In 1990, the United States use of domestic freshwater
ranged from approximatley 50 to 4,100 million gallons of water per
day. As the majority of states consumed between 50 to 500 million
gallons of water, New York is one of only five states that consumes
between 1,000 and 4,100 million gallons of water daily.
As improvements were continuously made in the sewage system, people began to use more and more water. This constant increase in water consumption led to a great escalation of household expenses. The following chart shows the increase in average household costs for water and sewer systems. As you can see, the combined costs rose from $86.81 in 1972 (in U.S. cities) to $628.73 in 2001.
As improvements were continuously made in the sewage system, people began to use more and more water. This constant increase in water consumption led to a great escalation of household expenses. The following chart shows the increase in average household costs for water and sewer systems. As you can see, the combined costs rose from $86.81 in 1972 (in U.S. cities) to $628.73 in 2001.
Water Consumption is a
result of several different aspects in the home. Although
flushing the toilet may not seem too significant, it is actually
responsible for the majority of the demand for water consumption.
Flushing the toilet and toilet leaks are responsible for 34% of the
water consumed in each household. Water demand in New York City
had been increasing at a rate of more than 1% per year from the 1950's
through the early 1980's. Since this time, the city's level of
water consumption has been beyond the dependable yield of the reservoir
system. The system's dependable yield is estimated to be 1,290
million gallons of water per day.
A leaky toilet can waste up
to 200 gallons of this water each
day. Since the average toilet, without water-saving devices, can
use about 7 to 9 gallons of water per flush, a leaky toilet can waste
the same amount of water as about 25 more flushes each day. The
most harmful are actually the smaller toilet leaks, which may go
undetected for days, and waste a significant amount of water before
being fixed. Fixing these toilet leaks and replacing old toilets
with newer models can save a typical household 7,900 to 21,700 gallons
of water per year, thus saving money on water and sewer bills.
The Water Efficiency Programs of the
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
The New York City Department
of Environmental Protection has taken
notice of the city's dire need to control the amount of water being
used. Members of this department share their focus on the issue
of increasing water and sewer costs, specifically among multifamily
housing. Prices for water and sewer costs have been increasing at
a higher rate than both inflation and energy cost increases. The
DEP's provisions for water management present home-owners, managers,
and building professionals with a unique opportunity to help maintain
water consumption, and keep the city's costs to a minimum.
Four main programs of the DEP include leak detection, water metering, incentive programs, and education programs.
- An aggressive sonar leak detection program surveys one third of the city’s water mains for leaks. A simple solution to detecting toilet leaks is to purchase powder or liquid tablets from your local supermarket, and to perform a simple dye test procedure to detect any possible leaks. Leak reduction also includes regular inspection of system blow-off valves and hydrant locks.
- Water Meters are offered to make customers economically accountable for the water they consume and provides equitable distribution of water and sewer system costs.
- The Toilet Rebate Program (incentive program) seeks to replace 1.6 million old toilets with water-saving models, reducing consumption by 70 - 90 million gallons per day. The program found that the average reduction in water consumption was 29%.
- The DEP also conducts several education programs to provide home-owners and building managers with a general knowledge and understanding of water management. These programs include the use of publications and videotapes, teaching for training and curriculum efforts, and training for apartment building superintendents. The programs are free, and open to the public, although unfortunately, not very well-known. The seminars discuss the basics of water and sewer billing and how to account for these costs, the transition to metered billing, and the managing and account for water through the use of toilets, showers, boilers and heaters.
Four main programs of the DEP include leak detection, water metering, incentive programs, and education programs.
- An aggressive sonar leak detection program surveys one third of the city’s water mains for leaks. A simple solution to detecting toilet leaks is to purchase powder or liquid tablets from your local supermarket, and to perform a simple dye test procedure to detect any possible leaks. Leak reduction also includes regular inspection of system blow-off valves and hydrant locks.
- Water Meters are offered to make customers economically accountable for the water they consume and provides equitable distribution of water and sewer system costs.
- The Toilet Rebate Program (incentive program) seeks to replace 1.6 million old toilets with water-saving models, reducing consumption by 70 - 90 million gallons per day. The program found that the average reduction in water consumption was 29%.
- The DEP also conducts several education programs to provide home-owners and building managers with a general knowledge and understanding of water management. These programs include the use of publications and videotapes, teaching for training and curriculum efforts, and training for apartment building superintendents. The programs are free, and open to the public, although unfortunately, not very well-known. The seminars discuss the basics of water and sewer billing and how to account for these costs, the transition to metered billing, and the managing and account for water through the use of toilets, showers, boilers and heaters.