Residential Water Use and the Potential for Conservation. Retrieved from http://pacinst.org/publication/waste-not-want-not/ Gleick et al. (2002b). Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California.

Appendix E: Details of Commercial Water Use and Potential Savings, by Sector. Retrieved from http://pacinst.org/publication/waste-not-want-not/ Korn, D. & Mattison, L. (2012). Do Savings come out in the Wash? A Large-scale Study of Residential Laundry Systems. Retrieved from http://www.cadmusgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ Home-Energy-Magazine-January-2012-Mattison-Korn-article.pdf Page 7

Kulshreshtha, S., Bogdan, A., & Nagy, C. (2012). Present and Future Water Demand in Saskatchewan – A Summary by River Basins. Retrieved from https://www.wsask.ca/Global/Water%20Info/ Water%20Demand%20Study/Present%20and%20Future%20Water%20Use%20in%20Saskatchewan-A%20Summary%20(Final%20Dec%202012).pdf Lypny, N. (2015, February 9). The future of Regina’s water. Regina Leader Post. Retrieved from http://www.leaderpost.com/news/future+Regina+water+Video/11337698/story.html Saskatchewan Environmental Society & Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (n.d.). Water Use in Your Home: What You Need To Know to Use Less and Spend Less. Retrieved from http://www. saskh20.ca/PDF/WaterUseInYourHome.pdf Tourism Regina (2013). Website Terms of Use [cover image]. Retrieved from http://tourismregina. com/terms-of-use/ Water Canada (2015, June 15). Regina Announces Staged Return-to-Normal Water Usage. Water Canada: The Complete Water Magazine. Retrieved from http://watercanada.net/2015/reginaannounces-staged-return-to-normal-water-usage/ Water Security Agency (2015a). Annual Report for 2014-15: State of Drinking Water Quality in Saskatchewan. Retrieved from https://www.wsask.ca/Global/About%20WSA/Annual%20 Reports%20and%20Plans/Drinking%20Water%20Annual%20Report/WSA-Drinking-WaterReport-14-2015.pdf Water Security Agency (2015b). Saskatchewan Community Water Use Records 2000 to 2014: Report No. 28. Retrieved from https://www.wsask.ca/Global/About%20WSA/Publications/ Community%20Consumption%20Records/2014%20Community%20Water%20Use%20Records.pdf Wiens, K. (2015). Regina’s Water Conservation Program: Demand management of scarce resources can be critical in enhancing climate resilience. Retrieved from https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/ www.nrcan.gc.ca/files/earthsciences/pdf/mun/pdf/regina_e.pdf Wikipedia (2015). Saskatchewan Saskatchewan_River

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