Strategic Conservation
“Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”–Anonymous
Whether you like it or not, we are in the middle of a water crisis. You can blame it on climate change, aging infrastructure, or green-lawn addicts; whichever devil you choose, the outcome is still the same: a diminishing supply struggling to meet an ever-growing demand.
What we need is a plan.
It’s not a stretch to align planning with efficiency. Both call for using resources wisely and preparing for future occurrences. Both require study, reasoning, and conscientious action. You really can’t have one without the other, so Water Efficiency could just as easily be called Water Planning.
One integral aspect of planning involves analysis of all available information. You can’t decide what to do until you know the facts. When it comes to managing our water resources, data are king. How much water do we have? How much water are we using? How much water are we losing? How much will it cost to fix the system?
And those are the easy questions! Their answers will undoubtedly provoke another volley of complex queries. For example, if customer billing is your primary source of funding, then reducing water waste will result in lower bills and a revenue decrease. With less money coming in, infrastructure improvements may be stalled indefinitely. Without those improvements, you’re looking at a future deterioration that could wipe out all the gains you’ve made fixing those old leaky pipes in the first place.
It’s your classic Catch-22.
So how do we solve our water problems? Asking the right questions is a good place to start. How do you know what the “right” questions are? Look at what your partners in arms are asking. What are other utility managers concerned about? What complaints do your customers have? What issues are hot topics for the talking heads and politicians crowding our airwaves?
The answers will follow. Sometimes the solution will be easy. If your community worries about leaks, fix them.
Unfortunately, other solutions may be a little complex.
We’ve all heard the old adages about planning ahead, but I’m willing to bet most of us throw caution to the wind and ignore the directions that come in the box or pull out the duct tape whenever a hasty repair is needed. More often than not, lack of advanced planning does not lead to catastrophe, but solving our water crisis will take a lot more than duct tape and an inner compass.
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In order to rehabilitate our aging infrastructure, we need cold, hard cash. In order to eliminate water waste, we need system-wide, state-of-the-art leak detection. In order to diminish the amount of water we use and increase efficiency in the way we use it, we need widespread customer education and community support. We need money. We need research and development. We need leaders. We need visionaries.
Many resources exist to help you along the way, including this magazine. In our pages you’ll find success stories that will inspire you. You’ll learn about the changes that worked and those that didn’t—not only in this country but also around the globe. And you’ll hear, firsthand, what’s on the minds of your colleagues. With Water Efficiency as your guide, you can confidently initiate projects and programs because you’ll know you’ve got the facts and the figures necessary for success.
November-December 2007
Strategic Conservation
“Bad planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.”–Anonymous
Whether you like it or not, we are in the middle of a water crisis. You can blame it on climate change, aging infrastructure, or green-lawn addicts; whichever devil you choose, the outcome is still the same: a diminishing supply struggling to meet an ever-growing demand.
What we need is a plan.
It’s not a stretch to align planning with efficiency. Both call for using resources wisely and preparing for future occurrences. Both require study, reasoning, and conscientious action. You really can’t have one without the other, so Water Efficiency could just as easily be called Water Planning.
One integral aspect of planning involves analysis of all available information. You can’t decide what to do until you know the facts. When it comes to managing our water resources, data are king. How much water do we have? How much water are we using? How much water are we losing? How much will it cost to fix the system?
And those are the easy questions! Their answers will undoubtedly provoke another volley of complex queries. For example, if customer billing is your primary source of funding, then reducing water waste will result in lower bills and a revenue decrease. With less money coming in, infrastructure improvements may be stalled indefinitely. Without those improvements, you’re looking at a future deterioration that could wipe out all the gains you’ve made fixing those old leaky pipes in the first place.
It’s your classic Catch-22.
So how do we solve our water problems? Asking the right questions is a good place to start. How do you know what the “right” questions are? Look at what your partners in arms are asking. What are other utility managers concerned about? What complaints do your customers have? What issues are hot topics for the talking heads and politicians crowding our airwaves?
The answers will follow. Sometimes the solution will be easy. If your community worries about leaks, fix them.
Unfortunately, other solutions may be a little complex.
We’ve all heard the old adages about planning ahead, but I’m willing to bet most of us throw caution to the wind and ignore the directions that come in the box or pull out the duct tape whenever a hasty repair is needed. More often than not, lack of advanced planning does not lead to catastrophe, but solving our water crisis will take a lot more than duct tape and an inner compass.
In order to rehabilitate our aging infrastructure, we need cold, hard cash. In order to eliminate water waste, we need system-wide, state-of-the-art leak detection. In order to diminish the amount of water we use and increase efficiency in the way we use it, we need widespread customer education and community support. We need money. We need research and development. We need leaders. We need visionaries.
Many resources exist to help you along the way, including this magazine. In our pages you’ll find success stories that will inspire you. You’ll learn about the changes that worked and those that didn’t—not only in this country but also around the globe. And you’ll hear, firsthand, what’s on the minds of your colleagues. With Water Efficiency as your guide, you can confidently initiate projects and programs because you’ll know you’ve got the facts and the figures necessary for success.