Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Module 1; Water matters Unit 2: Global Issues and Water Conservation Source - National Federation of Group Water Schemes.

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Objective of this presentation To give participants an understanding of some of the global issues around water Although Ireland may not experience the critical water supply issues of many developing countries, our inefficient use and increasing demand may give rise to problems in the coming years Courtesy of DKIT

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Key facts about the global water situation 70% of the Earths surface is covered in water 3% of the Earths water is freshwater 2.25% of Earths water is locked up in ice Less than 1% of the planets water is available for human consumption. More than 1.2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water ( Courtesy of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes.

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Water usage and waste It takes between 25 and 50 litres of water, free from harmful contaminants, to meet a person's basic daily needs (UNESCO) This mother and her four daughters must fetch 20 buckets of water a day for their household in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania Courtesy of the National Federation of Group Water Schemes

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Water usage

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Harvested Rainwater (in green) could replace at least 53% of our household water usage

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility A typical household can reduce water consumption by 40 % or more, with little or no effect on lifestyle. Through maintainence of out- farm connections and simple rainwater harvesting, farmers can reduce water demand by over 40% Dublin City Council predicts that the city will experience water shortages in 2015 if population grows as expected. (Irish Times, 2007) Water usage and waste

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Water usage and waste - the importance of Water Conservation Projects As much as 30% of the total water entering supply-line systems is lost to leaking pipes. As much again is lost through careless use and leaks on the consumer side of connections To resolve the problem of leaking networks, local authorities and group water schemes are now undertaking major water conservation projects

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Step 1 Mapping District Metering Areas (DMA) Step 2 Installation of Bulk Meters in each DMA Step 3 Compare design water flow (based on population served) with actual flow (measured by Bulk Meters) Step 4 Where actual flows are too high – Active Leakage Team will then identify and repair leaks Monaghan Co. Councils Water Conservation Programme

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Group water scheme water conservation Universal metering in addition to bulk metering Installation of Pressure Reducing Valves in high pressure areas A realistic charge for water following a free allocation Regular billing Critical mains replacement An active and ongoing programme of leak detection

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility GWS success in water demand reduction In 2007 Tydavnet GWS was using 1,400 m 3 daily. This fell to 980 m 3 following successful detection of just one leak, thanks to a bulk meter indicating high usage in DMA (960 houses) Killeen GWS (Mayo) reduced from 575 m 3 daily to 168 m 3 thanks to universal metering and charging policy (150 houses) Ballyglass GWS (Mayo) reduced from 2,030 m 3 daily to 505m 3 through mains replacement and universal metering (500 houses) Ballinagar GWS (Offaly) reduced daily demand from 820m 3 in 2006 to 420 m 3 in 2009 although the number of domestic connections rose from 500 to 560 houses, thanks to close management of flow through bulk and universal metering, leakage detection and charging policy

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility M SV PRV Critical Mains Rehab District Meter Pressure Reduction Valve Reducing Pressure from 70m to 40m should reduce leakage by 55% Consumer Meter Box Reduce Distribution Network to < 25% UFW - Typical District Metered Area - Possible solutions identified Reducing UFW in Distribution Network Leaks

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility 13/09/07 EVGWS Setting Targets Original Usage5,700 m 3 /day Target 3,000 m 3 /day 2007 usage 3,300 m 3 /day 2008 usage 2,900 m 3 /day UFW2,800 m 3 /day 49% Reduction Saving to Scheme > 200,000 approx. p.a. Erne Valley GWS - 1,100 Houses, 70 cent/m 3

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility <800 mm mm mm mm mm mm mm >2800 mm Water Stress Water Water shortages are expected in the East coast of Ireland in the coming years Even without climate change, there is a huge variation between rainfall levels in the West and the East Irelands largest population centres are located in the area of least rainfall Graphic by G Cullen, DKIT

Our Water, Our Resource, Our Responsibility Discussion/Exercise Source: Time Magazine Explore websites Debate the following proposition: Without universal metering and charging policies that reflect the true value of water, the goal of ending water wastage will remain a pipe dream.