1.Why do we need to conserve water 2.Water metering program 3.Operation Save H 2 O Program 4.Outdoor Water saving tips 5.Indoor Water saving tips Water Conservation - Overview

 Existing water source has limited capacity  Very expensive to develop new water source  Eliminate/defer new infrastructure  Reduce water and sewer bill Why do we need to conserve water?

Cost of Water  Increasing cost because of high expectation of water quality, reliability and sustainability  Expensive to treat  Water rate increasing since 2002 because of the new filtration plant  Relatively cheap compared to European countries

Water Consumption  Water use per capita has been decreasing  Research shows that more than two-thirds of households practice some sort of water conservation  Water use comparison (litres per capita per day) – Canada has the 2 nd highest per capita water use in the world i.United Kingdom 125 l/c/d ii.Germany 100 l/c/d iii.Canada 340 l/c/d iv.BC 450 l/c/d Lots of room to reduce consumption

Water Metering Program - Objective  Effective way of water conservation, particularly when working with other watersaving techniques  Pay for the water you use  Provide financial incentive to save water

Water Metering Program – Current Status  Mandatory for new homes, and all commercial & industrial properties  Voluntary program for existing homes  47,000 homes metered, 36,000 more homes yet to be metered  Metered homes consume less than 60% of non-metered homes

Do You Want a Water Meter  If you use less than 2 m 3 of water per day (about 9 bath tubs), you will save money  If you have fewer than 6 persons in your house with typical water usage, you may save money  Having a water meter puts you in control of your water consumption  Call to volunteer for a meter.

Operation Save H 2 O Program  Community based program providing education material and water saving tips  Educates and engages residents in water conservation  Conducted by groups of college and high school students  Can easily save 20% of water by changing water use pattern

Outdoor Water Use  Variable depending on lot size, vegetation type, driveway or car washing, etc.  Varies significantly between 0-90% of your total water consumption  Potential great savings

Outdoor Water Saving Tips  Lawn watering  Waterwise garden  Rain barrel

Lawn Watering  Lawn sprinkling regulation enforced since 1992  Let your lawn go dormant during the summer. Brown is the new ‘green’ in lawn care  Watering once a week is adequate  Lawn with good soil base and good root structure needs only 25mm (1 inch) of water a week  Water in morning to reduce evaporation  Leave grass clippings on your lawn to reduce evaporation and need for watering  Leave grass longer to reduce evaporation

 Drought resistant plant  Use drips for gardening if possible Waterwise Garden

Rain Barrel  Rain barrels are available to Surrey residents at cost  Savings dependent on weather pattern

Other Outdoor Water Use  Car wash – use carwash that recycles water  Avoid hosing down deck, driveway, patios ~ sweeping instead

Indoor Water Saving Tips  Saving water means saving energy  Fix leaking toilet and faucet  Low flush toilets  Low flow shower heads and faucets  Energy and water efficient washing machine and dishwasher

Fix Leaking Toilet and Faucet  Inspect and repair plumbing pipes and fixtures  Use leak tablets to test toilet tank leakage  Avoid running faucet – turn off tap when brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc.  Steady stream ~ 3785 litres per week or equivalent of $250 per year down the drain

Low Flush Toilets  6 litre toilets are mandatory for all new construction  Save 15% of water consumption or $50 annually

Low Flow Shower Heads and Faucets  Compare the flow rate of shower heads  Reducing showering time by 2 minutes will save the same energy used by a 60W light bulb running for 12 hours and 7% of total water consumption

Energy and Water Efficient Washing Machine and Dishwasher  Accounts for 30% of indoor water  Run full load for each washing cycle  Front loading washing machine  Use 35%-50% less water  50% less energy  30% less detergent  Shorter drying time

Other Water Conservation Tips  Instant water heater  Grey water recycling