LeakBird

(May 20, 2009, The New York Times)
In seven years of overseeing every root and blade of grass on the grounds at the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., Matt Shaffer has built a reputation on innovation and conservation. An early advocate of course playability over aesthetics, he long lived by the maxim “the drier, the [...]

In order to calculate how much your toilet wastes in a city like San Francisco, we need to know the water footprint of your entire building. Of course, if you’re a property manager or landlord, you’ll be especially interested in this, as tenants don’t foot the water bills anyhow.  I’m going to give facts from [...]

As you probably heard, California, in partnership with the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and the California Department of Water Resources launched the “Save Our Water” campaign last week, and it’s actually based off of the very successful “Flex Your Power” campaign which helped save energy during the crisis of 2001.
The website for “Save [...]

(April 2, 2009, The New York Times)
New York City residents should brace for another double-digit increase in their water rates, even though they are conserving more water than ever before.
That is the mixed message that residents are likely to hear on Friday, when the New York City Water Board is expected to raise water and [...]

(March 21, 2009, Robert Glennon, AlterNet)
The following is an excerpt from “Unquenchable: American’s Water Crisis and What We Can Do About It” by Robert Glennon. Copyright 2009 Robert Glennon. Reproduced by permission of Island Press, Washington DC.
Editor’s Note: This excerpt is from the introduction of Glennon’s new book and follows a narrative about the water [...]

David Zetland of Aguanomics and Professor Robert Stavins, Director of the Environmental Economics Program at Harvard, were “on the same page“ with regard to water conservation pricing after Professor Stavins wrote a recent op-ed for the Huffington Post.  Until Stavins took a slightly different tack on two water pricing misconceptions.
In his first piece, Professor Stavins [...]

We at Leakbird Industries are proud to be part of next week’s Water Conservation Showcase, on Tuesday, March 24, from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, at the Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco.
Lot’s of folks in the water industry are going to be there, and Aguanomics’ David Zetland is even stopping by!
There’s a short list [...]

(March 16, 2009, TerraDaily)
Tens of billions of dollars are needed annually to fix the world’s water systems, but policies to address the global financial crisis could help meet the target, the OECD says.In a report to the World Water Forum in Istanbul, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says demands for fresh water [...]

(March 15, 2009, Treehugger)
Visitors to Disneyland likely don’t know that when they sip from Disney water fountains that the great tasting aqua treat was once streaming through a public sewer. Not to worry though. That sewer water is actually substantially cleaner and more carefully filtered than the water consumed in the average American household. Moreover, [...]

(March 13, 2009, The New York Times)
Give I.B.M. credit for technological ambition and a willingness to tackle big problems.
I.B.M. is presenting a new bundle of services and research offerings at the World Water Forum in Istanbul on Monday. The package, grandly called Strategic Water Management Solutions, is the most recent entry in I.B.M.’s so-called smart [...]

(March 10, 2009, Aguanomics)
The title of this post is my reformulation of “missing the forest for the trees,” and the subject of the post is a new report from the Pacific Institute.
In Water Scarcity and Climate Change: Growing Risks for Businesses and Investors, the PI assesses the various risks to water supplies that companies should [...]

(March 10, 2009, China Daily)
The authorities need to push ahead with a price hike, reflecting accurately the growing shortage of water in China and help plug further depletion of the resource, an official has said.
“We must set up a rational water pricing system adapted to the country’s severe shortage of water. So some cities will [...]

(March 7, 2009, Amy Wang, The Oregonian)
I try not to waste water. I bathe my sons together and limit their baths to a couple times a week. I make them brush their teeth without running the water. When I caught one child filling his cup and then drinking half the water and pouring the rest [...]

(March 8, 2009, SramanaMitra)
While people focus on carbon footprints and potential ways to reduce the impact man-made CO2 emissions, the world is running out of another of its key elements: fresh water.
We use fresh water much faster than it can replenish: it is increasingly scarce and has no alternative.
Water is a strategic resource for countries [...]

(March 7, 2009, The Mercury News)

Foster City residents who take their time in the shower or run the washing machine with just a few shirts inside will soon pay for their wasteful ways.
At a meeting Monday night, the Foster City City Council will consider approving a water rate structure that escalates the cost of water [...]

(March 7, 2009, The Merced Sun Star)

Kenneth Shackel is feeling more like an emergency-room doctor than an agricultural researcher these days as he helps west Valley farmers cope with little to no irrigation water this season.
“It’s like triage,” said Shackel, a University of California at Davis pomologist and plant science professor. “For some, this isn’t [...]

(March 6, 2009, David Zetland, Aguanomics)
(via DW) The Mayor’s office sent out this press release [pdf] yesterday:
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is calling on all San Diegans to step up water conservation efforts in the wake of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s state of emergency declaration for California’s water supplies.
“The Governor’s message is right on target,” said [...]

With all of the rain California has been receiving over the last few weeks, water levels are back to 80% in Sierra snowpack terms and there is “drought improvement“.  The 167-mile stretch of the Hetch-Hetchy system, which provides 85% of the Bay Area’s water, can continue to flow at four fifths capacity.  But water restrictions [...]

(March 5, 2009, The San Francisco Chronicle)
The ongoing struggles of managing California’s limited water supply to support our cities, farms and natural environment are well known. As we face what some are calling one of the worst droughts in California history, we must all learn to conserve water wherever possible. Just as the Bay Area [...]

Okay, so this number may shock you, but trust me, I didn’t make it up.  I actually did a year’s worth of research, and I haven’t heard anyone say this yet — in fact, I’d like someone to disprove it.
Here’s what I extrapolated.  I’ll preface by stating that 25% to 40% of all in-building, residential [...]

(Feb. 28, 2009, MSNBC)
Butte County water officials have concerns that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proclamation Friday on the drought isn’t clear about protecting local control over groundwater.
Paul Gosselin, director of the county Department of Water and Resource Conservation, said there are concerns about what exactly the governor means by “expedited water transfers.”
Butte County has an ordinance [...]

 
One only need flip open their local weekly to come across countless, sometimes useful ways and means to save water, go green, reduce energy — let’s admit, thou shalt conserve is the eleventh commandment.
Often times, the toilet is mentioned once or twice, but usually in passing.  Hence, I thought it might be useful to create [...]

(Feb. 23, 2009, On The Scene, Fox News)

In case you didn’t know, the Southeastern United States has been in a drought for the last several years.  The City of Atlanta was in danger of losing their water supply and many small towns in Tennessee simply ran out.  To keep the Southeast from going completely dry, [...]

(Feb. 24, 2009, Coloradoan)
Plans to ramp up water conservation efforts in Fort Collins include a couple of tried-and-true methods – education and financial incentives.
Putting those plans to work would likely mean higher rates for water customers even as average per capita demand for water decreases, officials say.
Using less water has broad impacts, including prolonging the [...]

(Feb. 23, 2009, The Ludwig Von Mises Institute)
It is near impossible to imagine any private company not enjoying the “problem” of high demand for its products and services. Yet there are some products that are repeatedly reported as shortages. There is one thing these products have in common: government intervention, typically in the form of [...]

(Feb. 19, 2009, Michael Kanelios, GreenTech Media)

HydroPoint Data Systems says it can help corporations calculate their water requirements to cut down on inefficiency.
How do large corporations and homeowners calculate their water requirements?
They guess, according to Chris Spain, chief strategy officer and co-founder of HydroPoint Data Systems. Most commercial buildings and homeowners manage their sprinklers [...]

(Feb. 19, 2009, Aguanomics)
CL sent in this:
I recently got a letter from my apartment complex telling me they are switching from hot water sub-metering to a ratio-utility billing system [RUBS], and they will bill based on square footage of the apartment. From what I can tell, sub metering is superior because it gives people a [...]

(Feb. 16, 2009, Channel 3000)

Officials Say Customers Use 30M Gallons Of Water Each Day
Officials said that toilets are targeted because they send so much water down the drain, stressing local water sources and local wallets. The new, green-friendly utility program is out to change all that, WISC-TV reported.
Madison Water Utility general manager Tom Heikkinen said [...]

(Feb. 17, 2009, The Wall Street Journal)
Taking a Cue From Carbon Tracking, Companies and Conservationists Tally Hidden Sources of Consumption
It takes roughly 20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer, as much as 132 gallons of water to make a 2-liter bottle of soda, and about 500 gallons, including water used to grow, [...]

(Nov. 18, 2008, PerthNow)

HOUSEHOLDERS would be charged for each flush under a radical new toilet tax designed to help beat the drought.
The scheme would replace the current system, which sees sewage charges based on a home’s value – not its waste water output.
CSIRO Policy and Economic Research Unit member Jim McColl and Adelaide University Water [...]

(Feb. 16, 2009, Earth2Tech)
Water management company HydroPoint Data Systems is looking to raise between $4 million and $8 million, CEO Chris Spain told us recently, and he expects the round to close in the second quarter. HydroPoint is open to adding new investors if it brings “real strategic” additional value, he added.
The Petaluma, Calif.-based company [...]

(Feb. 11, 2009, Gim Gogek)
When people talk about conserving water in California, it’s always about turning off your yard sprinklers, taking shorter showers or shaving without the water running. We fret about watering golf courses and lawns in the suburbs. In presentations at schools, at Rotary clubs and on public service announcements, we’re continually told [...]

(Feb. 15, 2009, Kelly Zito, The San Francisco Chronicle)

Is it time to stick a straw into the Pacific Ocean?
About 20 water agencies up and down the California coast seem to think so.
From Marin County to San Diego, small and large projects that turn seawater into tap water are gaining favor, propelled by events unprecedented in [...]

(Feb. 15, 2009, Reuters)
China, faced with widespread water shortages exacerbated by its worst drought in decades, aims to cut the amount of water it uses to produce each dollar of national income by 60 percent by 2020, state media said.
The target, unveiled by Water Resources Minister Chen Lei, underlines Beijing’s growing concern over chronic water [...]

(Feb. 14, 2009, ApartmentSearch.com)
A water bill can easily drip away your hard-earned savings if you’re not paying attention. Saving on your water bill isn’t just the green living thing to do; it also saves you money. Reducing your water usage can be simple and painless.
Unlike your electric bill, gas bill or trash bill, your water [...]

If you’re a landlord or property manager, there are certain things you shouldn’t be doing when it comes to water conservation in your buildings.  We’ve compiled the top seven “Worst Practices” here:

 
Not Monitoring Your Tenants’ Running Toilets: The toilet is the single biggest culprit when it comes to in-building water waste.  There are lots of [...]

(Feb. 13, 2009, Max Deveson, BBC News)
The arid states of America’s south-west have been getting drier in recent years.
Since 2000, the Colorado River – which provides water for seven US states in the region – has carried less water than at any time in recorded history.
And while the drought is worsening, the demand for water [...]

(Feb. 12, 2009, The Miami Herald)

South Florida, where millions of homeowners still are confined to twice-weekly lawn sprinkling, is using a lot less water these days.
The decline stems in large part from tough water restrictions that the South Florida Water Management District will consider making permanent Thursday, and a tougher economy that has emptied [...]

(Feb. 12, 2009, The Deseret News)
The House passed Wednesday a bill by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, to create new research programs into how to conserve water, use it more efficiently and reuse wastewater.
“Many experts are starting to see water as ‘the new oil’ in terms of what a precious commodity it is,” Matheson said. “The [...]

(Feb. 10, 2009, MSNBC)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It is because Mecklenburg County residents conserved water during the area’s most decent drought that they may pay more for it if they find themselves in the same situation in the future.Charlotte’s city council heard a recommendation Monday night from Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities for a drought surcharge—a fee assessed [...]

(Feb. 6, 2009, BoingBoing)

This toilet system is so environmentally ingenious that I don’t know why it hasn’t been standard for years: shower, sink and bath water is collected and pumped into the in-wall tank of the toilet to be reused for flushing. Even if no flushing occurs, the water tank automatically empties itself every twenty [...]

(Feb. 8, 2009, ChicoER)
California is experiencing “the most significant water crisis in history,” according to the state Department of Water Resources.In the Central Valley, farmers are choosing to plant fewer crops this year. Some orchardists are making tough decisions about whether to allow their trees to go without water.
Residents in areas such as the Bay [...]

In my four years as a property manager, responsible for several buildings in San Francisco, one question that has come to mind time and time again concerns tenant proactivity with regard to reporting problems with respective units.  It seems that there are three main factors that push tenants to report problems:

The problem will directly effect [...]

(Jan. 12, 2009, The Dallas Morning News)
State-mandated regulations on sprinklers aim to conserve water but also could lead to a dramatic spike in the cost of new systems.
Some in the industry say that, long-term, the new regulations should benefit irrigation installers and property owners. But the higher costs and slower turnaround time could hurt them, [...]

(Jan. 8, 2009, Napa Valley Register)

This week, water experts from the city and county of Napa expressed confidence that residents will not have to prepare for rationing or extreme conservation measures in the near future.
Even if the State Water Project delivers only a small portion of what it has promised in 2009 — which is [...]

(Jan. 10, 2009, Star-Telegram)
As North Texas continues to grow and develop, water conservation becomes a crucial issue. In businesses, water conservation practices include low-flush toilets and automatic faucets. In homes, there are low-flush toilets and water-efficient dish and clothes washers and shower heads. Landscapes are the other big water user. A landscape can use 35 [...]

(Jan. 6, 2009, Associated Press)
The green thumbs who keep lawns lush and flora flourishing in the city have found a new foe among the aphids, white flies and other yard pests — the water police.
“Nothing,” he said before driving on.
Just as some scofflaws keep an eye out for black-and-white patrol cars, gardeners have learned to [...]

(Dec. 17, 2008, Hidden Tanks)
The fact is that every person living on earth needs to contribute to water conservation. Households should reduce their average water consumption. Manufacturers and retailers need to make products available which offer solutions to the problem. For example, the underground water tank makes it possible to collect precious rainwater every time [...]

(Dec. 21, 2008, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Forsyth County water customers are facing another major rate increase, in part because they did what they were told: they conserved.

(Dec. 20, 2008, Water Use It Wisely)
The toilet tank bank is a handy item that when filled with water and placed in your toilet reservoir saves up to .8 gallons of water per flush. Designed with non-corrosive materials that resist microbes and fungal growth, the toilet tank bank increases your toilets performance while saving water with [...]