Water Conservation & Water for Life

Water Conservation is a Key Strategy of Water for Life in the original Water for Life Strategy (2003) and in the Renewal (2009). The development of sector-based Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity Plans (CEP) is predicated on the understanding that there will be fluctuating and unpredictable water supplies in the future that will require “major shifts in how we use and allocate this renewable, but finite, resource”. The 2003 Strategy[i] states that “overall efficiency and productivity of water use in Alberta has improved by 30% from 2005 levels by 2015”. So while 30% is a provincial target – sectors are encouraged to participate through the development of individual sector-based conservation, efficiency, and productivity targets.

The following actions[ii] that are identified by the Government of Alberta under the Conservation Strategy between 2012 (short term) and 2015 (medium term) include:

·The development of a policy framework for ecosystem service markets and the establishment of a market-based ecosystem services incentive program

·The integration of economic instruments and full cost accounting tools into priority water policy and planning initiatives

·Developing an enhanced education program for water conservation

·Work with key sectors to develop and implement CEP Plans

·Establish an ongoing monitoring system that ensures CEP Outcomes

The Alberta Water Council, a sector-based policy advisory council, developed the guidelines for the development of Water Conservation, Efficiency and Productivity (CEP) Plans[iii] for each water-using sector of Alberta’s Economy. During the development of the recommendations on behalf of the Alberta Water Council for sector-based CEP plans, there was an acknowledgement that each of the 7 sector-based plans would recognize four outcomes:

1.Demand for water is reduced

2.Water use productivity is increased

3.Resources are conserved to maintain healthy aquatic ecosystems

4.Water quality is maintained or enhanced

Alberta Urban Municpalities Association (AUMA) CEP Sector Plan

AUMA was one of the first Sectors to complete a CEP Plan in Alberta. In consultation with an advisory (expert panel) and a stakeholder advisory committee, AUMA invested 14 months into the development of what is now referred to as an AUMA CEP Policy[iv].

Approved at AUMA’s 2009 Policy Convention (December 2009), this new AUMA Policy binds all municipalities with a population greater than 10k to complete the following short-term priority actions by December 2011:

·Report all water use data through WURS

·Develop a Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity Plan (individual municipal CEP plans)

·Estimate Infrastructure Leakage Index (ILI) and identify ways to reduce leaks

·Implement incentives or disincentives to increase the uptake of water efficient fixtures and technologies for new and existing developments

Tools & Strategies for Water Conservation

The many ways in which municipalities are participating in water management in Alberta are being communicated on the AUMA website[1] where communities can view examples of municipal fixture and watering bylaws, metering programs, bylaws that ban once-through cooling, promote xeriscaping, and programs to encourage rainwater harvesting. Other ways that communities are working to meet reduction targets include water rate restructuring, land use planning, and through building and development requirements for new developments*. The province is also exploring the adoption of new building codes that enable grey water systems.

Alberta’s Water Use Reporting System

The Alberta Water for Life Strategy (2003) and the Renewal (2009) both call for the participation of license holders in a water use reporting system. In 2006, the Alberta government developed the Water Use Reporting System (WURS) to provide municipalities and large water users a common platform to report water consumption. This platform will provide municipalities and other large water users to measure their ability to meet water conservation targets. This is the first step – you need to measure before you can manage!

What does Conservation, Efficiency, and Productivity mean?

The Alberta Government & the Alberta Water Council agreed to the following terminology:

Conservation

·Any beneficial reduction in water use, loss or waste.

·Water management practices that improve the use of water resources to benefit people or the environment.

Efficiency

·Accomplishment of a function, task, process, or result using the least amount of water possible.

·An indicator of the relationship between the amount of water needed for a particular purpose and the quantity of water used or diverted.

Productivity

·The amount of water required to produce a unit of any good, service, or societal value.

Sustainability Resources by Sustainability Resources is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at www.sustainabilitycircle.ca.