Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute points to a recent USGS water use survey showing only a tiny increase from 2000 to 2005 – an amazing number considering population and economic growth during that period.

He points to two major breakthroughs: water efficiency and major changes by industrial water users. From his post…

Water Number: 410 billion gallons per day in 2005 compared to 413 billion gallons per day in 2000. Despite continuing population growth, despite continued economic growth, total water use in the United States is effectively unchanged… Even more remarkable? Water use today is lower than it was 30 years ago, in 1975.

Which begs the question for CWEA members? Will flow rates continue falling and how will that affect the wastewater treatment system?

Add a comment below to share your thoughts – will future wastewater flow rates rise or fall? How will this impact collections, the treatment process and the fiscal health of municipalities?

Dr. Gleick’s post is here.

By Andre Schmidt, LACSD
First published by SCAP.

The California Recovery Task Force recently announced that one percent and three percent interest loans funded through $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Economic Stimulus Package) funds are available for eligible public energy efficient and renewable energy projects in California.

Available through the California Energy Commission, the loans will help local jurisdictions stimulate their economies and job growth while investing in energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions – all in a cost effective manner. Cities, counties and special districts are eligible to apply.

Types of projects that are eligible for loans include:

• Automated energy management systems/controls
• Energy audits and feasibility studies may be eligible for loans
• Energy generation including renewable and combined heat and power projects
• Heating and air conditioning modifications
• Lighting systems
• Pumps, motors and variable frequency drives
• Wastewater treatment equipment

The maximum loan amount is $3 million per application. There is no minimum loan amount. Projects must have a simple payback of 11 years or less based on energy costs savings. Loans for energy projects must be repaid from savings within 15 years. For more information see the following CEC website: www.energy.ca.gov/efficiency/financing/index.html.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — September 29, 2009 — ECO:LOGIC Engineering today launched an online clearinghouse that will help public agencies save money when purchasing equipment and supplies. The Corp Yard ( www.thecorpyard.org) gives municipalities a place to barter, buy and sell items like fiberglass tanks, wastewater treatment filters, and equipment from a variety of public entities and for nearly any type of public works project.

“This isn’t the type of equipment you see on eBay or Craig’s List,” said Dave Bennett, president of ECO:LOGIC. “Most of this equipment would probably go unused and stay in a municipal corp yard until it is finally scrapped. The Corp Yard gives local governments an easy way to save money by buying and selling well-functioning equipment that would otherwise go unused.”

The site is the brainchild of ECO:LOGIC’s staff who provide engineering, environmental and utility management services to water and wastewater agencies around the western U.S. “We visit a lot of agencies and see very clearly how one agency’s trash could be another’s treasure,” said Bennett.

The Corp Yard is not limited to equipment from water and wastewater treatment facilities. Any public agency including transportation departments, solid waste processors, parks and recreation department, and others can list their used equipment. Searching the database and listing products is free and any agency wishing to sell something can quickly upload photos and specs.

Users may register for an account that allows access to uploading images and descriptions, tracking the number of page views, and a simple management console. Sales are completed offline directly between the buyer and seller. For more information, visit www.thecorpyard.org or call ECO:LOGIC Engineering at 916-773-8100.

CWEA’s Northern regional Training Conference in Redding not only trained hundreds wastewater professionals, but raised awareness of our aging infrastructure and the public health benefits of clean water with the City of Redding’s Mayor and the public. 

Redding’s Record Searchlight was at the conference and reported that aging sewer pipes, pumps and plants will mean more leaks and spills if they’re not replaced. Investment in sewer infrastructure will be a hard sell when a grinding global recession has forced cities to cut police and fire protection. 

But sanitation is a part of public safety, too, said CWEA President Darren Greenwood, water resources manager for the San Francisco Bay area city of Livermore and president of the California Water Environment Association (CWEA). 

“We’ve been so successful, no one notices us,” Greenwood said. “You flush and it goes away. But if a community underfunds wastewater, the infrastructure deteriorates. And when an agency upgrades treatment, that’s a good thing for the environment. It’s time to remind people there will be a need for funding.” 

Greenwood said he supports the idea of a national “flush out,” modeled on the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout Challenge. But the idea would be to go a day without flushing to dramatize how key sewer systems are to public health. 

Read the whole Record Searchlight article .

SAN FRANCISCO – On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The U.S. EPA manages more than $7 billion in projects and programs that will invest in environmental protection and provide long-term economic benefits to aide recovery efforts across the nation. More than $517 million in Recovery Act Funds have already been obligated to California, including: Read more