Water conservation
Water conservation aims to sustainably manage the natural resource of fresh water, protect the hydrosphere, and meet current and future human demand. Water conservation makes it possible to avoid water scarcity. It covers all the policies, strategies and activities to reach these aims. Population, household size and growth and affluence all affect how much water is used.
Although the terms "water efficiency" and "water conservation" are used interchangeably they are not the same. Water efficiency is the improvements such as the new technology that help with the efficiency and reduction of using water. On the other hand, water conservation is the action of conserving water. In short, water efficiency relates to the development and innovations which help use water more efficiently and water conservation is the act of saving or preserving water.
Climate change and other factors have increased pressure on natural water resources. This is especially the case in manufacturing and agricultural irrigation. Many countries have successfully implemented policies to conserve water conservation. There are several key activities to conserve water. One is beneficial reduction in water loss, use and waste of resources. Another is avoiding any damage to water quality. A third is improving water management practices that reduce the use or enhance the beneficial use of water.
Technology solutions exist for households, commercial and agricultural applications to reduce the use/loss of H2O. Water conservation programs involved in social solutions are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments.
Aims in water efficiency
Water conservation is the act of conserving water. Although water conservation was something people were working on it became mainstream for a number of reasons. Those reasons include supply shortages, escalating costs of infrastructure, state and federal legislative mandates, public desire to be "green", and conserving water no longer equals revenue. Supply shortages of what is meant to be a renewable resource is what most people target when using water conservation techniques.Strategies
The strategies to improve water conservation have similar characteristics which include having any beneficial reduction in water loss use and waste of resources, avoid any damage to water quality, and improve water management practices that reduce the use or enhance the beneficial use of water.One of the strategies in water conservation is rainwater harvesting. Digging ponds, lakes, canals, expanding the water reservoir, and installing rain water catching ducts and filtration systems on homes are different methods of harvesting rain water. Many people in many countries keep clean containers so they can boil it and drink it, which is useful to supply water to the needy. Harvested and filtered rain water can be used for toilets, home gardening, lawn irrigation, and small scale agriculture.
Another strategy in water conservation is protecting groundwater resources. When precipitation occurs, some infiltrates the soil and goes underground. Water in this saturation zone is called groundwater. Contamination of groundwater causes the groundwater water supply to not be able to be used as a resource of fresh drinking water and the natural regeneration of contaminated groundwater can take years to replenish. Some examples of potential sources of groundwater contamination include storage tanks, septic systems, uncontrolled hazardous waste, landfills, atmospheric contaminants, chemicals, and road salts. Contamination of groundwater decreases the replenishment of available freshwater so taking preventative measures by protecting groundwater resources from contamination is an important aspect of water conservation.
An additional strategy to water conservation is practicing sustainable methods of utilizing groundwater resources. Groundwater flows due to gravity and eventually discharges into streams. Excess pumping of groundwater leads to a decrease in groundwater levels and if continued it can exhaust the resource. Ground and surface waters are connected and overuse of groundwater can reduce and, in extreme examples, diminish the water supply of lakes, rivers, and streams. In coastal regions, over pumping groundwater can increase saltwater intrusion which results in the contamination of groundwater water supply. Sustainable use of groundwater is essential in water conservation.
A fundamental component to water conservation strategy is communication and education outreach of different water programs. Developing communication that educates science to land managers, policy makers, farmers, and the general public is another important strategy utilized in water conservation. Communication of the science of how water systems work is an important aspect when creating a management plan to conserve that system and is often used for ensuring the right management plan to be put into action.
The conservation of water is extremely important in order to preserve wildlife habitats. There are many organisms in temperate regions who are affected by shortages in water. Additionally, many freshwater organisms are increasingly feeling the impacts of water pollution as it disrupts the ecosystem.
"World Water Day" is celebrated on 22 March.
Social solutions
Water conservation programs involved in social solutions are typically initiated at the local level, by either municipal water utilities or regional governments. Common strategies include public outreach campaigns, tiered water rates, or restrictions on outdoor water use such as lawn watering and car washing. Cities in dry climates often require or encourage the installation of xeriscaping or natural landscaping in new homes to reduce outdoor water usage. Most urban outdoor water use in California is residential, illustrating a reason for outreach to households as well as businesses.One fundamental conservation goal is universal water metering. The prevalence of residential water metering varies significantly worldwide. Recent studies have estimated that water supplies are metered in less than 30% of UK households. Although individual water meters have often been considered impractical in homes with private wells or in multifamily buildings, the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that metering alone can reduce consumption by 20 to 40 percent. In addition to raising consumer awareness of their water use, metering is also an important way to identify and localize water leakage. Water metering might benefit society by providing a financial incentive to avoid waste in water use.
Some researchers have suggested that water conservation efforts should be primarily directed at farmers, in light of the fact that crop irrigation accounts for 70% of the world's fresh water use. The agricultural sector of most countries is important both economically and politically, and water subsidies are common. Conservation advocates have urged removal of all subsidies to force farmers to grow more water-efficient crops and adopt less wasteful irrigation techniques.
New technology poses a few new options for consumers, features such as full flush and half flush when using a toilet are trying to make a difference in water consumption and waste. It is also possible to use/"pollute" the water in stages, hereby allowing more use of the water for various tasks within a same cycle. Earthships often use such a setup.
Also available are modern shower heads that help reduce wasting water: Old shower heads are said to use 5-10 gallons per minute, while new fixtures available use 2.5 gallons per minute and offer equal water coverage.
Another method is to recycle the water of the shower directly, by means a semi-closed system which features a pump and filter. Such a setup has also been employed at the VIRTUe LINQ house. Besides recycling water, it also reuses the heat of the water.
Contrary to the popular view that the most effective way to save water is to curtail water-using behavior, experts suggest the most efficient way is replacing toilets and retrofitting washers; as demonstrated by two household end use logging studies in the US.
Some water-saving technology utilized in homes include energy-efficient water heads, composting toilets, dual flush toilets, faucet aerators, rainwater harvesting, weather-based irrigation controllers, garden hose nozzles, and automatic faucets.
Smart water meters are also a promising technology for reducing household water usage. A study conducted in Valencia, Spain, shows the potential that smart meter-based water consumption feedback has for conserving water in households. The findings showed that households that were equipped with smart water meters increased their water savings. This technology works to show people how much water they were using in their household, suggest ways they can reduce water usage, and incentivize water savings with physical rewards.
Applications
Many water-saving devices that are useful in homes can also be useful for business water saving. Other water-saving technology for businesses includes waterless urinals, waterless car washes, foot-operated taps, pressurized water brooms, cooling towers, water-saving steam sterilizers, rainwater harvesting, fog harvesting, and water-to-water heat exchangers. Infrared or foot-operated taps can save water by using short bursts of water for rinsing in a kitchen or bathroom. Apart from businesses, water-saving steam sterilizers can be used in hospitals and health care facilities.A technique that is not an innovation but is helpful in preserving water is exterior messages that lead one to save water. For example, in a study conducted in 2014 showed that when an individual is exposed to a message regarding saving water they are inclined to save water. As the outcome of a survey, done in 2016, that asked people how likely they are to conserve water it was found that education in the topic played a big part in the person's decision.
It is important to consider implementing water-conserving changes to industrial and commercial application use. It was found that high-income countries use roughly 59% of their water for industrial usage while low-income countries use 8% for industrial usage. One big change that industrial and commercial companies can implement are to improve the assessment and maintenance of water systems. It is easy to add water-efficient applications but it is the proper maintenance and inspection of it which will lead to long-term changes. A water conservation plan can be created, including adding various goals and benchmarks for both the employees and the company. Another change that industrial and commercial companies can make are to check water-consuming systems at regular intervals for any leaks or problems. By doing this, it will ensure that water is not unnecessarily being lost and there is no excess money being spent on utility bills. A third change that industrial and commercial companies can implement is installing a rain sensor. This sensor should be able to detect when precipitation is occurring and stop the program which would normally irrigate the land. After the rain ends, the sensor should turn the program back on and resume to its normal watering cycle.