Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

WATER: A HOUSEHOLDER’S PERPECTIVE
Water is an essential element of life’s sustenance—one we take almost entirely for granted.
At present, just about all our water is provided by a highly‐centralized, fossil fuel‐driven
system. By any standard our public water supply is a miracle of civic order and technical
prowess. However, water’s centrality to life, health and the economy makes it especially
vulnerable to a decline in cheap oil.
The chapter on Municipal Services has covered much of the technical material related to the
City of Bloomington's Utility Department operations and vulnerabilities. Here, we look at
the water situation from the perspective of households and local food production to see
how the present centralized water system can be supplemented and the community made
more water‐secure.
MITIGATION GOALS & STRATEGIES
There is much that households can do to help foster water security. Water security is
shaped by combined supply‐ and demand‐side management. As urban agriculture
increases, demand for water will also rise; however, much of this need could be met by a
concerted program of rainwater and roofwater collection.
At present, Bloomington households consume about 85 gallons of water per person per
day. Without compromising essential services, this rate of consumption could be reduced
by more than 90% by making relatively simple changes. These changes include structural
ones, such as new plumbing devices and appliances, and behavioral ones. Such demand‐
side changes are by far the cheapest way to foster water security.
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force 199