Water conservation conference in OKC: Saving water helps save energy

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City),  Jun 23, 2008  by Janice Francis-Smith

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For every gallon of water that pours out of a faucet or sprays across a lawn in Oklahoma City, fossil fuels were consumed to make that happen. It takes electricity to run water and wastewater plants and even more electricity to pump that water to customers' homes and businesses. And most of Oklahoma's electricity is generated using natural gas or coal.

Therefore, water conservation is also energy conservation, Dave Denig-Chakroff, director of water research and policy for the National Regulatory Research Institute, told those gathered at the Mid-America Regulatory Conference 2008 last week. The conference was held at the Skirvin Hilton in downtown Oklahoma City.

On average, about 7 percent of a region's electricity usage goes toward operating municipal water systems, said Denig-Chakroff. More than 80 percent of the power used by municipal water systems is used to pump the water from point A to point B, he said.

Leaky water pipes are a hidden energy waster, he said, because for every gallon of water lost to leakage and waste another gallon has to be pumped to the end-user. Water treatment plants across the nation are taking steps to improve efficiency in order to keep energy costs down, said Denig-Chakroff.

Some cities have found that investing in new pipes saves money in the long run due to reduced leakage and removal of the corrosion that can have a dragging effect on water flow and thus increase the energy needed to pump water from place to place, he said.

Customers can also help reduce energy usage by implementing water conservation techniques in their homes and businesses.

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