EPA's WaterSense Program & New Jersey's Water Conservation ...

EPA’s WaterSense Program
& New Jersey’s
Water Conservation
Pilot Project
Presented to EPA WaterSense Partners
EPA Region 2 Offices, New York, NY
July 29, 2008

Why Should NJ Conserve
Even in areas where water seems abundant, water
conservation is important. In addition to saving money on
utility bills, water conservation helps prevent water pollution
in nearby lakes, rivers, and local watersheds, extends the
life and reliability of septic systems, public and private
Infrastructure, and prevents or postpones the need to fund
and build expanded sources of water supply.

The Need for Water Conservation:
The “Water Rich” Fallacy
Despite an average 44 inches of rainfall annually, NJ is
vulnerable to water supply shortages. Especially, when
considering that NJ is the most densely populated State in
the US (and still growing)!!
11,000,000
10,000,000
Population
9,000,000
8,000,000
7,000,000
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
2030
2040
Census 1955 TAMS Study 1982 WSMP 1996 WSMP NJDOL MPO

The Need for Water Conservation:
A Growing Potable Water Use Sector
With an increased population and an increased desire for a
lush green lawn, NJ is seeing a big jump in potable water use!
1990 Water Use by Category
(2.9 billion gallons/day)
1999 Water Use by Category
(2.6 billion gallons/day)
4%

The Need for Water Conservation:
Consumptive Use on the Rise
100,000
90,000
80,000
million gallons
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Consumptive Use
Linear (Consumptive Use)
The average NJ resident uses 100 gallons of water
per day (gpd), a number which in some cases
reaches 185 gpd during the summer months!!!

The Need for Water Conservation:
Projected Deficits in the Not-So
So-Distant Future

The Demand on New
Jersey’s s Water Resources
‣ New Jersey’s s water demands are quickly
approaching the resources limits.
Water will likely influence the future
of New Jersey in the following ways:
• natural environment
• overall landscape
• statewide development
• local zoning
• State’s s economy

Project Partners
Rutgers Cooperative Extension- Water Resources
Program in partnership with New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection-Division of Water Supply and
United States Environmental Protection Agency are
currently developing a fully funded pilot water
conservation program for participating New Jersey
municipalities.

The NJ Program Includes:
‣ INNOVATIVE WATER CONSERVATION STRATEGIES- to
engage and mobilize communities to take responsibility for the
future of New Jersey’s s water supply by willingly reducing their water
use through simple yet effective conservation efforts.
‣ PROMOTION OF A RESPOSIBLE WATER USE ETHIC- in both
the private and public sectors and reduce overall water waste.
‣ COMPREHENSIVE EDUCATION FOR ALL AGES- involving
informational seminars, in-classroom exercises, demonstrations,
media relations, advertising, as well as continuing education
opportunities for professional groups.
‣ CLEARINGHOUSE FOR WATER-WISE WISE PRACTICES- results will
be incorporated into case studies with step-by
by-step instructions to
be replicated in similar towns all over New Jersey.
‣ TARGET POTABLE WATER USE REDUCTION OF 10%- results
will be quantified.

The Study Areas
‣ The water conservation program is being
implemented and studied in five
municipalities from across the state:

Program Elements
‣ Outdoor Water Conservation
‣ Indoor Water Conservation
‣ Water Conservation for the Hotel and
Lodging Industry
‣ Certification Program for Landscape and
Irrigation Professionals
‣ Water Conservation Education in the
Schools

Outdoor Water
Conservation Program
This program is designed to educate
the public about the importance of
outdoor water efficient practices.
‣ Services offered:
• How to spot a leak and what to do about it;
• Adjusting your watering schedule to fit
the season and only watering lawn when
it needs it;
• Using efficient watering systems for shrubs,
flower beds, and lawns;
• Designing and building Rain Gardens and
Xeriscape Gardens;
• And much more…

Indoor Water
Conservation Program
This program is designed to educate the
public about the importance of indoor water
efficient practices.
‣ Services offered:
• How to perform a home water audit;
• How to spot a leak and what to do about it;
• When to replace old appliances and how to
install new water efficient appliances;
• Tips for simple yet effective
ways to cut down on
household water use
• And much more…

Hotel and Lodging
Water Conservation Program
This program is designed to educate hotel,
lodging and rental property managers about
the importance of indoor and outdoor water-
efficient practices.
‣ Services offered:
• Helpful hints on how to encourage your guests to use
their linens and towels more than once to conserve
water and save money in reduced water, energy,
labor, detergent, and sheet/towel replacement costs;
• How to conduct a facility wide water
audit and to make procedural and
structural changes to lower overall
water use and associated utility bills;
• How to incorporate Xeriscape principals
in landscape design and utilize efficient
landscape irrigation practices;
• And much more…

Certification Program
for Irrigation Professionals
This program is designed to improve
efficiencies and determine if restrictions
are necessary.
‣ Services offered:
• Adjusting the water schedule to fit the season,
• Use of efficient watering systems for shrubs,
flower beds and lawns including drip irrigation,
rain sensors and evapotranspiration models;
• Designing and building Rain Gardens and an
Xeriscape Gardens;
• How to take advantage of water runoff from
downspouts, driveways, and other surfaces.

Water Conservation
in the Schools
The program is designed to educate
elementary school children about the
importance of why we should save water &
simple steps to preserve this resource.
‣ Services offered:
• Introduction into water conservation
• Water conservation challenges
• Conservation choices
• Conducting a Water Audit
• Installation of a Rain Garden
• And much more…

Infusion of EPA’s WaterSense into
NJ’s s Program
‣ Certification Programs for
Irrigation Professionals- City
of Santa Rosa’s s Qualified
Water Efficient Landscaper
Program (QWEL).
‣ Incorporation of
WaterSense labeled
products for our indoor &
outdoor retrofit program.

Infusion of EPA WaterSense into
NJ’s s Program (continued)
‣ Use of water
conservation
graphic art
‣ Incorporation of
water conservation
kids curriculum in our
school programs.

Major Benefits to Being an EPA
WaterSense Partner
‣ NETWORKING! Conference calls have expanded our knowledge and
resources including access to the City of Santa Rosa’s s QWEL program!
‣ CREDIBILITY! The WaterSense label guarantees the products we are
promoting are water efficient.
‣ PROMOTIONAL TOOLS! Access to free graphic art and other
promotional tools.
‣ ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS! Access to kids curriculum and fun games
Being a partner saves us
time, resources, and money!

Expected Outcomes
The creation and establishment of simple reliable
strategies for lowering a community’s s water use that
are proven to work and can be easily replicated
statewide.
Thank you EPA WaterSense
for helping us reach our goal!

Contact Information
Katie Barnett
NJ Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Water Supply
609-633-0764
katie.barnett@dep.state.nj.us
Christopher C. Obropta, Ph.D., P.E.
Extension Specialist in Water Resources
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
732-932-9800 ext. 6209
obropta@envsci.rutgers.edu
Elaine Rossi
Program Coordinator
Rutgers Cooperative Extension
732-932-9800 ext. 6129
erossi@envsci.rutgers.edu