Posts Tagged ‘Conservation’
It’s always good to see cities planning ahead, especially in terms of drought management. Metro Nashville is no exception. On their home page, you will find a draft of their Drought Management Plan, a multi-staged approach to conserving water during especially long dry spells.
This plan advises everything from watering your lawn in the mornings to more aggressive measures like adding a 300% surcharge to the price of water. Reading through the plan, I was glad to see that “public education will continue year-round to promote the wise use and conservation of water.”
As part of this education, I would argue that we need to offer incentives and rebates to encourage people to conserve water. Rainwater harvesting and gray water recycling are just two ways that people can cut their water consumption by 35% or more. After all, the less water we use today the more water we will have tomorrow, come rain or shine.
There’s something about the acoustics of a shower that magnifies raw singing talent and washes away inhibitions. Every morning American Idol rejects all across the country turn into Beyonce or Bono as soon as the water starts to flow.
If you’re going to sing in the shower, try to pick a song like “She Loves You” by The Beatles, not “Terrapin Station” by The Grateful Dead Live from The Garden ‘91. That’s because, when it comes to water conservation, a two-minute pop song is better than a slow, sandwich-laden jam session complete with musical guests and a laser light show.
The graph above (click to enlarge) shows just how much water goes down the drain during a typical shower. The numbers vary, of course, depending on the efficiency of your showerhead. And your musical aspirations.
For more information, visit the Alliance for Water Efficiency.
In addition to drought, population growth is one of the greatest reasons for water shortages in this country. Metro Nashville and the ten surrounding counties (commonly called the Cumberland Region) have experienced tremendous growth since 1960.
According to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), the greater Nashville area will have a population of over 2.3 million by 2030—in comparison to Nashville’s 1.6 million population today.
Offering incentives for residents to conserve water will hopefully be an integral part of the city’s urban planning. If not, where will this water come from? What happens if Tennessee is hit by another serious drought? Shouldn’t we answer these questions before the proverbial well runs dry?
As I talk with folks in Tennessee about rainwater harvesting, I’m noticing that everyone handles rainwater a little differently. Some people don’t treat the rainwater at all, while others bring it to a standard equivalent to potable water. So I’m here to explain how our rainwater systems work, and why we do things the way we do.
As rain falls on a building’s roof, the rain is usually soft, clear and free of microorganisms. During collection and storage, however, there is a potential for microbiological contamination. This contamination can come from a number of sources, including fecal matter from birds, squirrels, mice and other critters. Even leaf litter, if kept damp for long enough, can turn the water in your tank a little funky.
So how should you handle rainwater capture?
In my last post, I praised Chattanooga’s Climate Action Plan. Today’s post will examine how the city is encouraging smarter stormwater management by offering commercial developers incentives to harvest rainwater.
Like most cities, stormwater runoff is a problem in Chattanooga. After heavy rains, water collects on impervious pavements, like parking lots and driveways, and floods the storm sewers. Along the way, the water collects motor oil, pesticides, cigarette butts, gum wrappers and anything else that happens to be on the ground, sweeping all pollutants into the nearest lake, river or stream.
The city’s Water Quality Fee covers the costs to manage and reduce these pollutants. So in order to make everyone’s life a little easier, the good folks at the Public Works department have put together a number of incentives to encourage better runoff management and to help you save money on your annual Water Quality Fee.
If you own a commercial property, our rainwater systems can earn you a credit (as much as 75% in the first year and 50% thereafter) for capturing, storing, treating and redistributing the water. By doing so, you are helping to protect Chattanooga’s water supply. And, oh yeah, you are putting money back in your pocket too.
For a complete list of credits, go here. For a free rainwater system quote, go here. Once you provide us with your project specifications, we can make an accurate system recommendation. Heck, we’ll even help you complete those pesky government forms.
