Two years after California celebrated the end of its last serious drought, we are now amid another. The State’s 1,500 reservoirs are only at 50% capacity, and local agencies are beginning to issue water restrictions. Because facilities of all types use tremendous amounts of water, we wanted to share top ways any facility can reduce water consumption.
Outdoor Leak Detection
From a cost perspective, leak detection and repair are top priorities in water conservation. A small irrigation leak can go undetected for months and cause tremendous water damage and costs. For example, a leak the width of a dime in an underground sprinkler line can waste 6,300 gallons of water per month. A leak near one sprinkler head can lose about 225 gallons during one 15-minute watering cycle. If the system runs three times per week, it can result in about 3,000 gallons of water per month. The magnitude gets multiplied when it’s a community irrigation system or commercial-size system.
- Use a submetered irrigation system to monitor usage
- Look for broken sprinkler heads and test each sprinkling zone for reduced water pressure, which can be a sign of below-ground leaks.
Indoor Leaks
A typical small leak, such as a faucet, may seem like a low priority on the long list of jobs that must be done in any facility, but it should demand attention. Consider this, a typical small leak from a facet of just 10 drips per minute wastes a gallon of water per day, and a fast drip of 120 drips per minute results in 11 gallons of water waste per day. A constantly running toilet may waste about eight gallons per hour or 200 gallons per day. If left unnoticed, a running toilet could waste over 6,000 gallons per month.
- Use leak detection systems around water-using fixtures, machinery, and appliances.
- Monitor faucets and other bathroom fixtures for leaks
Decreasing Water Usage
Another effective water management technique is reducing the amount of water used throughout the entire facility.
- Implement zoned metering to identify water use and set new goals
- Install low flow toilets and urinals and metered faucets
- Replace old and inefficient water-using appliances
- Modify single-pass cooling equipment to recirculate water or eliminate the equipment altogether
- Use drought-tolerant landscaping
Facility water use is often taken for granted so identifying ways to improve conservation. Outside assistance is especially beneficial in analyzing current water usage and developing a water conservation strategy.
Do you have some pressing questions about prioritizing facilities maintenance or how or services work? If so, give us a call! We are happy to help. 1-888-880-4949
About Sierra Group
Sierra Group is a service-focused company specializing in Commercial Construction, Electronic Security, and Facility Services. Our highly skilled field technicians offer a wide range of services and are ready to help with projects of all scopes, or with our ongoing preventative maintenance programs.
When failure is not an option, the most demanding organizations trust Sierra Group to get the job done right.
David Garrison | division manager – facility services | Sierra Group
c 818.434.2918 | f 818.691.0657
Electronic Security | Commercial Construction | Facility Services
