Federal Green Challenge - Water
Green Challenge Target Areas
Fast Facts
- Leaky faucets that drip at the rate of one drip per second can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.
- A leaky toilet can waste about 200 gallons of water every day.
- The average bathroom faucet flows at a rate of two gallons per minute. Turn it off when not in use.
- If your toilet is from 1992 or earlier, you probably have an inefficient model that uses between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. New and improved high-efficiency models use less than 1.3 gallons per flush—that's at least 60 percent less than their older, less efficient counterparts.
- Drip irrigation systems use between 20 to 50 percent less water than conventional in-ground sprinkler systems. They are also much more efficient than conventional sprinklers because no water is lost to wind, runoff, and evaporation.
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Set Your Goals - Water
Beginning in FY 2008, reduce water consumption intensity relative to the baseline of the agency’s water consumption in FY 2007, through life cycle cost-effective measures by:
- 2% annually through the end of FY 2015; or
- 16% by the end of FY 2015.
Federal Green Challenge
By July 2009, relative to your 2006 or 2007 baseline, reduce total gallons of water used by 5% or more.
Partnership Opportunities - Water
Partner with WaterSense a voluntary partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to protect the future of our nation’s water supply by promoting and enhancing the market for water-efficient products and services. Federal facilities are eligible to join as promotional partners. As a promotional partner, federal facilities are encouraged to participate in bulk purchasing, incorporate WaterSense requirements into procurement language, lend your name in partnership, leverage resources, and receive recognition for your efforts. Online Registration
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Set Baseline - Water
Gather data. Before conducting a water audit, collect as much existing information as possible. Gather the following, if available:
- Meter readings from the past 2 years.
- Water and sewer bills for the past 2 years.
- Prior water audit results.
- Facility floorplan and plumbing drawings and schematics.
- Typical facility operating schedules, number of employees and visitors, and maintenance and janitorial work schedules.
- Lists of all water-using equipment with the manufacturers’ rated flowrates.
- Number of plumbing fixtures (toilets, urinals, sinks, etc.)
- Outdoor water use applications, quantity, and schedule.
- If no information regarding actual water use is available for your facility, estimate your water usage with the federal water use indices.
Conduct a water audit. A water audit of at least 10% of the facilities’ square footage should be conducted annually. This will help you to identify where water is being lost and where you might conserve. The more complex your facility, the more complex the audit. Follow these steps to conduct a water audit:
- Walk through the facility to understand how water is used in each operational area.
- Look for inefficient, leaking or overused water consumers.
- Identify and list all equipment that uses water, including water-using process equipment, cooling towers, boilers, reverse osmosis filters, rinsing tanks, kitchen equipment, faucets, toilets, showerheads, etc.
- Check the water-using equipment against your inventory information. Compare floor plans, plumbing drawings, and schematics with actual conditions. Note discrepancies so an accurate record of equipment can be created.
- Record hours of operation for each piece of water-using process equipment.
- Note devices, equipment, and/or plumbing fixtures that use water for more than one operation.
- Calibrate all existing water meters to ensure accuracy.
- Measure the amount of water used by each water-consuming fixture or piece of equipment. If permanent meters have not been installed, a temporary strap-on flow meter that uses ultrasonic waves to measure water flow can be used. In some cases, a bucket and a stopwatch can be used to measure the flow rate in gallons per minute (gpm).
- Compare your water-use measurements with the manufacturers’ listed and/or recommended flow rates. Note any discrepancies.
- Ask for water conservation suggestions from employees who are familiar with each water-use process.
- Measure water quality. Knowing the quality of water as it flows through a facility may point out areas where water discharge from one process can be rerouted for use in another process. Water quality considerations include: chemical make-up, pH level, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS/ppm), waste content, and temperature.
- Measure exterior water use, especially water used for irrigation. Obtain diagrams of all irrigation systems and inventory all sprinkler heads and water-delivery devices to determine flow rate.
- Determine daily water usage for the major operational areas. Add these area totals to get total facility usage. Make sure that your total consumption figures match the total usage figures from your water utility, water well meters, and other water source records.
Set baseline. Collate the results of your water audit into a report. The audit report should include water use figures for the entire facility and broken out by major operational areas, which are your baselines. At a minimum, find out how much you are using through your water bills.
A comprehensive audit report with supporting baseline documentation includes:
- Updated set of facility diagrams, blueprints, and water flow charts.
- Current list of all water-using equipment with manufacturers’ recommended input/output flow rates and the actual flow rates recorded during your water audit.
- Current schedule of operation for all areas and equipment, including shift scheduling, number of employees per shift, production levels, average occupancy rates, etc.
- Month-by-month landscape irrigation watering schedule.
- Water flow chart that shows the movement of water from the time it enters the facility until it is discharged.
- Evaluation of the total cost of water used by the entire facility
For the Federal Green Challenge, determine (at a minimum) the total gallons of water used in 2006 or 2007.
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Actions to Achieve Goals - Water
Easy, Low-Cost Ways to Conserve Water
Leak Detection and Repair
More Information
Using the information in your water audit, locate and fix leaky faucets, faulty fittings, and broken pipes and hoses.
- Look for any trend of increased usage that cannot be associated with increased business through sub-meters.
- Conduct regular inspections of equipment or areas where leaks could occur, like pipe-work joints, connections and fittings. Indications include dampness, rust marks or swelling boards. Significant leaks can often be detected by listening in the absence of other noise.
- Check equipment. Worn, old or poorly maintained equipment can waste significant amounts of water.
- Install monitoring or sub-meter systems that alert you when excessive flows or reduced pressures breach normal ranges.
- For concealed or subsurface pipe-work, leakage detection companies can employ techniques such as pressure testing, flow monitoring and echo correlation.
Install Low Flow Sink Aerators, Toilets, and Shower Heads
- Install ultra-low flow toilets, adjust flush valves or install dams on existing toilets.
- Install faucet aerators and high efficiency shower heads.
- Use water-conserving ice makers.
- As appliances and equipment wear out, replace them with water-saving models.
No-Cost Adjustments
Check your water audit for any changes that can be made quickly and at no cost.
Some examples of no-cost adjustments that may help you conserve water at your facility include:
- Close down restrooms and other potential water-using areas that are not being used.
- Eliminate water usage if an alternative exists.
- Recalibrate machinery and water flows to perform to the manufacturers’ original specifications.
Efficient Landscape Watering
Some tips to make your irrigation system more efficient include:
- Adjust sprinkler heads to ensure that landscape plants are being watered, not pavement.
- Use drip irrigation instead of conventional watering.
- Water during the early morning hours to reduce evaporation.
- Install rain or moisture sensors to turn the irrigation system off when rainfall occurs.
- If it is not possible to install rain or moisture sensors, manually adjust irrigation timers to eliminate unnecessary watering after rainfall.
- Use hose nozzles that automatically shut off when not in use.
- Using native plants can significantly reduce your water and pesticide usage and make your landscape easier to care for.
Minimize the Use of Water for Cleaning Purposes
Indoors
- Use brooms, squeegees and dry vacuum cleaners to clean surfaces before washing with water.
- Use washing equipment that has aerated spray nozzles equipped with shut-off valves.
- Fit hoses with high pressure, low volume nozzles with shut-off valves.
- Where possible, mop floors rather than hosing.
- Switch from ‘wet’ carpet cleaning methods, such as steam cleaning, to ‘dry’ or ‘spot cleaning’ (powder methods).
Outdoors
- Sweep parking areas rather than hosing, unless it’s required for health regulations.
- Sweep paved areas.
- Reconsider the need to wash building exteriors or other outside structures.
- Reduce frequency of cleaning external equipment and floors where possible.
- Change window cleaning schedule from ‘regular’ to ‘as required’ and use squeegees to clean the windows.
- Unless it’s needed for operator safety, wash vehicles only when needed.
- Unless it’s needed to protect human health and maintain safety, limit use of high pressure sprayers.
Longer Term Improvements that Yield Big Savings
Install Meters and Controls.
Meters can be used to measure current water use and monitor changes in consumption. When meters are installed, be sure to incorporate collected data into federal tracking systems so it is made available to federal facility managers. Other controls can ensure that water supply is shut off when appropriate. Some examples of meters and controls to install include:
- Water meters wherever water use is not currently being measured.
- Submeters to measure water use by subprocesses and specific pieces of equipment.
- Interlock solenoid valves with power switches or time clocks to shut off water flow when equipment is not in use.
- Temperature control valves.
- Limit switches on tanks to eliminate over-filling.
* Remember to regularly inspect all meters, controls, valves, and other devices for leaks and improper settings.
Adjust Metered Flow.
Where input water flow to equipment is higher than manufacturer specifications, reduce water flow to match manufacturer’s recommendations. Once metered flows have been reduced to manufacturer specifications, carefully experiment with slightly reduced flow rates to further improve water efficiency.
Reduce Water Pressure.
Water pressure higher than that required will unnecessarily result in increased water consumption. Excessive water pressure will also increase leakage rates. Contact your local water utility for assistance in measuring the water pressure in pounds per square inch (psi) at key delivery and usage points at your facility.
Reuse and Recirculate.
Wherever possible, use water more than once to achieve direct and immediate water savings. High quality water, not seriously affected by one process, can typically be used in another process. Some example opportunities for water reuse and recirculation include:
- High quality water such as deionized water can often be treated and reused.
- Water used for heat transfer, so long as it is heating and cooling water that is not chemically altered, can be pumped into holding tanks and used in another process.
- Water used for rinsing can often be reused in applications that do not require high-quality water. Spent rinse water, for example, can often be used in other rinsing applications or in cooling towers.
- Water can be reused sequentially. Look for facility processes where water can be used in one process and then pumped to another process for reuse.
Switch from Potable to Nonpotable.
Many water use applications do not require potable water (drinking water quality). When potable water is not required, consider switching to alternate water sources including:
- Reclaimed municipal water.
- Treated process water (onsite and offsite).
- Collected rainwater (especially for landscape irrigation).
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Measuring & Tracking - Water
At 6 and 12 months, check progress on achieving your goals. A water audit of at least 10% of the facilities’ square footage should be conducted annually. For the Federal Green Challenge, check your total gallons of water used and progress towards your total reduction goal.
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Awards - Water
Federal Green Challenge Partner Recognition
Apply for recognition for your accomplishments under the Federal Green Challenge through the Champions of Green Government recognition program. More Information
Federal Energy and Water Management Award
Each year the U.S. Department of Energy, in conjunction with the Federal Interagency Energy Policy Committee ("656” Committee), sponsors the Federal Energy and Water Management Awards. These awards honor individuals and organizations making significant contributions to the efficient use of energy and water resources in the federal government. More Information
WaterSense Promotional Partner of the Year Award
This new awards program will award its first Promotional Partner of the Year Award in 2008. Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the WaterSense Awards are designed to recognize WaterSense partners who help advance the overall mission of WaterSense, increase awareness of the WaterSense brand in a measurable way, and demonstrate overall excellence in the water-efficiency arena. More Information
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Case Studies - Water
U.S. Air Force, Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington
In 2007, Fairchild Air Force Base was awarded the Federal Energy and Water Management Award for its water conservation efforts. To deserve the award, the base achieved a 27% reduction in water use over several years, when comparing the FY 2004-2006 period to FY 1999-2003. The base estimates that in 2007 there will be an additional 13% reduction. This brings the total unaccounted-for-water to only 3% of all water used by the base. The engineering team achieved these results through a comprehensive water planning, management, leak detection, and repair program. After an intensive analysis of monthly manual meter readings, the team estimated a 15 % leakage rate, corresponding to about 1.3 million gallons lost per day. To address the leakage rate, the team undertook ten actions, including distribution system audits and repairs, installation of water-efficient restroom equipment, replacement of boiler and steam systems, and public education. More Information
Department of Veterans Affairs, Bay Pines National Veteran’s Cemetery, Bay Pines, Florida
In 2007, the Department of Veterans Affairs was awarded the Federal Energy and Water Management Award for its water conservation efforts. To deserve the award, the Bay Pines National Veteran's Cemetery recovered shallow groundwater under the cemetery to use for turf irrigation. Prior to the project, the cemetery irrigated every 3 days with city potable water, requiring approximately 45,000 gallons valued at $2,000 for each watering. The new system uses 15 shallow horizontal wells pumping into an irrigation pond for storage. The water that soaks into the shallow groundwater beneath the cemetery is now recaptured and used to re-irrigate the cemetery. This system has reduced potable water use by 75%, saving 4 million gallons of water and $120,000 per year. The initial cost of the $240,000 system has already been recovered after only two years. As an added benefit, reusing the water also reduces the fertilizer and pesticides required, as those dissolved in the water are re-circulated in subsequent watering cycles. More Information
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Additional Resources - Water
Sites listed below may not be a part of the EPA.gov domain.
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Definitions on this page
“Life Cycle Cost-Effective” means the life-cycle costs of a product, project, or measure are estimated to be equal to or less than the base case (i.e., current or standard practice or product).
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