Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008 - (Page 51)

Endangered Species Act. In the lawsuit, the FDEP outlined concerns that the Corps’ management of reservoirs endangers the native wildlife. Proactive state governments, such as California, and major urban areas such as Chicago and New York City already have begun addressing the issue of water conservation before the problem reaches a critical level. For example, in 2007 Chicago enacted the Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) program in accordance with its citywide Water Agenda, formed in 2003. Chicago’s Water Agenda involves the aggressive investment in waterutility infrastructure upgrades to Chicago’s distribution systems. The AMR program and the Dept. of Water Management will install AMR technology on 162,000 existing water meters over the next three years. The AMR technology consists of a water meter with a remote transmitter that will allow greater efficiency in the collection of data. Based on gallons, rather than cubic feet, the customers can now identify exactly where they use the most water and rectify any problem areas. New York City’s Dept. of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) and its Water Conservation Program addresses water conservation in several ways. Each year the program surveys more than 4,000 miles of the distribution piping for leaks and replaces 55 to 60 miles of old water mains. The NYCDEP extended fixture replacement financial incentives during the 2008 to 2010 period to include toilets, urinals, and clothes washers. Since 1990, the group of water conservation programs implemented by NYCDEP has resulted in a decrease in city water consumption and wastewater flow by approximately 23%. California’s government continues to combat the effects of water scarcity in its major urban areas in several ways. The state will develop and put into practice a “water bank” to counteract the recent water scarcity in the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, near San Francisco. California’s 2009 Drought Water Bank will buy water from local water agencies and farmers upstream of the delta. The water will then be available for sale to public and private water systems expecting to run short of water next year. The agencies that purchase the water will need to commit to a 20% reduction in water usage, which will act as a safeguard against agencies that would use water for frivolous reasons. In May 2008, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a 20-year, $1.5 billion water supply strategy called “Securing LA’s Future Water Supply.” Due to the increasing population and the projected 15% increase in water use by 2030, Los Angeles and its Dept. of The decreased water levels of Lake Mead demonstrate the Water and Power plan water emergency that is facing the Southwestern cities that to conserve 32.6 billion rely on it for their water supply. gal of water, or enough to supply water to 200,000 homes for one water basin to fight against saltwater intruyear. The project intends, by 2019, to supply sion and supplement the area’s decreasing half of all new water demand with the sixwater supplies. The $490 million plant turns fold increase in recycled water supplies. The consists of pipes, filters, holding tanks, and program includes a combination of commer- pumps across 20 acres. cial and residential rebates and incentives; The plant works in conjunction with the the installation of smart sprinklers, efficient Orange County Sanitation District sewage washers, and urinals; and the long-term treatment plant. Initially, the reclamation measures such as the expansion of water plant pumps the brackish water into its 26 recycling and the investment in the Tillman holding basins, which filter the sewage water wastewater reclamation plant. with 270 million micro-filters. From there, In Orange County, Calif., aggressive mea- high-pressure forces the water through a sures have been taken to provide a more series of thin plastic membranes housed in stable source of water to its inhabitants. In rows of white cylinders. Next, hydrogen perJanuary 2008, a water reclamation and puri- oxide covers the water and then UV light fication plant at the Orange County Water blankets it to neutralize remaining contamiDistrict headquarters in Fountain Valley nants. Free of all harmful intoxicants, the began operation. The plant injects fresh water pumps into the underground aquiwater resources into the county’s ground- fer and continues to be filtered as it sinks to depths of more than 1,000 ft. At its full potential, the plant will be able to add 130 mgd into the fresh water supply. National programs: LEED The “LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance Guide” Water Efficiency section attempts to address several of the key issues in commercial building’s water usage, such as reducing indoor fixture and fitting water use, measuring building and subsystem water performance, maximizing indoor plumbing fixture efficiency, limiting and eliminating the use of potable water for landscape irrigation, and reducing potable water consumption designed for cooling tower equipment. Water meters measure water use and calculate peak usage times. Photo: EMCO Flow Systems Consulting-Specifying Engineer • OCTOBER 2008 51

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable Cities Under One Roof Eight Design Tips for Integration Is 'Green' Really New? Down the Drain Product of the Year Awards Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - October 2008

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