For Correctional Facility Administrators: Understanding Water- Demand Management

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By Klaus Reichardt

Published: 12/16/2013

Many believe that some traditionally water-rich areas of the United States— indeed the world—are now experiencing water shortages due to climate change. Whatever the reason for shortages, the world’s population continues to grow faster than ever before, placing greater demand on water resources. For correctional facilities specifically, most administrators and government officials assume there population growth will grow as well in years to come.

To address the increased call for water, communities in the United States and around the globe have two main options:

They can find more sources of water or ways to distribute from water- rich areas to those with water shortages.
They can find ways to manage water more efficiently, typically referred to as a “water-demand-management” strategy.

As to finding more sources of water or ways to distribute it more efficiently, governments that decide to build new dams, reservoirs, or pipelines often find that their plans are met with a public outcry. Within time, they set often aside proposals.

For instance, while the 75-year-old Hoover Dam has helped distribute water more effectively in some Western States and generated reliable electricity for Nevada, Southern California, along with creating thousands of jobs during the Great Depression, it is unlikely such a massive project would ever be built today. Not only might the costs be prohibitive, but by most standards, it simply would not pass today’s environmental guidelines.

That leaves us with the second option: a water-demand-management program. Fortunately, over the long term, this will be the greener and most sustainable option and a program that can be implemented in correctional facilities as well. While water-demand-management strategies have different specifics, the gist is the implementation of policies by a water utility or government entity designed to have all community members use water more efficiently. Key components of a water-demand-management program include the following:

Cost-reflective pricing. Traditionally, in the United States and other areas around the globe, the cost of water does not reflect the true costs for a utility to acquire, store, treat, and deliver it. Having the cost of water more closely reflecting its actual costs, even though it may mean water costs will rise significantly, is a key part of the program and may also result in the most benefits.
Effective water-metering systems. Tracking water use by all consumers—including correctional facilities—will make it clear exactly who is using water, where it is used, and how much.
Communication. An effective communication program clearly explains why a water-demand-management strategy is being implemented and what it means for the consumer.
Regulatory measures. While new regulations are often unwelcome by many Americans, when it comes to water, some may be needed in order to address the growing demand. However, the impact of these regulations may prove relatively minor in time. For instance, regulations regarding the amount of water that can be used to flush a toilet or requirements such as those in Arizona that require only waterless urinals be installed in some state buildings are now generally accepted with little or no user complaint.

Cost Concerns and Benefits The fact that water has been underpriced for decades has made it difficult for utilities to charge more for it and is one reason most consumers have made little effort to use it more responsibly. But rates are going up significantly. Part of this is basic economics: Anything scarce can typically demand a higher cost. Along with this, many communities have no choice but to upgrade water infrasture, which in some cases has not been upgraded in decades.

However, we are also finding that more accurate and cost-reflective water pricing has resulted in incentives and new technologies to use water more efficiently. We see this most prominently in the development of new restroom and locker room fixture technologies.

In most correctional facilities, more water is used in restrooms than in any other area of the facility. Whereas all toilets now marketed in the United States must use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush, many systems have been developed in just the past few years that use far less than this. The rising cost of water and its scarcity have helped make this happen.

The Long Term Typically, when consumers are asked to conserve water, it is to address a temporary water shortage, one that might last a few months or a few years. The thinking is that eventually rainfall amounts will return to normal and conservation efforts will no longer be needed.

A water-demand-management program, on the other hand, is not designed to be a short-term program. All the key elements of a water-demand- management program mentioned earlier—cost-reflective pricing, effective metering, a communications strategy, and regulatory measures—are long- term measures to help consumers use water more efficiently. This is the most viable option we have for addressing today’s water needs and the much greater needs of tomorrow.

A frequent speaker and author on water conservation and water efficiency issues, Klaus Reichardt is founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc, Vista, CA, makers of no-water urinal systems and other restroom products.

Comments:

totallackey on 12/19/2013:
This resource, along with oil, has suffered enough from the doom and gloom reporting. All this article achieves is the promotion of an attitude that a dollar is somehow worth more than a human being.

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