best management practices for efficient water use in high rise and ...

BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR EFFICIENT WATER USE IN HIGH RISE AND
HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENTS IN JORDAN
Bahman Shiekh 1 , Mohamed Chebaane 1 , Jamal Hijazi 2 , Hala Dahaln 1 , Louis Qaqish 1 ,
Mustafa Nasereddin 1 , Noor Esoh 1 , Lara Shahin 1 , Fatin Shaban 2
1. USAID Funded IDARA Project, Instituting Water Demand Management in Jordan, Amman, Jordan
2. Water Demand Management Unit, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Amman, Jordan
ABSTRACT
High-Rise and High-Density Developments (HRHD)
are new types of construction in Jordan. These new
developments pose a serious water supply
challenge to Jordan; this challenge provides a great
opportunity to the introduction of the most effective
proven water reuse and water-efficiency measures.
This paper presents the Best Management
Practices (BMPs) for efficient water use and reuse
in HRHD.
BMPs are effective, practical, structural or
nonstructural methods which reduce water
demand. The BMPs described and developed for
HRHD areas will greatly improve water efficiency in
these developments. The purpose of these BMPs
is to provide a ready reference to a menu of actions
that can be used at the planning stage of a new
development to apply efficient water use and reuse
practices in compliance with water demand
reduction regulations and/or to obtain certification
as an environmentally sustainable development.
INTRODUCTION
The Best Management Practices (BMPs)
developed for HRHD in Jordan can be grouped in
two categories: BMPs for Buildings and Landscape
in HRHD, and BMPs for Utility Management of
HRHD areas.
The BMPs for Buildings and Landscape in HRHD
areas aimed at specific types of buildings and
structures, each serving as a stand alone guide for
that type of building:
Office buildings.
Residential buildings.
Hotel buildings.
Restaurants and food services.
Educational facilities
Places of worship.
Retail stores.
Supermarkets.
Hospital and dental clinics.
Cinemas, theatres and cultural centers.
Health, fitness and athletic clubs.
Landscape areas.
The BMPs for Utility Management of HRHD which
have been developed for specific practices or
programs independent of the type of building are:
Creation of a utility management company.
Inspection program for plumbing and other
water uses in new construction.
Use of recycled water and/or gray water.
Capture of storm water and reuse.
Appointment of a water conservation
manager.
Implementation of a public information
program.
Metering of all customers.
Prohibition on wasting water.
Water conservation pricing.
Ongoing monitoring and surveying of water
use.
BMPS FOR BUILDINGS AND LANDSCAPE IN
HRHD
The following sections summarize the common
BMPs and recommendations for Buildings and
Landscape in HRHD Areas that should become
mandatory conditions of approval for HRHD
Developments.
In-Building Water Recycling
Install and use systems that collect, store and,
where necessary treat, rainwater, gray water,
condensate and wastewater for various nonpotable
purposes including toilet and urinal
flushing.
Prohibition of Water Cooled-Air Conditioning
Cooling towers that evaporate water shall be
prohibited for district cooling plants in the HRHD
areas.
Dual Plumbing
New developments shall be dual plumbed for
potable and recycled water systems. Recycled
water from an external source would be used for
non-potable demands.
Install Sub-meters to Manage Water Use
Sub-meters shall be installed on major water using
equipment especially for hotels and hospitals so

water use for that area or process can be
monitored and leaks and other malfunctions may
be identified. Submeter locations will include:
Laundry operations
Swimming pools and spas
Food service & kitchens
Irrigation systems
Separate water heating systems
Makeup/feed water for blowdown water
from cooling towers and boilers
Condensate return lines to boilers
Kidney dialysis water treatment systems
Water treatment system and for the reject
water
Other types of water using equipment or
process that consumes water
Records for water use shall be maintained to
monitor water use on a daily basis and to identify
any water waste that is taking place.
Control Maximum Pressure within Buildings
When static water pressure in a building exceeds
3.0 bars (43.5 psi), an approved type of pressure
regulator and pressure relief valve shall be installed
and properly maintained by the customer so that
the water pressure is reduced to 3.0 bars (43.5 psi)
or less.
Plumbing Fixtures
Toilets shall be dual flush models with a
maximum average flush volume of 6/3 liters per
flush).
Pressure assist toilets shall have a maximum
flush volume of 4.8 liters (1.3 Gallon) per flush.
Single flush toilets with a maximum flush volume
of 4.8 liters per flush.
Urinals shall have a maximum flow rate of 1.9
liters/flush, (0.5 Gallon per flush) or shall be zero
water consumption urinals.
Showerheads shall have a maximum rated flow
of 7.6 liters per minute (2 GPM) at 3 bars.
Self closing faucets with preset flow times shall
be installed on lavatories intended to serve the
transient public and shall deliver not more than
1.0 liters (0.26 Gallons) of water per use.
Maximum flow rate and consumption of notmetered
faucets for public lavatory shall not
exceed 4.5 liters/min (1.19 GPM) at 3 bars.
Faucets for homes and hotel guest rooms shall
not exceed a flow of 4.5 liters/min at 3 bars.
Residential kitchen faucets shall not exceed a
maximum rated flow of 9.0 liters/min (2.38 GPM)
at 3.0 bars.
Residential Appliances
Dishwashers shall use less than 24 liters (6.3
Gallons) per load (Standard) and 16.7 liters (4.4
Gallons) per load (Compact).
Food Service Equipment
Commercial kitchen hand washing faucets shall
not exceed 4.5 liters per minute.
Ice making machines shall be air-cooled,
Water-cooled ice machine are prohibited.
Commercial refrigeration shall be air-cooled, or
if water-cooled, shall have a closed looped
system. No once-through, single-pass systems
are permitted.
Combination ovens shall not consume more
than 38.0 liters/min (10 GPM) in the full
operational mode.
Food Steamers shall be boiler-less or self–
contained models where applicable.
Pre-rinse dishwashing spray valves shall have
a maximum rated flow of 6.0 liters/minute (1.6
GPM) or less.
Dipper wells shall have an in-line flow restrictor
limiting flows to no more than 3.0 liters per
minute (0.8 GPM).
Commercial dishwasher conveyor type:
o High temperature sanitizing machines shall
use no more than 2.6 liters (0.7 Gallon) per
rack.
o Chemical sanitizing machines shall use no
more than 2.3 (0.6 Gallon) liters per rack.
Commercial dishwasher door type:
o High temperature sanitizing machines shall
use no more than 3.6 (1.0 Gallon) liters per
rack.
o Chemical sanitizing machines shall use no
more than 4.4 liters (1.2 Gallon) per rack.
Commercial dishwasher under-counter type:
o High temperature sanitizing machines shall
use no more than 3.4 (0.9 Gallon) liters per
rack.
o Chemical sanitizing machines shall use no
more than 3.7 liters per rack (1 Gallon).
Imported Medical and Laboratory Equipment
Dry vacuum pumps shall be used, unless fire
and safety codes for explosive, corrosive or
oxidative gasses require a liquid ring pump.
The most water-efficient steam sterilizers
available shall be used.
Digital imaging and radiography systems shall
be used instead of water-consuming film
development.
Where large-frame x-ray films of more than
150 mm (5.9 Inches) in either length or width
are required, use film processor water
recycling units shall be used.
Clothes washers shall have a water factor not to
exceed 8.75 liters per kilogram of wash load.

In-Building Potable Water Treatment Systems
Use the most efficient water treatment systems
available for all filtration processes. Pressure
gauges shall be used to determine and display
when to backwash or change cartridges.
For all ion exchange and softening processes,
recharge cycles shall be set by volume of water
treated or based upon conductivity or hardness.
Reverse osmosis (RO) equipment shall reject no
more than one liter (0.26 Gallon) of water for every
one liter of permeate produced for water softening.
Reject water from RO systems shall be reused,
either with or without additional treatment as
required, for appropriate uses such as laundry and
landscape irrigation.
Landscape Areas:
All landscapes shall be designed and
maintained in accordance with water wise
landscaping principles.
Apply the correct amount of water to the correct
place at the correct time.
Irrigate using low-volume drip irrigation
systems. Turn the system valve off when the
correct amount of water has been applied. Do
not use sprinklers except for turf areas.
Eliminate water wasting practices such as
hosing of hard surfaces for cleaning purposes.
Cleaning machines should be considered as an
alternative. Immediate repair of irrigation leaks
and proper programming of automatic irrigation
controls should be a landscape management
priority.
Use proper irrigation practices such as watering
in the early morning when temperatures are
lowest and evaporation is minimized, revising
irrigation schedules according to seasonal
requirements, and the timely detection of leaks.
Maintenance of the irrigation system should be
part of the regular duties of park management
personnel.
Use only non-potable water (such as recycled
water, gray water, rain water) to irrigate
landscapes.
Mulches should be applied and regularly
augmented or replaced for best results.
Sweep park facilities such as tennis courts,
basketball courts, and park buildings for regular
sanitary purposes and only use the amounts of
water needed for human health and safety
purposes. Showerheads, faucets, and toilets in
park facilities should be equipped or retrofitted
with efficient fixtures.
During high temperature seasons, operate
water features only when they can be enjoyed.
Covers should be used to reduce evaporation
losses.
BMPS FOR UTILITY MANAGEMENT
The following are the common best management
practices for Utility Management in the HRHD
areas that aim towards water demand reduction:
Management Company
A public, private, or public-private new institution
with a limited charter should be established to
administer the planning and implementation of
water-related functions in HRHD areas. The
management company would be ideally guided
through a Board of Directors composed of
members from responsible governmental agencies
and stakeholders. Each of these agencies would
bring its particular technical expertise and support
to advance the mission of the management
company.
Inspection Program
For water demand reduction BMPs to remain
effective on the long run, it will be necessary to
establish a robust inspection program to ensure
that all plumbing systems in HRHD areas are built
and maintained to a high standard of
professionalism. Maintenance of such systems is
extremely important to prevent leakage, and
wastage of water.
Inspection programs go hand-in-hand with
plumbing codes and standards adopted for
plumbing and water using equipment, appliances
and fixtures.
Recycled Water and Grey Water Reuse
Promulgate legislation to require use of recycled
water when and where available for non-potable
applications in urban areas.
Enact legislation prohibiting use of potable water
(raw or treated) for non-potable uses when/where
recycled water is available.
Provide satellite water recycling systems in HRHD
developments so that the need for long
transmission lines would be obviated.
Impose conditions providing for competent
operation and maintenance of on-site treatment
systems with a view toward:
Metering and record keeping,
Operation and maintenance
requirements,
Prevention of nuisance conditions,
Protection of public health,
Controlling the possibility of cross
connection between recycled and
potable lines,

Prevention of backflow and siphonage
into either water supply system.
Provide in-building treatment plants to produce
high-quality recycled water for non-potable uses
within the building if the construction of satellite
treatment plant isn’t feasible.
Provide dual-plumbed infrastructure for water
distribution in newly proposed future developments.
Institute and run training programs for operators of
water reclamation facilities to staff future satellite
water reclamation plants and in-building water
recycling facilities.
Publish guidance booklets and brochures for use
by treatment plant operators and site supervisors.
Storm Water Capture and Reuse:
Captured stormwater may be used for landscape
irrigation and to supplement recycled water
supplies. Rainfall and resultant stormwater may be
captured by: collecting runoff from roofs and
buildings, diverting surface flows into catchment
basins, removing debris and storing water in tanks.
Conservation Manager
Appoint water conservation manager with the
following responsibilities and duties:
Coordination and oversight of conservation
programs and BMP implementation.
Define and quantify the potential water
efficiency savings.
Create programs that deliver water efficient
measures.
Communication and promotion of water
conservation; preparation of annual
conservation budget; participation with
other organizations to achieve water
efficiency goals; and preparation of the
conservation elements of the agency’s
Water Conservation Plan.
Evaluate program progress and make
appropriate changes to program activities.
Report achievements of the program to
management and the target audiences.
Public Information BMP
Designing public information activities should
consider the objectives of the water conservation
effort and be carefully planned. The overall process
is described in the following steps:
Frame the problem – focus on issues and
boundaries, describe the project need.
Identify constraints – determine issues to
be negotiated with the public and those that
cannot, such as regulatory or political
mandates, spending limits.
Identify and describe decision steps and
project milestones – develop a schedule
that shows public input decision points.
Identify and understand potentially affected
stakeholders – identify the groups that
should be involved.
Determine vulnerability and must-resolve
issues- focus efforts on issues and groups
likely to generate the most conflict.
Determine the appropriate level of public
involvement – establish what level of
involvement is needed to address
stakeholder concerns.
Select processes and techniques – by
completing the above six steps first, the
agency can save time and money by
selecting from many available techniques.
Develop a public involvement work plan.
Implement and monitor the work plan–
periodic monitoring is needed to ensure
that the time frame has not changed.
Manage change- the process must be
flexible enough to adapt to changes in
schedule, political climate, staff or critical
issues.
Identify target audiences.
Utilize effective consensus building
techniques.
Metering all Customers
Meter all water sources, potable and non-potable,
piped or tanker delivered.
Install separate meters or sub-meters for individual
leased, rented, or other tenant or sub-tenant space
within all commercial and residential buildings.
Frequently provide current water use data to
customers and tenants. Bill tenants based on
volume of water consumed. Connect meters and
sub-meters to a central data system where
warranted.
Install sub-meters on major water using equipment
so leaks and other malfunctions may be identified.
Submeter locations may include: laundry
operations, swimming pools, food service &
kitchens, irrigation systems, boiler makeup water,
feed water to hot water boilers, separate water
heating systems, condensate return lines to boilers
makeup and blowdown water to all cooling towers
and other large water using equipment or process.
Water Waste Prohibition
Implement the recently developed Water Demand
Management Policy in Jordan which prohibits water
resources from being wasted.
Conservation Pricing

Water Conservation pricing (tariffs) provides
economic incentives (a price signal) to customers
to use water efficiently.
To implement conservation rates, Water Authority
of Jordan and water utilities need to:
Measure the volumes of water used.
Set targets of water volumes appropriate
for specific uses.
Set prices for the targeted water volumes
considering the types of water use and the
need to send economic signals to the user.
Set prices adequate to support the
collection, purification and delivery cost of
water.
Provide the price signals and water volume
information to the customer frequently
enough so that the customer can adjust
their water use behavior in a useful
timeframe.
Provide a comparison with last year’s
consumption during the same month
Monitoring and Surveying Water Use
Monitoring and Surveying Water use refers to
collecting quantitative information that reflects the
actual volume of water used by different customer
classes at defined points in time. The following data
are needed to enable conservation plans to be
prepared:
Demographic data and projections – for the
service area – the population, number of
housing units, average number of people
living in a residential unit, age of housing
units.
Monthly water production data.
The number of water accounts by customer
class (i.e. residential, industrial, commercial
offices, retail buildings) and inspection of
customer buildings to assure that the class
designation conforms to the definitions.
Monthly sales (consumption) data by
customer class.
CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS
A series of recommendations and Best
Management Practices for water reuse and efficient
water use at different building types and at the
utility management company at HRHD areas were
presented for implementation at the planning,
design and operation stages in order to maximize
the benefits of demand reduction. These
recommendations fall into four major categories:
3. Non-use of water, where other media (air,
principally) may, be feasible, for cooling,
air-conditioning, and other industrial
applications.
4. Establishment of a utility management
company for operation and maintenance of
all water cycled responsibilities.
For water demand reduction measures to remain
effective in the long run, it will be necessary to
establish a robust inspection program to ensure
that all plumbing systems in HRHD areas are built
and maintained to a high standard of
professionalism. Maintenance of such systems is
extremely important to prevent leakage, system
breakage, and wastage of water. Inspection
programs go hand-in-hand with plumbing codes
and standards adopted for plumbing and water
using equipment, appliances and fixtures.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The team gratefully acknowledges the contribution
made by:
Water Demand Management Unit/ Ministry of
Water and Irrigation,
Consolidated Consultants (CC),
Center for the Study of the Built Environment
(CSBE),
Charlie Pike & Associates, and
Eng. Tony Gregg.
REFERENCES
USAID-IDARA Project, DAI. 2009. Best
Management Guide for Efficient Water Use in
High-Rise and High Density Developments in
Jordan.
USAID-IDARA Project, DAI. 2009. Efficient Water
Use Recommendations for High Rise and High
Density Development Areas including GAM-
Area C.
USAID-IDARA Project, DAI. 2009. Recommended
Code Provisions to Achieve Efficient water in
HRHD in Jordan
1. Use of recycled water for nearly all nonpotable
applications,
2. Efficient use of water with the appropriate
technologies now proven and widely
available on the global marketplace,