Solutions for Water Use

Seattle, WA (1/20/10) -  McKinstry strives daily to live up to its reputation as a national model for how a business can integrate sustainability into every aspect of its operations.

From LEED Gold facilities to providing important thought-leadership on creating jobs for the burgeoning clean energy economy, McKinstry has been on the cutting edge of the sustainability revolution.
 
Certified Green Plumbers

Now, the service arm of this Seattle company is taking it one step further, arming its plumbers and pipefitters with GreenPlumbers Accreditation. To become certified GreenPlumbers, candidates must undergo 32-hours of training in such subjects as climate and water care, solar hot water, water efficient technologies, and more.
 
In this challenging economy, homeowners are looking for innovative, cost effective ways to save energy and protect their assets. GreenPlumbers certification represents one more avenue for McKinstry to deliver the quality of service that saves clients energy and money, while earning their continued loyalty and satisfaction.
 
"The GreenPlumbers training provides our plumbers with the necessary tools and resources to present multiple solutions to help our clients save water, energy and money," states Bob Frey, McKinstry's VP of Service.
 
The GreenPlumbers program is a partner of the EPA WaterSense program, Alliance for Water Efficiency, the California Center for Sustainable Energy, the California Urban Water Conservation Council, as well as other industry leaders that share its mission of bringing environmental training to plumbers. More information about GreenPlumbers can be found at www.greenplumbersusa.com.
 

Desalination of salt water and brackish water is becoming a critical issue as inland lakes and ponds suffer from droughts and water relocation projects.

Ecosystems suffer first. Terminus lakes could benefit from a new desalination system being developed at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Terminus lakes are located in closed-basin regions where there is no outflow for the water and a high evaporation rate, leaving a high concentration of minerals and salts.

This new, low cost way to desalinate water uses a specialized low-cost solar pond and patented membrane distillation system powered by renewable energy.

Hundreds of terminus lakes worldwide such as the Great Salt Lake, the Salton Sea in California, the Aral Sea and Nevada's  Walker Lake are experiencing a decline in water levels and an increase in salinity from both human and natural processes," says Francisco Suarez, a doctoral student in hydrological sciences.

Suarez is developing an artificial salt-gradient stratification process that traps solar heat at the bottom of the solar pond and uses the collected energy to power the membrane distillation system recently patented by the University. The hot brine in the lower storage zone of the pond, which can reach temperatures greater than 195 degrees Fahrenheit, may be used directly for heating, thermal desalination, or for other low-temperature thermal applications.

The process has been highly successful in the lab in a small-scale experiment using a 400-gallon tank, where dissolved solids and precise fiber-optic temperature sensing are being used to track the process as it desalinates the water. The next step for Suarez and the research group is to build a pilot-project, demonstration-scale, low-temperature desalination system in an open environment.

This desalination system is designed to help sustain the ecosystems of these closed-basin regions.

Read more about this desalination system at the University of Nevada

Humans pee! Yep, and a lot.

And wastewater treatment has become BIG systems. But the story isn't a simple one. Sewer treatment is necessary because our urine collects all the waste chemicals from our medications and foods and drinks...and it goes back into our water system. Those New Yorkers are innovative! They are developing an open source innovation project that is crowd sourced to develop ideas on how to turn pee into hydroponic farming fertilizer.

To learn more about urban agriculture ... which doesn't require pee, here's an introduction to Window Farms and urban agriculture for food production.

Stormwater runoff in urban and suburban areas is one of the leading sources of water pollution in the United States. Runoff can cause increased flooding and erosion and more pollution to surface waters.

EPA is using sustainable techniques for reducing the effects of stormwater runoff at its facilities, such as installing a 3,000 square foot green roof as well as using rain gardens and cisterns to capture and reuse stormwater.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued guidance to help federal agencies minimize the impact of federal development projects on nearby water bodies. The guidance is being issued in response to a change in law and an Executive Order signed by President Obama, which calls upon all federal agencies to lead by example to address a wide range of environmental issues, including stormwater runoff.

Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Water said, "By taking these steps to create more sustainable facilities, federal agencies can lead by example in reducing impacts in the local watershed."

EPA worked closely with other federal agencies to develop this document, which provides background information, key definitions, case studies and guidance on meeting the new requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.

Under the new requirements, federal agencies must minimize stormwater runoff from federal development projects to protect water resources.

Federal agencies can comply using a variety of stormwater management practices often referred to as "green infrastructure" or "low impact development" practices, including reducing impervious surfaces, using vegetative practices, using porous pavements and installing green roofs.

More information on the guidance: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/section438/

Did you know... 65% of new impervious cover can be classified as car habitat!

What is "car habitat"?  

"...the geometry of roads, parking lots, sidewalks, cul-de-sacs and other new development infrastructure."  That's car habitat.

Local development codes enforce how much impervious surface is allowed.  They take into consideration how water drains and is absorbed by local soil conditions, as well as the level of development already affecting the watershed.

Better site design can reduce flooding by improving absorption of heavy water deluges into nature's groundwater infrastructure.  Snowpack might be nature's LARGEST water reservoir, but groundwater is also a very valuable service provided by nature in lowlands. 

Better Site Design (BSD), can include greater use of

• swales
• relaxed lot geometry
• natural area conservation
• open-space subdivisions
• pervious paving
• and other site design techniques

Several dozen communities across the country have changed their local codes and ordinances to promote BSD through a roundtable process to gain consensus among development stakeholders.

Better Site Design Can Reduce Development Costs

The strength of the BSD approach is that numerous modeling studies have demonstrated it can reduce impervious cover, pollutants and development costs by as much as 10 to 40% at individual development sites.

The weakness of BSD is that it lacks a watershed context and therefore reductions in site IC may be not be enough to meet subwatershed objectives.

SOURCE:
Chesapeake Stormwater Network, CSN Technical Bulletin No. 3, "Implications of the Impervious Cover Model".

December 2, 2009 --  New home water heater efficiency standards proposed by the Obama Administration will save energy and money for U.S. households and reduce global warming and other harmful emissions; but they fall short of their potential according to a broad coalition of energy-efficiency, consumer and environmental organizations. 

"This proposal captures significant and cost-effective energy savings from conventional water heater technologies, but it does little to advance new technologies which can provide much larger energy and economic savings,"  according to Steven Nadel, Executive Director, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The new standards will affect the nine million new residential water heaters sold every year, which account for an estimated 20 percent of the typical home's energy use. 

DOE's analysis shows that the proposed new standards can be met with modest changes such as adding more insulation to today's conventional tank style water heaters.

The technology is here...where's the will?

But by failing to require even a partial transition to next-generation technologies - condensing gas water heaters and electric heat pump water heaters - the proposed standards leave huge potential energy savings on the table.

"Big energy savings sometimes requires big changes in technology," said Andrew deLaski, Executive Director, Appliance Standards Awareness Project.  "We're disappointed that the Obama Administration has shied away from making even a modest first step to transition America to the most efficient types of water heaters."

Proposed Water Heater Standards

DOE estimates that the proposed standards would save 2.6 quads of energy over 30 years (for comparison, a quad is enough energy to meet the total needs of about 5 million typical U.S. households for one year). 

Over the same period, consumers would save about $15.6 billion and carbon dioxide emissions would be cut by 154 million metric tons. 

But a standard that required the more energy-efficient condensing gas and electric heat pump water heaters would increase savings more than 6X, to nearly 17 quads, save consumers $48 billion and reduce CO2 emissions by 965 million metric tons. 

But DOE concludes that such a shift, which would require complete retooling by the water heater industry and entail big increases in upfront costs for some consumers, would be too disruptive.  A middle ground standard would require the use of the newer, more efficient advanced technologies for only water heaters larger than 55 gallons, which represent 4 percent and 11 percent of the gas and electric water heater markets, respectively.

That middle ground standard would save 3.7 quads, save consumers $22 billion and reduce CO2 emissions by 217 million metric tons.     

"We agree that it's too early to mandate next generation technologies for the entire water heater market," said Nadel.

"But if DOE required this shift for the very biggest water heaters, the energy, economic, and CO2 savings would increase by about 40 percent compared to the department's proposal. That would also pave the way for a longer term transition to the best, advanced technologies, which is where the biggest savings can be found."

Next Generation: Condensing and heat pump technologies

Condensing and heat pump technologies are common in space heating but have only a toehold so far in the water heater market.

About one-third of U.S. furnace sales are of condensing products, and about 8 percent of U.S homes are warmed with heat pumps.

Major water heater companies are working to bring condensing and heat pump technologies to the water heater market.

"Consumers need to be able to buy the most efficient appliances that save them money over the long run," according to Mel Hall-Crawford, Energy Projects Director for the Consumer Federation of America.

Water heaters represent a big portion of the energy costs for a typical home and last between 10 and 15 years.

The energy consuming characteristics of buildings will take on greater importance in determining their market value in the years ahead. It's really important for the department to issue a standard that gives consumers as much savings as possible on this product that plays such a large part in determining household energy bills and has such a long life span.  The DOE needs to do better than the proposed rule."

"People don't usually think of the costs of taking a hot shower, but options already exist to save on energy and water," said Lane Burt, Manager of Building Energy Policy at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Unfortunately, this proposed standard fails to maximize consumer savings.

Water heating is responsible for a fifth of all household energy use

"The proposed water heater standards pass up the chance to move technology forward," said Tim Ballo, attorney with Earthjustice. "Water heating is responsible for a fifth of all household energy use, and there are technologies available today that are vastly more efficient than the levels DOE proposed. We're sure that DOE can do better, and we'll be urging the department to reconsider these standards."

"With President Obama about to go to Copenhagen, one of the best ways to show American leadership would be for his administration to embrace new, energy-saving technologies that will create jobs and reduce CO2 emissions," said Callahan. "The United States could be the international leader in advanced water heater technology, and improved standards can help foster that transition."

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing energy efficiency as a means of promoting economic prosperity, energy security, and environmental protection. ACEEE was involved in the legislation establishing federal efficiency standards, and has been active in all rulemakings since then.    www.aceee.org.

The Appliance Standards Awareness Project is dedicated to increasing awareness of and support for cost-effective appliance and equipment efficiency standards.   See standardsASAP.org.

The Alliance to Save Energy is a coalition of prominent business, government, environmental and consumer leaders who promote the efficient and clean use of energy worldwide to benefit consumers, the environment, the economy and national security.   www.ase.org

The Consumer Federation of America is a nonprofit association of over 280 pro-consumer groups founded in 1968 to advance consumers' interests through research, advocacy and education.  www.cfa.org

Earthjustice is a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth and to defending the right of all people to a healthy environment.   www.earthjustice.org

The Natural Resources Defense Council is a national, nonprofit organization of scientists, lawyers and environmental specialists dedicated to protecting public health and the environment. www.nrdc.org

In combination with moving down the food chain to eat fewer livestock products, reducing the food miles in our diets can dramatically reduce energy use in the food economy.

In the United States, there has been a surge of interest in eating fresh local foods, corresponding with mounting concerns about the climate effects of consuming food from distant places and about the obesity and other health problems associated with junk food diets. This is reflected in the rise in urban gardening, school gardening, and farmers' markets.

With the fast-growing local foods movement, diets are becoming more locally shaped and more seasonal. In a typical supermarket in an industrial country today it is often difficult to tell what season it is because the store tries to make everything available on a year-round basis. As oil prices rise, this will become less common. In essence, a reduction in the use of oil to transport food over long distances--whether by plane, truck, or ship--will also localize the food economy.

This trend toward localization is reflected in the recent rise in the number of farms in the United States, which may be the reversal of a century-long trend of farm consolidation. Between the agricultural census of 2002 and that of 2007, the number of farms in the United States increased by 4 percent to roughly 2.2 million. The new farms were mostly small, many of them operated by women, whose numbers in farming jumped from 238,000 in 2002 to 306,000 in 2007, a rise of nearly 30 percent.

Many of the new farms cater to local markets. Some produce fresh fruits and vegetables exclusively for farmers' markets or for their own roadside stands. Others produce specialized products, such as the goat farms that produce milk, cheese, and meat or the farms that grow flowers or wood for fireplaces. Others specialize in organic food. The number of organic farms in the United States jumped from 12,000 in 2002 to 18,200 in 2007, increasing by half in five years.

Gardening was given a big boost in the spring of 2009 when U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama worked with children from a local school to dig up a piece of lawn by the White House to start a vegetable garden. There was a precedent. Eleanor Roosevelt planted a White House victory garden during World War II. Her initiative encouraged millions of victory gardens that eventually grew 40 percent of the nation's fresh produce.

Although it was much easier to expand home gardening during World War II, when the United States was largely a rural society, there is still a huge gardening potential--given that the grass lawns surrounding U.S. residences collectively cover some 18 million acres. Converting even a small share of this to fresh vegetables and fruit trees could make an important contribution to improving nutrition.

Many cities and small towns in the United States and England are creating community gardens that can be used by those who would otherwise not have access to land for gardening. Providing space for community gardens is seen by many local governments as an essential service, like providing playgrounds for children or tennis courts and other sport facilities.

Many market outlets are opening up for local produce. Perhaps the best known of these are the farmers' markets where local farmers bring their produce for sale. In the United States, the number of these markets increased from 1,755 in 1994 to more than 4,700 in mid-2009, nearly tripling over 15 years. Farmers' markets reestablish personal ties between producers and consumers that do not exist in the impersonal confines of the supermarket. Many farmers' markets also now take food stamps, giving low-income consumers access to fresh produce that they might not otherwise be able to afford. With so many trends now boosting interest in these markets, their numbers may grow even faster in the future.

In school gardens, children learn how food is produced, a skill often lacking in urban settings, and they may get their first taste of freshly picked peas or vine-ripened tomatoes. School gardens also provide fresh produce for school lunches. California, a leader in this area, has 6,000 school gardens.

Many schools and universities are now making a point of buying local food because it is fresher, tastier, and more nutritious and it fits into new campus greening programs. Some universities compost kitchen and cafeteria food waste and make the compost available to the farmers who supply them with fresh produce.

Supermarkets are increasingly contracting with local farmers during the season when locally grown produce is available. Upscale restaurants emphasize locally grown food on their menus. In some cases, year-round food markets are evolving that market just locally produced foods, including not only fruit and vegetables but also meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and other farm products.

Food from more distant locations boosts carbon emissions while losing flavor and nutrition. A survey of food consumed in Iowa showed conventional produce traveled on average 1,500 miles, not including food imported from other countries. In contrast, locally grown produce traveled on average 56 miles--a huge difference in fuel investment. And a study in Ontario, Canada, found that 58 imported foods traveled an average of 2,800 miles. Simply put, consumers are worried about food security in a long-distance food economy. This trend has led to a new term: locavore, complementing the better known terms herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore.

Concerns about the climate effects of consuming food transported from distant locations has also led Tesco, the leading U.K. supermarket chain, to label products with their carbon footprint--indicating the greenhouse gas contribution of food items from the farm to supermarket shelf. Sweden is a recent pioneer in labeling food with its carbon footprint along with nutritional facts.

As agriculture localizes, livestock production will likely start to shift away from mega-sized cattle, hog, and poultry feeding operations. The shift from factory farm production of milk, meat, and eggs by returning to mixed crop-livestock operations facilitates nutrient recycling as local farmers return livestock manure to the land. The combination of high prices of natural gas, which is used to make nitrogen fertilizer, and of phosphate, as reserves are depleted, suggests a much greater future emphasis on nutrient recycling--an area where small farmers producing for local markets have a distinct advantage over massive feeding operations.

As world food insecurity mounts, more and more people will be looking to produce some of their own food in backyards, in front yards, on rooftops, in community gardens, and elsewhere, further contributing to the localization of agriculture.

RESOURCE:

Adapted from Chapter 9, "Feeding Eight Billion People Well," in Lester R. Brown, Plan B 4.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009), available on-line at www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb4

Additional data and information sources at www.earthpolicy.org

Spiders that live near water may be an effective warning system for contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, according to a new USGS and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study.

PCB Contamination in Aquatic Habitat

Scientists examined PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) levels in shoreline-living spiders at Lake Hartwell, a Superfund site in South Carolina, and used this information to map contaminant concentrations in lake sediment.

Future monitoring studies will use the spiders as indicators of ecosystem recovery from PCB contamination.

Researchers also made risk maps for a spider-eating bird, the Carolina wren, which could be exposed to PCBs through eating spiders. These spiders rely heavily on adult aquatic insects for food and play a key ecological role in the transfer of contaminants between water and land ecosystems. In spite of this, they are underused as a sentinel species at contaminated sediment sites.

This study, "Using riparian spiders as sentinels of PCB export and risk" was conducted by USGS at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and the EPA.  

Wading through the sources of lake contamination

Contamination of urban lakes and streams by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widespread and has been increasing over the last 40 years in the United States.

PAHs are Toxic to Fish Humans and Other Organisms

These PAHs can be toxic to bottom-dwelling organisms, can cause tumors in fish, and several are believed to cause cancer in humans. 

In this study, researchers examined five sources of PAHs in 40 urban lakes from across the United States, including coal-tar-based pavement sealcoat, coal combustion, oil combustion, vehicle emissions and wood combustion.

Sealcoat Contributes to PAH Contamination

Of the five sources studied, sealcoat was the strongest contributor to PAH contamination in lake sediment. This research can help those trying to reduce pollution levels in the urban environment by providing them with a better understanding of PAH sources. 

This study, "Sources of PAHs to urban lakes in the United States," was conducted by USGS at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemist  

The Imperial Highway Sunken Median Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMP) project

By Carolyn Allen, Editor

I drive by the Imperial Highway project almost daily, and watched this biofiltration system being constructed. Cool! Here are more details about how it filters urban runoff from residential and industrial areas that has been draining into the Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It is one more way to protect the fragile habitat and wildlife ecosystem under stress in the Bay.

Sunken Median Stormwater Diversion

This urban street median stormwater project is located on Imperial Highway between Pershing Drive and Main Street in El Segundo, CA. It is in a highly traveled street that divides LAX Airport and the residential neighborhoods of El Segundo. It also leads directly to Santa Monica Bay and the Pacific Ocean...just down the street.

Los Angeles and El Segundo reduce pollutants to Santa Monica Bay with Biofiltration System.

Biofiltration System of Vegetated Swales and Trench

The stormwater runoff project installed a biofiltration system comprised of vegetated swales and an infiltration trench that will collect runoff from a 7.5-acre area and remove bacteria, oil, trash and suspended solids from stormwater that would otherwise be discharged to Santa Monica Bay. Shrubs and trees were also planted in the project area, and an automated irrigation system that uses recycled water was installed.