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Water and wastewater

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At each stage in the treatment and distribution of water there is an opportunity to reduce, and in some cases reclaim, both water and energy.

The treatment and distribution of drinking water, and wastewater collection and treatment, are core local government services. While the approach to water and wastewater delivery and the associated infrastructure and energy requirements vary between local governments, water and wastewater systems may also require substantial amounts of energy and release associated emissions. Several examples of energy and emissions associated with water and wastewater systems from various local government corporate energy and emissions plans are shown below.

	Proportion of total corporate energy use (%)	Proportion of total corporate emissions (%)	Year measured
City of Surrey	10	2	2009[1]
City of Kamloops	35	11	2010[2]
City of Chilliwack	27	16	2010[3]
City of Richmond	4	0.4	2014[4]
City of Prince George	3	n/a	2017[5]

Efficiency in water treatment and distribution

At each stage in the treatment and distribution of water there is an opportunity to reduce, and in some cases reclaim, both water and energy. Water use and energy are linked in a water-energy nexus. For example, water treatment facilities require energy to operate. The higher the demand for water, the greater the demand for energy. Reducing the amount of energy used for moving and treating water can result in emissions reductions and cost savings. Reducing water demand can also reduce energy consumption, emissions and costs for residents and businesses. This includes emissions and costs due to hot water heating, which is often fueled by a fossil source like natural gas.

There are several steps in the distribution and treatment of water, and each has an associated impact on energy. In the diagram below, each arrow represents the use of energy in a traditional water and wastewater management system.

Local governments may assess each stage in the system to identify opportunities to reduce energy use and emissions, including conservation measures and efficiency actions.

Increasing fixture and appliance water efficiency is a key strategy in which local governments can play a part. In new buildings, fixtures and appliances that consume significantly less water compared to the requirements of the BC water conservation regulation are commercially available and have been installed widely in jurisdictions or buildings where water conservation has been given high priority. Water efficiency can be the goal of retrofits of existing buildings.

Efficiency and conservation measures on the demand side include:

Public and building industry education campaigns
Subsidized water conservation kits
Incentives and rebates
Incentives that encourage water conservation in designs for new development
Metering and pricing by usage
Addressing water system leakage through monitoring, maintenance and asset management
Landscape design guidelines and efficient irrigation systems
Watering restrictions
Working with major industrial users to reduce demand, and facilitating eco-industrial networking
Utilizing alternative sources such as captured rainwater, or reclamation of treated greywater or wastewater for non-potable uses, are other strategies that can complement the above demand management actions.

The most significant and energy intensive steps are water treatment, pumping energy to distribute water to end users, and treating the resulting wastewater. Conveying wastewater to the treatment plant may also be energy intensive. Possible actions in each area of distribution and treatment (supply-side) include: