Drought!

80% of HKG potable water provided by China

background

More than 24 million people in Yunnan are said to be short of drinking water because of a crippling drought!

A shower instead of a bath each day would save up to 317kg of CO2 per year

We don’t want to die of thirst, but we’re no longer young and can’t carry water for 12 km!(from an elderly farmer in Nongtai village, Guangxi)

25% of the mainland’s

surface water is unfit

for

industrialuse

water source

Upstream Zone

- unfair distribution of burden intra-basin disparity

- development restricted underdeveloped

- priorities “ecological compensation” supportive policies

Dongjiang River Basin

Dongjiang River

215

1,501

3,7115,9019,206

10,211

29,900

per capita GDPUS$ 2008

Dongjiang River Basin

Further Reading

• DongJiang Overload 2011 expedition report by Civic Exchange

Hong Kong Water Supply System

Water Gathering Grounds (HK)

Impounding Reservoir

Water Treatment

WorksPrimary Service

Reservoir

Service Reservoir

To ConsumersPumping

Station

Service Reservoir

Pumping Station

Consumers

Consumers

Raw Water From Dongjiang

seawater

SAVESPOTABLE

WATER

Service Reservoir

Consumers

Consumers

Hong Kong Sea Water Supply System

Pumping Station

Consumers

Consumers

Non-return Valve

Sea Level

Sea Wall

strategies

Every litre of water we use is a litre of waste water to be treated

Eliminate the requirement

Lower Consumption (duration)

Lower Consumption (flow rate)

Replacement, alternate source

wheel washing bay

duration - IR sensor

lower flow rate

WSD WELS

Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme

low flow rate

Case Study: ICAC Headquarters

Dual Flush WCwater tap c/w infrared sensor

Urinal c/w infrared sensor

rainwater harvesting

HKG Observatory Website 25 July 2012

Case Study – Rainwater IOffice Building Area 30m x 30m (sqm) 900

Plot Ratio 10

Office Building GFA (sqm) 9,000

Occupancy (person/sqm) 9

Total Occupants 1,000

Occupants M:F Ratio 1:1

Male WC usage 500

Female WC usage (no dual flush) 2,000

Total operations per day 2,500

Case Study – Rainwater II

CapacityRoof Area 30m x 30m (sqm) 900

Rainfall *(m) 0.1

Collection Volume (cubic metres) 90

Collection Volume (litres) 90,000

WC cistern capacity (litres) 7.5

Capacity (for flushing operations) 12,000

Days Storage 4.8

* 2 hours rainfall on 29-07-2010

Dual flushing devices

Villa by the Park

Rainwater Harvesting system

Rainwater Harvesting

• Not an Innovation

• Popular

• Relatively low cost and easy to implement

• Local re-use with on-site treatment

Rainwater Harvesting

Applications

– toilet flushing

– water feature make up

– irrigation

– cooling tower make-up

Rainwater Harvesting

Your simulation calculations should include the losses from First Flush

greywater

greywater

Common Greywater sources:

– Wash basins;

– Sinks, except kitchen;

– Showers;

– Baths;

– Washing machine rinse cycle;

– Condensate from AC systems;

greywater precautions

• greywater may contain chlorine, sodium and phosphorous from detergents

• AVOID direct application

greywater precautions

• Untreated greywater cant be stored because bacteria growth

greywater applications

Potential applications include:

Irrigation

Toilet flushing

Make-up for water features/ Cooling towers

Cleansing water – street cleaning, car washing

greywater treatment

greywater standards

• USEPA Guidelines for Water Reuse (Unrestricted Access)

• Dependant on type of Use

– Irrigation Toilet flushing

– Street cleaning

– Fire protection

– Landscape

– Recreational

• Water Quality Standard

– pH: 6-9BOD: 10mg/l

– No detectable Total coliform/100ml

– Cl2 residual: 1mg/l

– Turbidity: 2NTU

HKIA

Irrigation

Irrigation

BEAM encourages site greenery to improve the environment and microclimate, but we must consider the environmental impact:

– Water demand

– Species Selection

– Irrigation System

• Use alternate Water Source Greywater / Storm Water

– Fertilizer / Run off

Subterranean

irrigationPhoto from G Sky

Green = good?

Species

drought tolerant tree species include:

– Acacia baileyana (NSW provenance)

– Acacia melanoxylon (Victorian provenance)

– Casuarina cunninghamiana Brachychitonacerifolia (Flame Tree very similar in appearance to the Delonix regia in HK)

– Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Inland provenance)

– Eucalyptus citriodora Eucalyptus sideroxylon(Inland provenance)

Legionella

Legionella I

• Legionella is a natural bacteria found in lakes, rivers, steams, and ground water. It can cause:

• Mild flu like illness Pontiac Fever, or Logihead Fever and;

• Potentially fatal pneumonia illness known as Legionnaires' Disease;

Legionella II

• In man made water systems such as water heaters, cooling towers, given the right conditions it may breed;

• If atomised, in shower, cooling or other device it could be inhaled and cause infection;

Legionella III

• EMSD issued a revised code of practice 2012 (http://www.emsd.gov.hk)

Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme

WELS Overview

• WELS has been implemented in Australia, Singapore and U.K.

• Either voluntary or mandatory

• WELS in Hong Kong to be on voluntary basis

• WELS to be implemented in phases for different groups of products

• First product: “Showers for Bathing”

• Refer to WSD website for details

WELS Objectives

• To provide consumers with information on the levels of water consumption and efficiency ratings of plumbing fixtures and water-consuming appliances

• To facilitate consumers to select water efficient plumbing fixtures and appliances

• To promote public awareness on water conservation and efficiency issues

• To achieve actual water saving

Quality Water Recognition Scheme for Buildings

Criteria

– inspection every 3 months by engineers, licensed

– plumbers and is found to be in good physical condition.

– any defects promptly rectified

– water tanks cleaned every 3 months.

– Water sampled once a year for new application or once every two years for renewal application.

Acknowledgement

Photographs and Materials generously donated by:

– Water Services Department

– Prof. Carlos Lo, Polytechnic University

– Mr. John Herbert, Kelcroft

– Luciana Wong, LNS

bibliography1. Guidelines For Drinking Water Quality, WHO 2006 - link 2. ISO 5667 - Water Quality Testing - link 3. GB 3838-83 - Environmental Quality Standard for Surface Water, PRC 4. WSD ACQWS Fresh Water Plumbing Maintenance Guide - link 5. WSD ACQWS Paper No. 5. - Raw Water Quality Monitoring in Hong Kong - link 6. WSD ACQWS Paper No. 14 - Treated Effluent Reuse at Ngong Ping - link 7. WSD Annual Report - link 8. WSD Hong Kong Waterworks Standards for Plumbing Installations in Buildings - link 9. GA RCED-00-23. Water Infrastructure. Water-Efficient Plumbing Fixtures Reduce Water Consumption and Wastewater

Flows, USGAO. Report to Congressional Requester, August 2000.- link 10. Sustainable retail premises: an environmental guide to design, refurbishment and management of retail premises, Prior J,

BRE - link 11. APP-004 - Water Supply and Wells (formerly PNAP 17) - link 12. APP-105 - Water Seepage (formerly PNAP 230) - link 13. APP-099 - Flushing Volume for Flushing Cisterns (formerly PNAP 220) - link 14. APP-006 - Shops and Department Stores - Building (Standards of Sanitary Fitments, Plumbing, Drainage Works and

Latrines) Regulation 5 (formerly PNAP 41) - link 15. 13034/1 Greywater and Rainwater Systems: Recommended UK Requirements, Report, March 1997, BSRIA - link 16. The Building Services Research and Information Association, Final Report 13034/1, March 1997- 17. Water and Energy Conservation of Rainwater Collection Systems on Building Roofs, Advances in Building Technology, Vol.

2. Elsevier. 2002. pp 1281-1288 by Yang H X, Chow W H, Burnett J. 18. Cap 102 - Waterworks Regulations - link 19. Cap 123 - Building Regulations - link 20. Cap 358 - Water Pollution Control Ordinance - link 21. WSD Handbook on Plumbing Installation - link 22. ArchSD Study On Green Roof Application In Hong Kong - link 23. Dongjiang Water Quality (April 2009 - March 2010) - link 24. WSD Quality Water Recognition Scheme for Buildings - link 25. WSD Voluntary Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme on Showers for Bathing - link 26. Code of Practice for Water-cooled Air Conditioning System - link 27. Prevention of Legionnaires’ Disease Code of Practice, 2007 - link

By

Mr. John A. HerbertDirector Kelcroft E&M LimitedWebsite: www.kelcroft.com.hk email: info@kelcroft.com.hk

25 July 2012