Sustainable Land Development Today - May 2008 - (Page 34)

STORMWATER “We see a lot of advances in European nations on how they handle their wastewater effluent as well as their rain water,” he said. “Certainly it will be the same case here. But there has to be some things in place, probably on a national level before there are the proper incentives for homeowners to be willing to do that.” From nice to necessity It’s not just another “green idea” or a nice thing to do, he said. Water conservation is a necessity for people to live, especially in those regions that are experiencing drought. Whether it comes in the form of water restrictions, which may limit residential use to certain times of the day or certain days of the week, to the debate over water rights among states or building pipelines to transport water hundreds of miles, awareness of fresh water will only gather momentum. As it becomes scarcer, and more costly, people will become increasingly aware of how we use fresh water. Ultimately, the issues of conservation and reuse will rank with green building, land conservation and global warming. Any water that can be recovered and reused at a local level for irrigation or car washing, rather than having it sent down the drain or the storm sewer into a lake or river is good in terms of the balance for the environment, according to Brown. Economics will be a key factor as well. “If you look at Europe where our parent company is located, they pay about eight to 12 times per unit what we pay for water here. There is an economic driver in Europe that is a big incentive for people to harvest and conserve water,” he said. That same cost-saving incentive is not yet the national issue in the U.S. that it is elsewhere. Those who manage fresh water supplies will be increasingly confronted with the true costs of rehabilitating or creating new infrastructure. Those costs will have to be passed along to consumers. “That will slowly make water more expensive to where there is some economic incentive for people to think about harvesting rain water,” he said. SLDT Images provided by Roth Global Plastics, Inc. About the author: Frank Hill is a freelance writer and contributor to Sustainable Land Development Today. Circle 162 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard 34 May 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - May 2008

Sustainable Land Development Today - May 2008 Contents Our Voice Editorial Board SLDT Resources Addressing a Crisis with Wastewater Recycling Visionary Award Finalists The Jonquil City - How a City Revitalized its Downtown Industry Spotlight: Enviroquip Solar Power System Design and Installation Stormwater: The Return of the Cistern Site Amenity: Fiber Optics Surveying and Mapping Wastewater: Low-Pressure System Special Feature: The Urban Canopy as Infrastructure Industry News Advertiser Index Products/Services Showcase Classifieds The Last Word: Nature Bats Last…

Sustainable Land Development Today - May 2008

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