Water/Effluent Target-Setting

Developing a long-range sustainability strategy for water and effluent is different from developing strategies for energy and emissions for at least three reasons:

• First, many of the strategies that deal with water are climate-specific and depend on the amount and frequency of rain in a particular location.
• Second, there is no “alternative” generation source for the water we consume that is comparable to renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic panels and windmills.
• Finally, there is far less recorded data for water consumption in health care facilities than for energy or waste, making accurate benchmarking much more difficult.

In response to these challenges, the Roadmap’s target-setting tool for water consumption has been developed as a qualitative rather than a quantitative long-range planning tool. As such, no values are assigned to quantify the reduction of potable water consumption that each goal can achieve or the length of time it will take to accomplish each goal. Therefore, the figure below is merely a visual guide for gauging relative reductions in consumption and times needed to accomplish them for each goal.

Potable Water Reduction Long-Range Planning Template*

As do the other target-setting tools on this website, this model uses a Basic-Intermediate-Advanced framework for thinking about buidling performance.

For a facility to achieve the Basic level of performance, two major goals must be achieved:

• Accomplish all of the relevant items on the Water Top 10+ list. These actions will help facilities reduce water consumption by repairing and optimizing systems and equipment already in place.
• Eliminate all non-essential processes that consume potable water (e.g., irrigation, once-through cooling, x-ray film processing, etc.). This can be achieved by optimizing operations and installing basic device upgrades; both of these performance improvement measures are included on the Water Top 10+ list.

To achieve an Intermediate level of performance, organizations should begin to implement the following strategies in addition to meeting the Basic-level goals:

• Collect rainwater on-site and use it for irrigation, toilet flushing, or other non-potable purposes.
• Collect, treat, and reuse wastewater from the facility.

Organizations reach the Advanced level when they have implemented and are maximizing the opportunities at both the Basic and Intermediate levels.

We urge all health care organizations to set a reasonable timeline for achieving target goals in their action plans. The national goal is for all health care organizations to achieve at least the Basic level of long-term performance as quickly as possible and to provide water consumption data to our Water Performance Calculator database and rating system so the health care sector can develop a credible data bank of water consumption for every region of the country.

Using the Water Performance Calculator to Set Targets for Reduced Water Use

Before setting water reduction targets, create a water profile of your hospital by performing a water audit. The information collected is essential to understanding how your facility uses water and where opportunities for reductions in use are greatest. Enter data into the Water Performance Calculator to compare your facility's water consumption against that of similar facilities. Take into consideration, though, that the usefulness of this tool depends on the number of facilities that use it. The more facilities that enter their data, the more representative the data is.

Once you have gained an understanding of your facility's water profile, consider where you fall on the water chart and how aggressive you want to be with target-setting for your facility. As discussed above, there are four main strategies when it comes to maximizing water efficiency and reducing potable water consumption:

• Repair or optimize existing systems (fix what you have). The Top 10+ lists published on this website provide suggestions for reducing water consumption by optimizing systems and equipment that are already in place.
• Optimize operations. Check to ensure that your systems are functioning properly and that your controls are set to minimize water use. Performance improvement measures are provided to help you identify possible areas for improvement.
• Upgrade devices. Eliminate or significantly reduce the use of potable water for processes where it is not necessary or other options are available by upgrading equipment.
• Collect rainwater and/or treat graywater and use it in place of potable water for non-potable applications.

Each strategy is progressively more intensive and requires more planning and effort to implement and complete. If you want to be on the leading edge of water sustainability, then you want to start thinking about the Intermediate and Advanced goals now and how they fit into your long-term plan.

Many facilities will want to jump in right away and start with the first goal on the list—undertaking the steps on the Water Top 10+ list. This list of "quick fixes," such as checking for faucet leaks, can help you optimize your current systems and eliminate any sources of water inefficiency. Keep in mind that facilities use water differently and not all the items on the list may pertain to your facility. Or, as you go through the list, you may find that your facility has already completed many of the items—that’s great, you’re ahead of the game.

If your facility is ready to undertake device upgrades, more planning will be required to identify and address areas of water use where either potable water is not required or other options are available that eliminate the use of water altogether. You will probably want to review the performance improvement measure (PIM) list for water to identify items that pertain to your facility for inclusion in your target-setting goals. The PIMs include things such as eliminating potable water use for irrigation by utilizing xeriscaping and replacing equipment that uses water for once-through cooling.

Whether you want to attempt "collecting and using rainwater" and "treating and reusing graywater" will depend on the specific characteristics of your facility. The ability to use rainwater is influenced by several factors:

• Geographic location: The amount of rain that falls in your area and how often it falls
• Site and building layout: Capability to capture rainwater from landscape and hardscape
• Space available for storage and treatment
• Opportunities for reuse
• Infrastructure required for reuse
• Regulatory agencies and compliance issues

These items will all need substantial consideration to determine if it makes sense to pursue a rainwater-harvesting system. You may want to review the Implementation section and some case studies for more information. (Case studies are available in the PIMs and also in the Resources Library.)

The case is similar for graywater treatment and reuse. The factors that influence the feasilbity of installing and using a graywater system include

• Graywater generation amount
• Space available for storage and treatment
• Opportunities for reuse
• Infrastructure required for reuse
• Regulatory agencies and compliance issues

Again, it is recommended that you review the Implementation section and relevant case studies available to better understand the ramifications of using these systems before deciding to implement one.

 

*A note about the framework graph shown on this page: The graph is intended to give a snapshot of an organization's overall long-term water reduction goals and the extent to which it would like to achieve them. The "starting point" on the far left of the tool is appropriate only if a health care facility has no water conservation or reduction strategies already in place and plans to achieve each goal in the order listed. As each goal is addressed, the project progresses from left to right toward the “finish point” at the far right. Hospitals that have already achieved some of the goals, perhaps in a different order than indicated, can modify the tool framework to reflect their efforts.