Facility Water Conservation Essential During Droughts

As the Western United States struggles with an ongoing drought, facilities are looking for ways to help conserve water. Common suggestions include installing aerated faucets which provide a reduced water flow and installing water-conserving restroom fixtures such as waterless urinals and high-efficiency toilets.

Many companies such as W.W. Grainger Inc., are sharing their tips for reducing water consumption and using this precious resource more efficiently. Some suggestions include methods for increasing employee awareness, such as:

• Posting signage encouraging water conservation in kitchens, locker rooms, and restrooms
• Assigning an employee to determine and monitor the quantity and purpose of water use and to identify water waste
• Offering incentives to employees who brainstorm and provide suggestions on new water conservation methods.

Waterless Co Inc., a manufacturer of waterless urinal systems, released a list of steps building owners and managers can take:  

• Create a building water policy that includes a water-reducing mission statement, a list of targets and objectives, an action framework, and a list of milestones indicating progress.

• Turn building users into water stakeholders by helping them understand how their habits may needlessly increase water use. These habits may include unnecessarily leaving faucets on or flushing waste down the toilet.
• Post graphs in buildings indicating how much water is currently being used along with goals for the next three, six months, and 12 months.
• Check water meters every week to find trends, changes, and spikes. This allows building managers to catch a leak before it becomes serious.