Implementing Water Conservation Measures

While no study of the amount of water wasted by the City of Newton has been conducted, there is strong anecdotal evidence that thousands of gallons are wasted every month. According to the MWRA, one leaking faucet can waste over 1,000 gallons of water per week and there are numerous leaking faucets in Newton facilities. Even when these leaking faucets are identified, they are not repaired in a timely manner.

A leaking faucet at Horace Mann Elementary School is currently scheduled for repair 76 days after the leak was reported.  Meanwhile, other broken faucets in the same building have yet to be placed on the repair schedule at all. Similarly, a leaking (and overflowing) urinal in one of the fire stations was not fixed for months. Currently, there are urinals in the basement of Newton City Hall that have been running continuously for several years. The City pays for all of this wasted water. Each leaky faucet costs the City approximately $300 per year in MWRA charges, which does not include the energy costs involved when hot water is wasted.

The City uses large amounts of potable water when not required. It would better serve the needs of the community if recycled gray water were used in those areas where drinking water is not needed. For example, recycled gray water is suitable for washing city owned vehicles.

Summary of Proposed Solution

The central elements of Newton’s water conservation plan should be to:

i) Implement better building maintenance practices, as described in item (1), above;

ii) Make use of gray water systems where appropriate; and

iii) Expand our use of well water.

Discussion and Implementation Plan

i) Implementing better maintenance practices

In addition to the regular preventive maintenance program, described in item (1), above, it should be the ongoing responsibility of all City custodians to check for leaking faucets and continuously running fixtures as part of their daily rounds.

This effort should be underway by March 1, 2010.

ii) Making use of gray water systems

Gray water is water that is either potable water that has already been used such as dishwater or more importantly for the city runoff from precipitation. Gray water cannot be used for human consumption but it can be used for purposes like irrigation. The City recently made rainwater barrels available to residents, but can make better use of gray water itself. Using gray water for irrigation is an immediate option, but using it for other purposes, such as flushing toilets, may require state approvals and installation of gray-water compatible plumbing systems.

Preliminary examination of gray water opportunities should begin by January 1, 2011.

iii) Expanding use of well water

Newton currently uses well water for field irrigation. The quality of water from deep wells in Newton should be excellent and suitable for drinking. The City should study whether it is cost-effective to use well water as the source of drinking water instead of MWRA water, as is done in many area communities. The use of well water provides not only the possibility of reduced costs for the city, but it could also be a new revenue source. While it is not clear whether, at current MWRA water prices, well water is significantly less expensive, this possibility merits investigation. The City should conduct a study of the practicality and cost-effectiveness of using well water as a primary source of potable water in City buildings.

This study should be underway by January 1, 2011.