How the Energy Efficiency Industry Can Further Water Conservation (Day 6)

One of the current trend lines I see as central towestern water and climate change issues is the attempted return to largeinfrastructure projects, including a proposed peripheral canal in California‘sSacramento San Joaquin Delta, Las Vegas’ simultaneous plans to build anotherintake pipe in Lake Mead as well as to pipe groundwater from a desert hundredsof miles away, and plans for the Flaming Gorge Pipeline to the Front Range ofColorado (which recently was dealt a setback). While shoring up supply isimportant especially in the face of climate change, many of these projects havebeen decried by the public for both their environmental risks and the potentialthat they are not truly necessary.

I believe that in many cases, this latter claim may betrue. I have been working in energy efficiency for the last few years, and as Ireturn to the water industry, I hope to bring important knowledge and ideaswith me. Energy efficiency has been a quickly exploding field. Many states nowhave decoupled utility revenue from sales, meaning that utilities are notpenalized for successful efficiency programs. In addition, some states,especially California, have allocated significant funds for evaluation, measurement,and verification programs that help ensure utilities that their money isactually saving energy. In fact, utilities often do not receive payment fortheir energy efficiency programs unless savings have been proven.

While water conservation has been in force for manydecades, it has not reached the level of implementation, oversight, andespecially evaluation, as has energy efficiency. Many water utilities stillstruggle with the loss of revenue that results from successful waterconservation programs. Some have cut back on their conservation programs as aresult. In addition, evaluation of water conservation programs has beenextremely lacking in many locations. It is hard to avoid seeking new watersupplies when you cannot trust that your conservation programs will savesufficient water.

There are many opportunities for the water industry tolearn from the energy industry in the efficiency and conservation arena.Whether or not large infrastructure projects are necessary in a given case,utilities or municipalities should ensure that the public can trust that allpotential demand management opportunities have been explored prior todeveloping additional supplies. Similarly, as states are beginning to adoptaggressive renewable portfolio standards (which have their own implications forwater that I will not address here), water utilities should make sure that anynew supplies needed are as sustainable and renewable as possible. The NewYork Times recently ran an editorial suggesting that San Francisco has notexplored all possible local resources (i.e. water recycling, groundwater, andrainwater harvesting) that would reduce its reliance on water from Hetch Hetchyin Yosemite National Park. There are many other locations (including,ironically, New York) that have similarly not thoroughly explored such localoptions - which may not always look good, depending on their own environmentaland energy impacts.