- Water Resources
Market
- Water & Natural Resources
Location
- Spokane, Washington
Overview
The City of Spokane created the Water Stewardship Program in to encourage the wise use of local water resources. The City 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 focused on larger commercial, industrial and institutional users and invited these entities to undergo a water-use assessment. Participation in the program was voluntary, and the City funded the assessments as an incentive to program participants.
GeoEngineers scientists and field staff conducted the assessments, which generally included:
- Researching historical water use
- Measuring actual water use
- Analyzing water use and operational characteristics
- Developing recommendations for water conservation
In addition to creating print communications that promote the program, GeoEngineers provided the City and WUEA participants with reports that summarized technical findings and provided 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 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
- Over a two-year period, GeoEngineers 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 began saving an estimated 1.75 million gallons of water annually based on GeoEngineers' recommended water-saving measures.
- GeoEngineers' assessment of a participating mobile home park determined that the facility had lost 55 to 75 million gallons of water due to leaks in its water system in a single year. As a result of the study, the park plans to replace much of their water-supply piping.
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