We all know that water and energy are linked—and now the water cost of energy usage is finally getting some much-needed attention. According to a report conducted last year by River Network entitled “The Carbon Footprint of Water”, 13% of the country’s energy consumption is used on collecting, treating, and distributing water. More startling than that statistic (which, let’s be honest, is not all that surprising to those of us concerned with water efficiency and conservation) is the fact that in the run up to the Copenhagen climate conference in 2009, water issues were initially absent from the conference’s draft negotiating text.
The US Government Accountability office estimates that by 2013, 36 states will experience moderate to extreme water shortages. Of course, out here in California we are well versed in drought conditions, brown lawns, low-flow fixtures, and water rationing. There have been many successfully public information programs sponsored by water purveyors throughout the country that have made citizens more conservation conscious, but there is much to be done: especially for the tangential (or hidden) sources of water consumption—like energy generation and distribution.
Both the passage of the Energy and Water Research Integration Act and the establishment of the Energy-Water Architecture Council mark a turning point in effort to give water a seat at the energy table. And the WaterSMART initiative, signed into law by US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, pushes the effort further by setting up a program of mapping and measuring the water consumption of different energy sources.
Nevertheless, the continued absence of any awareness or discussion of the impact and importance of water in terms of environmental protection, climate change, “sustainability,” and, even, green building is frustrating. No doubt, the apparent invisibility of water within the context of the “green movement” is due, in part, to the fact that in the developed world, clean safe water is cheap and easy to come by.
The 1.2 billion people around the world who lack access to safe drinking water no doubt wish that the rich, industrialized nations that consume the most water would keep a watchful, conscientious eye on this scarce resource.
An important part of water resource management involves understanding not just how much water you have, but where that water is going. It’s unlikely that most people really understand that it takes a lot of water to generate electricity, and that—conversely—it takes a lot of electricity to deliver that water that flows so easily out of your tap. When you start to think about the energy and resources involved in activities and products that occur far from the faucet, it only takes a few moments to grasp just how much water is imbedded in everything we do, everything we eat, and every product we make or buy.