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

4. Offer other efficiency incentives.
The City should implement incentives to encourage water conservation such as:
• subsidies for low‐flush toilets and low‐flow shower heads, toilet displacement
devices, and faucet aerators; and
• rebates for energy‐efficient appliances, such as washing machines; and
(See Sustenance chapter for other possible incentives.)
5. Expand storage capacity.
Expanding water storage capacity may be prudent for limited‐time emergencies and should
be explored. However, this is mitigation for the short term, not one for the long emergency.
As spelled out in a recent water supply evaluation commissioned by the City:
During short‐term maximum water use conditions, it may be possible
to utilize additional storage in the distribution system. The
implementation of additional storage within the distribution system
should be carefully analyzed with distribution system operations and
is not recommended for long periods of maximum water use. The use
of additional storage may lead to water quality concerns within the
distribution system under maximum and normal operating
conditions. Additionally, the ability to replenish the distribution
system storage would be limited by the existing treatment and
pumping capacity and may not be available for effective use during
long periods of maximum water use. 77
6. Transition all back­up generators to renewable sources of energy, such as
biomass or biogas.
As discussed earlier, both back‐up generators for the City’s water treatment are designed
to run 17 hours on a full fuel tank of diesel. In the interest of redundancy, we should
explore how these generators might be transitioned to renewable sources of energy. At
minimum, the generators should be flex‐fitted to run on biodiesel. Ideally, such generators
could be run on biomass or biogas.
77 Black & Veatch, Water Supply Evaluation, 4‐1 (2007).
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