Hi!

I am new to this forum, and subscribed looking for some answers.

Keep in mind, I am a student at GA Tech, and my questions are related to a research class project, and NOT to any company and/or invention.

Are you worried about our water supply?

Many states are suffering from record droughts. Combined with record developments, this is causing a water supply crisis, in which consumers are asked to conserve water.

How do you (or would you) conserve water? How can you tell if your efforts to conserve water are working?
Would it help (or be of value to you) to get instant real-time feedback on your water usage?
If you were to purchase a home, and the (or a secondary) water meter would be inside easily accessible, would you consider this as a plus?

Thank you.

Berrie

Berrie,

First of all many on this forum are forgetting a vital component, surprisingly is not being discussed.. the Landscape. The landscape nationwide is by far one of the largest contributors to negative water impacts and conservation. Landscapes are also a very vital component is assisting any building with its LEED objectives through energy efficiency and environmental uimpacts. So water conservation needs to be looked at both internally and externally within and building design by which most of the focus Ive seen nationwide has only been internally.

While there are many things you can do to improve the sustainability and water conserving status of your landscape, there are two problems that exist in landscapes nationwide and almost without exception. These two problems are huge limiting factors that will impact how drought tolerant your landscape will ultimately be and whether or not those plants you have planted are truly going to be low water. In addition, without these two factors, you cannot have a healthy landscape capable of tolerating heat, cold, drought, wind and other environmental factors. Unfortunately these two problems are rarely addressed or corrected and therefore xeriscapes or low water landscapes cannot achieve the sustainable potential that they should.

Humus: The first problem is a lack of life giving top-soil with the appropriate amount of Humus. Humus is the black biochemical found in top-soil that defines a healthy soil. Without Humus plants cannot be healthy and soils cannot retain precious water to its maximum capacity. In the Journal of Chemical Education - December issue of 2001, this statement is made: “Humus is a remarkable brown to black product of soil chemistry that is essential for healthy and productive soils.” Let’s be clear that while compost is only one component that contributes to the making of Humus in soil, compost is not Humus, Humates are not Humus, and Peat Moss is not Humus!

Microbiology: The other problem or limiting factor is the need for your landscape plants to be Mycorrhizal. This means that a specialized fungi that is beneficial to most plants is absolutely essential in helping the plant find water and mineral nutrients from the soil. The benefit of this relationship is that the plants in your landscape can tolerate dehydration better, be dramatically more water conserving, need no artificial fertilizers, and will better tolerate wind, cold and heat and other environmental stresses. This fungi is called Mycorrhizae and when the plant has this benefit it is said to be Mycorrhizal. The Research is clear as there are currently over 63,000 scientific studies published in peer review journals of science that substantiate the benefits of Mycorrhizae and Humus!

So to answer your questions we need to look at many more aspects then what is going internally into the building design and look at whats needed or can be used externally around that buildings design.

If you would like more information please let me know.

Thanks,

Hi Berrie,

Hope your project goes well. Here are my answers and comments:

1. No, there is plenty of water here. I'm aware that there are areas with long term water supply problems (such as Las Vegas and other desert areas) and the best solution is for people not to make stupid choices and move to areas with insufficient water.

2. Are you sure that many states are suffering record droughts? Many have in the recent past but as far as I know current droughts are pretty limited. Also, it is important to distinguish between normal precipitation variation for an area and a drought which would be an abnormal decrease in precipitation over an extended time. Most of the news lately has been about an overabundance of precipitation and consequent flooding throughout much of the Mississippi drainage. I live not too far from Lincoln Nebraska and the city was recently complaining that due to the wet spring and early summer people had decreased their water usage and their water revenues were down significantly. My argument to you is that "drought" is not causing a water supply problem, instead overusage of the natural water supplies available for specific areas is causing local water shortages. So I disagree that there is a supply crisis in general although I recognize that some areas are creating their own water supply crisis by way of unsustainable development that defies logic or common sense. 

3. Even though I have a good well and there is no real water supply issues yet in my area I do conserve water since that in turn saves me money. Aside from federally mandated items such as low flow faucets and small tank toilets I also have an efficient front loading washer that uses less water and I do not water my lawn - ever. And since I don't water my lawn all my waste water goes directly back into the ground from whence it came by way of my leach field. So I am not using up water at all but rather I am borrowing it and then putting it back.

4.Since I have a well I have no meter but I can still tell that the front load washer has made a significant difference in my water useage. I can tell this because prior to getting the new washer my septic leach field was starting to fail (getting wet spots on the surface) even during prolonged dry spells. I was getting ready to spend the big bucks on a repair when I purchased the new washer. My septic field no longer has wet areas so my  water conservation has definitely saved me money that I would have spent to upgrade my septic system.

5. Real time feedback really wouldn't help me.

6. I see no benefit in having an inside meter for myself.

Comment: Although I responded that inside meters wouldn't be of interest to me that is because I have a good well, don't use a lot of water and would never consider buying a home in an area with insufficient water. I can see the value of a water meter on all appliances and faucets only when areas with water shortages have the political courage to actually charge for water in a way that reflects it's scarcity in the area. Then those meters should be programmed to give a readout of gallons used as well as cost the user is paying for the water. So when you are brushing your teeth and leave the water running you can see a little readout screen racking up the dollars of water used. I think the dollar conversion would be an important aspect to the meter - it would have the most meaningful impact on the user. Of course if the local government pays for water infrustructure through property taxes then the costs will be hidden and there will be far less personal incentive to save because the conservative user will not see a direct savings and will be subsidizing those that don't conserve water.

Because water is cheap for most people, they do not really understand (or care?) how much they use.  Sure, people buy (because regulations require it) low flow fixtures, etc, but they turn around and fill their jacuzzi, take a 20 minute showers and water their grass.  I plead guilty to long showers, but I have no grass or jacuzzi.

Regardless of the climate change issues, water is going to become more and more expensive for most people over time and will eventually curtail development in places that can't be supported.  I shake my head when potable well water is used for air condtioning and then wasted.

The studies I have seen from the UK where recording electrical meters were installed so people could see them and evaluate their demand and consumption resulted in increased conservation.  I think the same will apply to water meters, especially in places where supply is a problem.

Go to the Geothermal Heat Pump forum at look at the tread about the Web Energy Logger or check out the following link.  Flow meters can be added.    < http://welserver.com/>

Wireless technology has arrived for commercial building automation and control systems and it makes retroftting buildings much easier.  In 10 years, home automation systems (either wired or wireless) will be standard.  They are alrady being used in upscale multi family buildings.

Bruce

Berrie- I'd recommend doing some research on graywater re-use. If you don't know, graywater is all waste water from the house EXCEPT from the toilets (some also suggest not reusing water from kitchen sinks with garbage disposals). There are a number of different ways this has been done, from point-of-use applications like reclaiming the water used in bathroom sinks to flush toilets with to whole-house systems that discharge graywater into watercourses that water landscaping; like many cutting-edge ideas there are lots of different models out there. As always, the devil is in the details and the main details re: graywater are: building codes, filtration and appropriate landscaping. Some places are more accepting than others in terms of allowing graywater systems and making the hoops easier to jump through than others. Filtration and storage options are many and there's a lot of different ideas about which is best. Certain plants do better than others being watered with graywater (tends towards a higher alkalinity that some plants won't tolerate).

This is a good place to start: http://www.graywater.net/

Hope this helps-

Kevin

I am all for Greywater however you need to keep in mind that if the greywater is going to water the landscape it needs to be filtered as there are many toxins that will negatively effect the landscape and soil biota. Maintaining a healthy soil and building fertility within the soil (Humus) will be the greatest factor in reducing the usage of "drinking water" but you MUST have filtration on the greywater that is used. Too many components that are used within the house and poured down the drain will kill fertile soil and healthy vegetation in a relatively short period of time. So whichever direction you look at make sure to evaluate any technology so that NO contaminants or toxins are spread onto the landscape.

Thanks,

Interesting topic for study!

http://contractormag.com/columns/yates/cm_column_441/index.html

http://www.masterplumbers.com/plumbviews/2003/beaverfever.asp

http://contractormag.com/technology/cm_newsarticle_673/