December 2010 article: “Implementing Landscape Water Conservation in Public School Institutional Settings: A Case for Situational Problem Solving,” by Douglas C. Kilgren, Joanna Endter-Wada, Roger K. Kjelgren, and Paul G. Johnson
The authors studied irrigated landscape water conservation at public schools in Utah, controlling for type of irrigation and water conservation interventions. Their findings suggest ways for school districts to decide where, when, and how to intervene in promoting water conservation. To me, they seem a good combination of science and common sense.
Water conservation programs targeted at large institutional landscapes like public school grounds are likely to produce water savings mainly because of the size of irrigated acreage. However, water savings might best be realized by focusing resources and education primarily on locations that have historically over irrigated. Locations with high capacity to conserve water can be identified through analysis of water billing data and comparison to ETo-based thresholds that categorize landscape water use as conserving, acceptable, or wasteful. Absent the resources to conduct such analyses, conservation interventions would likely be most effective if they are targeted at schools that fit certain profiles (automated-irrigation systems, smaller grounds, high water pressure, and nine-month calendar) and at schools in certain circumstances (in transition from manual to automated-irrigation systems, experiencing custodian turn-over, exhibiting high water use variability between years). Monitoring water use and being strategic about when as well as where to undertake conservation efforts is important for achieving larger system efficiencies in water use and conservation program administration.
[Please note: I have quoted and paraphrased freely from the article, but the interpretation is my own!]
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Tags: water use