Saving Water,Saving Energy

The Alabama Environmental Council

The Alabama Rivers Alliance

World Wildlife Fund

The River Network

The Alabama Environmental Council

The Alabama Environmental Council works for a healthy environment with an emphasis on clean air, efficient and renewable energy, and

improved waste reduction practices. We provide a voice for Alabama now and for the future.

From the low and gentle mountains of the north to the pure white sands of the coast, we breathe Alabama's air, drink Alabama's water and

depend on Alabama's land. We recognize the positive link between a strong economy, a clean environment and a healthy, proactive citizenry.

www.aeconline.org

The Alabama Rivers AllianceOur purpose is to protect & restore Alabama's rivers.

To do this, we advocate smart water policy, organize at the grassroots level, and teach citizens how they can

protect their water. Our goal is to achieve healthy rivers, healthy people, and a healthy system of

government for the state of Alabama.

www.Alabamarivers.org

World Wildlife FundSoutheast Rivers and Streams Initiative

It is the vision of WWF to protect and restore the ecological health of the region’s rivers and

streams to safeguard natural processes, conserve native species and reach a balance between the

needs of people and nature.

www.worldwildlife.org

The River NetworkRiver Network’s vision is to improve the quality of all fresh waters

in the U.S. and the health of all people and ecosystems dependant upon them

Through their new Saving Water, Saving Energy project, River Network is working to show how much water and energy we can save, how we can do it, and how everyone of us can get

started today.

www.therivernetwork.org

Saving energy by saving water is one of the best strategies available to

decrease climate change impacts!

Only 1% Fresh Water

97% Salt Water

2/3 of 1% is underground1/3 of 1% is rivers, streams, and lakes

2% frozen in ice

According to data collected by NASA and the World Health Organization, 4 billion people will face water shortages by 2050.

Water is life.

There is no substitute.

It is our obligation to ensure its protection for the generations who will inherit our

planet.

Photo: Hunter Nichols

Alabama’s unique biodiversity in our rivers and streams runs deep.

Our state has over 77,000 miles of rivers and streams

Photo: Nelson BrookeBlack Warrior River

The Cahaba River is home to more species of fish than any other river of its size in North America.

Photo: Hunter Nichols

Alabama: #1 in states for Alabama: #1 in states for freshwater diversity, i.e. freshwater diversity, i.e. the number of species the number of species that live in our rivers and that live in our rivers and streamsstreams

•species of freshwater fishspecies of freshwater fish

•species of musselsspecies of mussels

• species of freshwater snailsspecies of freshwater snails

•species of freshwater turtlesspecies of freshwater turtles

•species of crayfishspecies of crayfish

•species of damselfliesspecies of damselflies

SE rivers a global priority of World SE rivers a global priority of World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy,

National Geographic, and othersNational Geographic, and others

Particular emphasis on Particular emphasis on Tennessee, and Mobile Tennessee, and Mobile River BasinsRiver Basins

Dr. Randy Haddock,

Cahaba River Society

Are Alabama’s water resources effected by the changes in our planet’s

climate?

Effects of Climate Change happening now:

•Sea levels are rising•Arctic sea ice is melting•Glaciers and permafrost are melting•Sea-surface temperatures are warming•Heavier rainfall cause flooding in many regions •Extreme drought is increasing•Ecosystems are changing•Hurricanes have changed in frequency and strength •Heat waves more frequent •Warmer temperatures affect human health

Alabama Temperature Trends

Alabama Precipitation Trends

How will Alabama change as the climate changes?

Two models:

Hotter & dryerWarmer & wetter

Impacts:

More floods & erosion?More droughts & drinking water shortages?

No peaches grown in Alabama?

Ground-water monitoring wells

Drought conditions 2008

Provided by: Alabama Geological Survey

Photo: Hunter Nichols

The Cahaba River 2007 Trussville

Lake Martin 2007 Kowaliga Marina

Lake Martin 2007

Veasey’s Marina

Chattahoochee River Photo by Mike Neilsen

Water Wars

The Natural Human Tendency“We never know the worth of water until the well runs dry.”

– Thomas Fuller

Source: Office of Water Resources

Four simple questions

1. What are our greenhouse gas emissions in Alabama today?

2. Where do they come from?

3. How many of them are water-related?

4. How much energy could we save by saving water?

Alabama’s Greenhouse Emissions - Carbon Dioxide

(CO2)

1990 = 108 million tons

2005 = 142 million tons(13th highest in the country)

23% increase in CO2 emissions since 1990

source: Federal Energy Information Administration

Where do Alabama’s CO2 emissions

come from? Alabama CO2 Emissions Sources

Commerical

Electric Power

Residential

Industrial

Transportation

55%

25%

16%

2%

1%2004

AL’s CO2 emissions from electricity – 55%

US Total CO2 emissions from electricity – 39%

source: Federal Energy Information Administration

Where does our electricity come from in Alabama?

56% of our electricity comes from coal

16%

14%

Energy Sources for electricity in Alabama

Coal

Petroleum

Natural Gas

Other Gases

Nuclear

Hydroelectric

Other Renew ables

23%56%

14%

5%3%

source: Federal Energy Information Administration

What is Alabama’s main electric utility company doing about its

CO2 emissions?

Not what you expect.

Here are some facts:

•Southern Company (Alabama Power’s parent company) is the top CO2 polluting company in the

US and the 4th worst in the world

•Spent $14,500,000 on lobbying expenses in 2007

•Strongest opponents of legal requirements to reduce air pollution.

Outdated, dirty, coal-fired power plants are a problem

About ½ of the nation’s power plants (548) are responsible

for emitting:

91% of CO2 emissions

98% NOx emissions

99% SO2 emissions

Some of the worst plants are in Alabama

Widows CreekColbert

Why are the old, dirtiest power plants

still in use? • The Clean Air act was

written in 1970

• Congress had a loophole which “grandfathered” these plants from new pollution standards

• They are still using pollution control technology from the 1950s and 60s, emitting 80-

90% more emissions than a new plant

James Miller Plant in west Jefferson county on the

Black Warrior River

5th largest producer of CO2 in the nation

3rd largest producer of Mercury in the nation

Photo: Black Warrior Riverkeeper

Saving Energy by Saving Water

• Savings potential surprising, substantial

• Quicker, cheaper and more reliable results than most potential strategies

• Only environmental impacts are positive

Consider:

In five minutes, a hot water faucet uses as much energy as a 60-watt bulb uses in 14 hours.

Source: US EPA

U.S. electricity used for residential water heating = More

than 104 billion kWh

US EIA 2001

U.S. electricity used for residential water heating = More

than 104 billion kWh

Comparison: All residential lighting, indoor and out =101 billion kWh

US EIA 2001

Municipal water/sewer plant energy use

• U.S. annual total* = 75 billion kilowatt hours per year

• Equal to entire residential electricity demand of California

• More than entire energy-intensive pulp/paper and petroleum sectors combined

• Public bill = Already $4B/yr. Increasing.

Sources: Pacific Institute & NRDC* 60,000 drinking water treatment plants + 15,000 sewage treatment plants

Other water-related energy use includes…

• Groundwater pumping• Interbasin transfers• Pumping water to drinking water treatment

plants and from there to homes• Heating water in homes, businesses and

institutions• Heating and cooling water in industries• Pumping water to sewage treatment plants and

discharge points• Etc.

California’s annual water-related energy use

• 19% of all electricity

• 30% of natural gas*

• 88 million gallons of diesel fuel

Source: California Energy Commission

* Natural gas figure excludes that used by power plants

We estimate total current U.S. water-related energy use to be at least 360 billion kWh per year.*

* Includes water-related energy other than electricity (i.e., natural gas) in kWh equivalent.

How much is 360 billion kWh?

U.S. EIA

?

How much is 360 billion kWh?

• 9% of all U.S. electricity use

• Entire residential electricity use of nearly 90 million Americans

(Alabama’s population times 20!)

How much is 360 billion kWh?

• 33% more power than is generated by all U.S. dams in a year

U.S. EIA

How much is 360 billion kWh?• More than is generated by 100 typical coal-fired

power plants

• …So, if we only reduced our water-related energy use by 1% per year….We could retire (or leave unbuilt) one coal-fired power plant per year

Colbert Power Plant in northeast Alabama on Tennessee River

8,350,545 tons of CO2 emissions in 2006

Each year, a typical coal-fired power plant…

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists; Federal Energy Information Administration

…emits 3.7 million tons of CO2 (equivalent to cutting down 161 million trees)

James Miller Plant in west Jefferson county on the Black

Warrior River

Emitted 22,890,070 tons of CO2 in 2006

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

…emits 10,000 tons of sulfur dioxide – SO2 (which causes acid rain and a host of human heath problems)

E.C. Gaston Plant in Wilsonville on the

Coosa River

Emitted 130,494 tons of SO2 in 2006

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists, EPA

…emits 170 pounds of mercury

(1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can make fish unsafe to eat)

Barry Plant in Bucks on Mobile River

CO2 emissions in 2006: 13,345,578 tons

39 bodies of water in Alabama have Mercury advisory warnings in 2006. Many are in the Mobile/Baldwin county area

Each year, a typical coal-fired power plant also emits…

Source: Union of Concerned Scientists

• 500 tons of small airborne particles

• 720 tons of carbon monoxide

• 220 tons of hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds which form ozone

• 225 pounds of arsenic

• 114 pounds of lead, 4 pounds of cadmium, and trace amounts of uranium

Other coal impacts• Mining impacts to

land and water• Other air pollution

– Sulfur dioxide– Nitrogen oxide– Carbon monoxide– Mercury– Arsenic– Lead

• Water use in electricity generation

Acid mine drainage – Hurricane Creek

Photo: Friends of Hurricane Creek

Strip mining on Sipsey Fork

Photo: Friends of Rural Alabama

Thomas Edison once said that burning fossil

fuels for power production is like burning

your front door for heat.

Reducing our electricity use is crucial in addressing the Climate Change issue for

the health of our planet and ALL its inhabitants.

• If we cut our water use in half, we cut our water-related energy use by about half

• We can easily cut per capita water use – By well more than 10% in just a few

years– By well more than 50% over the next 50

yearsIf we set our minds to it…

Premise

How much water can we save?

(Aren’t we using more water all the time as our population

and economy grow?)

Source: US Census, 2005

AL Population Growth

4,200,000

4,300,000

4,400,000

4,500,000

4,600,000

4,700,000

4,800,000

4,900,000

5,000,000

2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Source: USGS & Office of Water Resources

Alabama total water withdrawlsTotal withdrawals were 9,942 Mgal/d (almost 10 Billion gallons per day)

2005

Mining<1%

Commercial / Industrial

6%

Self Supplied<1%

Public Supply

8%Irrigation

2%

Aquaculture<1%

Livestock<1%

Thermal-Cooling

83%

In 2000, total U.S. water use was estimated at 408 billion

gallons per day

In Alabama, total water use was estimated at 10 billion gallons

per day

Total Water Withdrawls

Source: AL Geological Information Survey and Office of Water Resources

National Water Use

Easily achievable water use reductions could allow us to

• Retire hundreds of dirty power plants much sooner

• Give us cleaner, healthier air to breathe

• Significantly advance overall effort to reduce greenhouse gas reductions

• Keep much more water in streams and lakes where it belongs

What we aren’t talking about

We are talking about arevolutionary change in water use

and management in Alabama

In phases

3-5 years 5-25 years 25-50 years

Old water model

• Single large source in an entire region• All water from that source treated to drinking

water quality• Little of that water actually used for drinking• All “wastewater” (and a lot of rainwater too)

conveyed to central point for treatment• All discharged to single surface water point

Old water modelSource

Treatment

Use

Treatment

Discharge

Old water modelSource

Treatment

Use

Treatment

Discharge

Leaks

More leaks

Inefficient use

Centralizedcollection

Single-pointdischarge

Old water modelSource

Treatment

Use

Treatment

Discharge

Leaks

More leaks

MajorEnergyUse

Inefficient use

Centralizedcollection

Single-pointdischarge

Pumping?

Pumping?

Pumping?

Saving WaterA comprehensive, integrated approach

Conservation

ReuseEfficiency

Conservation

ReuseEfficiency

Conservation = Reducing Waste

• Does not have to mean hardship

• Does mean changing some behavioral habits

Drought Tool: short-term relief

Planning Tool: lessen gap between demand and available supply, lessen the system peak, provide water for future growth

Environmental Tool: provide more water for aquatic habitat and flows for water quality and reduce energy usage

Economic Tool: defer capital facilities for drinking water and wastewater treatment

Multiple Benefits of Conservation

Advancing Conservation

• Education• Incentives• Laws• Pricing

Significant conservation potential virtually everywhere

Should be the foundation of our water planning

To maximize, we should use all the tools

Penalize or prohibit profligate

waste

Encourage and reward

stewardship

Conservation

ReuseEfficiency

Efficiency = Getting more performance out of every drop used

• No hardship at all

• Saves resources and money

• Payback periods quick

• Tremendous existing potential

Homes

• Toilets

• Faucets

• Showerheads

• Washing machines

• Dishwashers

• Hot water heaters*

* Tankless models save little or no water, but save a lot of energy

EPA Labeling Program

• Helps consumers ensure they are buying high-performing water-efficient devices

• Perform as well or better than water-wasting devices

• http://epa.gov/watersense/

Home efficiency potential

• “Water Sense” EPA-certified are at least 20% more efficient than similar devices currently in marketplace – and much more efficient than many older devices still in homes

• If just 10% of existing fixtures were replaced with devices just 20% more efficient, could save 128B gallons/year – enough to supply water to 3.5 million people

* Source: US EPA

Outdoor use• Better targeting of use

– Location– Timing

• Better methods of use– Drip irrigation– Etc.

Of the 7 billion gallons of water used outdoors on the average day, as much as 50% is wasted due to wind, evaporation, improper system design, installation or maintenance. – US EPA

Infrastructure efficiency

• Repairing, maintaining and operating systems– Leaks

• In U.S., more than 20% of water is lost in infrastructure leaks before it ever reaches homes or businesses

• In developing world, figure often more than 50%

– Pumps• Better pumps don’t save water, but save much energy

• Smaller-scale, decentralized systems– Appropriate technology in many situations– Can be managed centrally

Businesses & Institutions• Efficiency potential usually as great or

greater than residential

• Payback periods faster (because multiple users)

• Financing easier

Industry and agriculture

• Some industries have already improved dramatically

• Almost all still have significant potential

• Most still have enormous potential

Advancing Efficiency

• Education

• Standards

• Requirements

• Phase-outs

• Incentives

• Retrofit programs (utility-sponsored)

Water and energy utilities can help

• Many water utilities need paradigm shift– Purpose isn’t to sell more water– It’s to meet customers’ real water needs better

• Many energy utilities do too– Many have long run effective retrofit programs for

light bulbs, etc.– Water efficiency retrofits make at least as much

sense

• Water and energy utilities should work together on water efficiency programs

Conservation

ReuseEfficiency

What could happen if we did all these things and if we quit thinking of stormwater and wastewater as problems and began thinking of

them as resources?

Imagine for a moment that

Some day we will all have easy access to treated drinking water and 1-2 other sources of water...

Alternate sources already exist in some places

• Rainwater “harvested” on site• Stormwater detained near site • Graywater from dishes, washing

machines, etc.• “Wastewater” treated to levels adequate

for re-use– Sometimes higher levels– Often lower levels than required for surface

water discharge

Problems with today’s stormwater approach in populous areas

• During/right after storms– Pollution– Flooding

• During dry spells– Lower flows– Higher pollutant concentrations

• In general– Less groundwater recharge– Radically altered flow regimes

Forest cover

ShallowInfiltration Deep

Infiltration

SurfaceRunoff

After typical development

ShallowInfiltration

DeepInfiltration

SurfaceRunoff

After typical development

ShallowInfiltration

DeepInfiltration

SurfaceRunoff

Can we turnthese “problems”

intosolutions?

There are many home systems for rainwater harvest

• Small to large scale

• Simple to very sophisticated

SmartStorm

Rainwater harvesting system in Springville, AL Provides 100% of household use water

With strong conservation efforts, this family of 2 only needs rainwater!

Underground Rainwater Harvesting System in Argo, AL

Seattle’s King Center

• 1600 employees

• Rainwater harvesting meets >60% of entire facility’s water needs

• Saves >1.4 million gallons of drinking water per year

• Also keeps runoff from entering storm sewers

Jenkins Brick Moody Facility

Jenkins Brick Moody Facility

Detained stormwater

Treated wastewater

Many potential uses of treated “wastewater”

San Antonio wastewaterrecycling

• Already has large-scale reuse program

• Primarily commercial and industrial purposes today, served by 80 miles of delivery pipeline

• Source is cheaper and more reliable

• Already reducing demand on Edwards Aquifer and region’s rivers by 29 million gallons per day

For more info: http://www.saws.org/our_water/recycling/

Dos Rios recycled water outfall

So, we can easily imagine that some day we will all have easy access to treated drinking water and 1-2 other sources of water.

How would we use it?

Highest quality water

• Drinking, cooking and bathing account for less than 1/3 of indoor residential water use

• Almost all other uses could be met as well with captured rainwater or other sources– Other residential– All outdoor– Most industrial

Residential Indoor Water Use

Toilet26%

Clothes w asher

22%Show er17%

Faucet16%

Other19%

Other uses of re-used water

“New model keeps water in our streams, coal in the ground, carbon out of the air, money in our pockets”

-Don Elder, Former Director of the River Network

What can I do?

What can I do?

What can I do?

What can I do?

What can I do? Remember to change your lightbulbs

What else can I do?

• Get your family involved – make a water use graph

• Start harvesting your rain water

What else can I do?

•Talk to your water utility. Find out where your water is coming from

•Talk to your friends about the water-energy connection

•Identify groups to give this presentation to: churches, civic organizations, etc.

•Write a letter to the editor

What else can I do?

•Let your elected officials know you care

–Tell the Joint Legislative Committee on Water Policy Management that we must make Conservation, Efficiency and Reuse a priority

–Tell the Energy Committee that water is an important component in energy usage. (And that renewables must be a priority)

What else can I do?

•Join efforts of a local environmental group

www.aeconline.org www.alabamarivers.org

Climate change is the exact opposite

•We have the technology

•We have the knowledge

Let’s get started

Climate Change is no longer a technology or science issue. It is a matter social and political will.

Saving Energy by Saving Water

Conservation

ReuseEfficiency

Saving Water,Saving Energy

The Alabama Environmental Council

The Alabama Rivers Alliance

World Wildlife Fund

The River Network