As the main source of life, water is integral to our daily lives. Even so, water is not infinite. In our cities, where fresh, clean water flows where needed, the often difficult and hazardous path it takes to reach our faucets is hard, sometimes, to conceptualize. Depending on the region, water scarcity is a growing concern for cities which are also experiencing population growth. This proves to be of critical importance for cities in the southwest, which are struggling with protracted drought.
Strict measures to ensure the conservation of water on a personal level often
require infrastructure framework upgrades. But, in the case of water conservation,
smarter use and the education of citizens can be the best strategies. So, the
question for cities remains: how to make water conservation a priority by educating public initiatives. Which
cities are pioneering the way in water conservation initiatives? Find
out below.
New York City and Philadelphia
For New York City, implementing strict rules that curb the wasteful usage of water is key. Aside from regulation, another element cities often use to combat uneconomical water use is technology. Low-flow and water-efficient indoor fixtures have made the biggest difference in places like New York and Philadelphia. The problem with these two cities is that people in these areas still use toilets and faucets that use more water than necessary.
On the other
hand, New York has strict controls, rules, and regulations on the use of water
outdoors, making it an innovator in the conservation of outdoor and communal water
conservation.
Outdoor water regulation can be locally applied and can be strictly discretionary. By restricting watering days, as well as by offering incentives to replace water-hungry lawns, these two cities have seen their household water usages drop significantly.
Dallas and Las Vegas
Dallas, as
well as Las
Vegas’ Southern Nevada Water Authority,
or SNWA, have also been leaders in outdoor water conservation. Through strict
regulation, these two water districts have developed unique systems to address
water scarcity.
Dallas has
made use of a meticulous yet simple, two-day watering and irrigation schedule.
From this measure alone, Dallas has seen its water usage drop by 10 percent. In
Las Vegas, the SNWA has made use of government structuring by instituting
rebates and secondary incentives for individuals who replace lawns with
water-efficient landscaping.
With the
largest budget for water reduction in the nation, Las Vegas has made practical
use of information and analytics to understand what works and what doesn't.
Through educational campaigns, the SNWA and Las Vegas residents have also
realized that it’s unreasonable to try to grow grass in the desert.
Boston and Chicago
In Boston
and Chicago, the issue of water filtration due to leaks in the system is a
costly problem that is being addressed through a decades-long program in
infrastructure upgrades. Fixing leaks in an old system can be a hard sell for
some city and municipal governments. The problem is the cost of implementing a structural framework that is
also a long-term strategy.
The reality
is that leaks in the system may account for the highest percentage of water
loss in the whole structure. In some areas, the problem can be as bad as a 40
percent loss from start to finish.
The
Massachusetts Water Resources Authority made a protracted effort, starting in the 1980s, to address the problem
by going after unaccounted leakage and reducing it by 50 percent. During that
period, The MWRA reduced water consumption by 40 percent.
In Chicago,
a city with abundant water resources, the process has been slower and less
efficient, although studies have shown the Chicagoland metropolitan area loses
upward of 22-billion gallons of treated, clean
water per year due
to the city’s aging leaky pipes.
Weather is
also an issue, due to the fact that in the winter, pipes shrink, while in
summer they expand. This results in continuous leaks and a deteriorating
system. New technology seeks to replace and implement piping that can withstand
the weather conditions that affect the area.
Minneapolis
On the other
hand, with one of the most bountiful
water resources at its doorstep, Minneapolis is taking the opposite approach to
water conservation. Minneapolis encourages its residents to use more of its tap
water. The city’s former mayor has become a major advocate for the city’s water,
arguing that it is cleaner and less expensive than bottled
water. His
initiative seeks to promote Minneapolis’s use of tap water, instead of relying
on plastic bottling that’s shipped to a landfill.
Austin and Seattle
In Austin, where flash floods can happen almost instantly, green
stormwater infrastructure is changing the
way regulators are thinking about water management. By integrating natural
systems like vegetation and soil into a larger scheme of water treatment, the
city is able to control the quality and quantity of urban runoff.
The focus is to better understand the way in which water moves through the city’s infrastructure and how to use natural systems to improve and reduce its path. This includes employing porous pavement in parking lots that allows the water to filtrate and not collect. Similar ideas are also being adopted in Seattle, where home collection systems have made smarter use of the cities abundant rainfall.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles
may be known across the country as a
water-scarce city. As a result, L.A. must make smart use of its water system to
stave off riots in a very real sense. In Los Angeles, water conservation is at
the forefront of the city’s concerns regarding safety and security.
The California
Green Building Standards Code has made strides in all aspects to reduce the
city’s water usage. By implementing ideas used across the U.S., like incentives
for replacing water faucets and fixtures, the city has placed regulation and
new building construction in a leading role.
In addition, to stem L.A.’s dangerous use of groundwater, the city is looking to revitalize the Los Angeles River, through River LA, a nonprofit organization. The strategy is meant to boost the city’s supply of local freshwater by also mitigating water quality run-off and control during flash flooding.
