Apr
10
As Housing Industry Woes are to the Economy…
April 10, 2009 | Posted by admin
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Mary E. Kelly
Senior Counsel, Center for Rivers and Deltas
Environmental Defense Fund
As Housing Industry Woes are to the Economy…
So energy is to water. These two critical and challenging resource issues are intimately linked (see the recent Wall Street Journal and GreenBiz articles on this topic). The truth is that energy and water are related in just about every way you can imagine and in ways that affect our lives everyday — down to the lights and water in our homes that we too often take for granted. The water supply sector utilizes large amounts of energy to transport, treat, and deliver water. On the flip side, vast quantities of water are required to generate power.
To illustrate this point for Texas, Environmental Defense Fund recently authored a report with the University of Texas’ Jackson School of Geosciences to provide guidance for how the state can better integrate water and energy supply planning for the future. Check out the report to see our recommendations for steps Texas can take now to create a framework for more collaboration between energy and water planners and guidelines for improving data on the energy-water relationship.
As cities continue to grow, particularly in water scarce areas, these linkages between water and energy use are becoming more important. A growing community needs more power, which requires more water, which uses more power, and so on. Understanding this relationship highlights the importance of conserving water and practicing energy efficiency. For every kilowatt saved, water is also saved. For every gallon of water not used, energy demand is reduced. Investments in and incentives for energy and water conservation must be our highest priority.
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