Project: Water Use Efficiency Assessments

Where: Spokane, Washington

Overview

GeoEngineers is helping Spokane business owners reduce their water consumption through an innovative water-use assessment program.

In 2005, the City of Spokane created the Water Stewardship Program to encourage the wise use of local water resources. The City recently engaged GeoEngineers to implement a Water Use Efficiency Assessment (WUEA) program to help large water users reduce water consumption in their everyday practices. The WUEA program focuses on larger commercial, industrial and institutional users and invites these entities to undergo a water-use assessment. Participation in the program is voluntary, and the City funds the assessments as an incentive to program participants.

GeoEngineers scientists and field staff conduct the assessments, which generally include: 

• Researching historical water use; 
• Measuring actual water use; 
• Analyzing water use and operational characteristics; and 
• Developing recommendations for water conservation.

In addition to creating print communications that promote the program, GeoEngineers provides the City and WUEA participants with reports that summarize technical findings and provide recommendations regarding water use and conservation opportunities.

Approach

• Coordinated with the City of Spokane to select and invite businesses to participate in the WUEA program.
• Met with representatives from each participating entity to discuss the purpose of the WUEA program, gather information and determine the participant’s water-reduction goals.
• Measured actual water use in the field.
• Interviewed employees to understand the participant’s operations and gather their suggestions for water-conservation measures.
• Reviewed and analyzed data collected during the assessment and prepared a report for each participant documenting our findings and recommendations for reducing water consumption.
• Followed up with each of the participants assessed to 1) help them develop achievable goals for reducing water use, and 2) evaluate progress made in implementing water use reduction measures.

Results

• In the past two years, GeoEngineers has conducted several WUEA assessments, identified more than 100 million gallons per year of water-saving measures and provided participating entities with attainable recommendations to reduce their water consumption by significant amounts.
• GeoEngineers conducted the first WUEA at City Hall in Spokane, Washington. Our assessment found that, by replacing bathroom fixtures alone, City Hall could save up to one million gallons of water annually.
• One Spokane-area hotel participating in the program is saving an estimated 1.75 million gallons of water annually based on our recommended water-saving measures.
• Our assessment of a participating mobile home park determined that the facility had lost 55 - 75 million gallons of water due to leaks in its water system in a single year. As a result of our study, the park plans to replace much of their water-supply piping in the near future.

Facts