1. Why do we need to conserve water

2. Water metering program

3. Operation Save H2O 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 2nd 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 m3 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 604-575-9283 to volunteer for a meter.

Operation Save H2O 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