Cumberland BC: The Cumberlander Articles Section
Uncategorized · 10th August 2007
Editor, with permission
Are you paying for others to water their driveway?
Aug 10 2007
This is the fourth of eight articles from the Comox Strathcona Regional District in a series that explores how and why we use the amount of water we do.
Meet the McWaters.
If a family can personify the Comox Valley in their water use, this family does. They shower, shave, and water their lawn just like you do.
When they do it, they use a lot of water, more than most Canadian families.
They try to follow annual outdoor water restrictions, but they haven’t yet adjusted their habits. They also haven’t installed water efficient appliances or retrofitted their old ones.
So where does their water go?
In 2001, Statistics Canada estimated that the average Canadian uses 335 litres of water per day. The national average per household (statistically 2.5 people) is 838 litres of water per day per home and 305,688 litres annually.
In the Comox Valley, we use twice that. Courtenay and Comox residents used 600 litres of water per person per day in 2006. Per household, that’s 1,500 litres each day and over 550,000 litres annually.
Most homes can expect about 60 to 65 per cent of their water will be used in the bathroom. They flush 30 per cent of that down the toilet.
Showers, brushing teeth and bathing make up the other 35 per cent. Homeowners also use 10 per cent of their water to cook or quench their thirst.
They use five per cent to clean the house and 20 per cent to do laundry. Older households can also attribute 10 percent of their water to leaky faucets and toilets.
And like most Canadian communities, water use peaks during the summer months, with lawn watering being the main culprit.
“Water usage doubles in the region during the summer months which is challenging because that’s often when water levels are low,” said Graeme Fairs, general manager of operational services at the Comox Strathcona Regional District (CSRD).
Seem impossible? Break it down.
Imagine the McWaters, a fictional family of four as they go about their daily routine. They each get up and use the toilet in the morning.
That’s 53 litres of water right there. If they each take one shower a day, that’s another 560 litres. Already they’ve used enough water to fill 306 large bottles of cola.
We haven’t even calculated an extra shower after hockey practice or mom’s bath to unwind at the end of the day.
Most homeowners don’t realize how quickly water use adds up. By learning more about water use, families can also learn how to save it without altering their lifestyle.
The McWaters could cut their water use by 20 per cent without purchasing new appliances or upgrading existing faucets.
They could save up to a third more water by installing low flow toilets, fixing leaks and drips, and installing aerators on faucets.
Water meters — this is an interesting option. If the McWaters were on a water meter they would be more likely to know that the average bathroom sink tap puts out 11 litres of water per minute.
Taps with aerators use almost half the water of non-aerated faucets. Water use usually dips 18 to 25 per cent after water meters are installed. Most households in the region do not yet have water meters in place with which to track water use per household.
This year, the CSRD is updating its 2002 study on water metering for the Comox Valley water system, which draws water out of the Puntledge River, downstream from Comox Lake.
The study may recommend widespread water metering. Though some new homes have meters installed, residents in Courtenay and Comox currently pay for water through general water rates, which means you pay an average rate based on the total amount consumed in your service area. Do you live next door to the fictional McWaters?
Do they water their lawn — or worse, their driveway — every day? If so, your water bill is based in part on their water use. Houses with water meters pay only for the water they use themselves.
It’s time we wake up to water conservation.
By saving water, repairing leaks and retrofitting their appliances the McWaters — and the rest of us — can help preserve the amount of water in reservoirs and keep water available for fish stocks and firefighting during dry summer months.
With a little awareness and conservation, we can also reduce the immediate need to upgrade treatment plants, pipelines and water pump stations.
Aug 10 2007
This is the fourth of eight articles from the Comox Strathcona Regional District in a series that explores how and why we use the amount of water we do.
Meet the McWaters.
If a family can personify the Comox Valley in their water use, this family does. They shower, shave, and water their lawn just like you do.
When they do it, they use a lot of water, more than most Canadian families.
They try to follow annual outdoor water restrictions, but they haven’t yet adjusted their habits. They also haven’t installed water efficient appliances or retrofitted their old ones.
So where does their water go?
In 2001, Statistics Canada estimated that the average Canadian uses 335 litres of water per day. The national average per household (statistically 2.5 people) is 838 litres of water per day per home and 305,688 litres annually.
In the Comox Valley, we use twice that. Courtenay and Comox residents used 600 litres of water per person per day in 2006. Per household, that’s 1,500 litres each day and over 550,000 litres annually.
Most homes can expect about 60 to 65 per cent of their water will be used in the bathroom. They flush 30 per cent of that down the toilet.
Showers, brushing teeth and bathing make up the other 35 per cent. Homeowners also use 10 per cent of their water to cook or quench their thirst.
They use five per cent to clean the house and 20 per cent to do laundry. Older households can also attribute 10 percent of their water to leaky faucets and toilets.
And like most Canadian communities, water use peaks during the summer months, with lawn watering being the main culprit.
“Water usage doubles in the region during the summer months which is challenging because that’s often when water levels are low,” said Graeme Fairs, general manager of operational services at the Comox Strathcona Regional District (CSRD).
Seem impossible? Break it down.
Imagine the McWaters, a fictional family of four as they go about their daily routine. They each get up and use the toilet in the morning.
That’s 53 litres of water right there. If they each take one shower a day, that’s another 560 litres. Already they’ve used enough water to fill 306 large bottles of cola.
We haven’t even calculated an extra shower after hockey practice or mom’s bath to unwind at the end of the day.
Most homeowners don’t realize how quickly water use adds up. By learning more about water use, families can also learn how to save it without altering their lifestyle.
The McWaters could cut their water use by 20 per cent without purchasing new appliances or upgrading existing faucets.
They could save up to a third more water by installing low flow toilets, fixing leaks and drips, and installing aerators on faucets.
Water meters — this is an interesting option. If the McWaters were on a water meter they would be more likely to know that the average bathroom sink tap puts out 11 litres of water per minute.
Taps with aerators use almost half the water of non-aerated faucets. Water use usually dips 18 to 25 per cent after water meters are installed. Most households in the region do not yet have water meters in place with which to track water use per household.
This year, the CSRD is updating its 2002 study on water metering for the Comox Valley water system, which draws water out of the Puntledge River, downstream from Comox Lake.
The study may recommend widespread water metering. Though some new homes have meters installed, residents in Courtenay and Comox currently pay for water through general water rates, which means you pay an average rate based on the total amount consumed in your service area. Do you live next door to the fictional McWaters?
Do they water their lawn — or worse, their driveway — every day? If so, your water bill is based in part on their water use. Houses with water meters pay only for the water they use themselves.
It’s time we wake up to water conservation.
By saving water, repairing leaks and retrofitting their appliances the McWaters — and the rest of us — can help preserve the amount of water in reservoirs and keep water available for fish stocks and firefighting during dry summer months.
With a little awareness and conservation, we can also reduce the immediate need to upgrade treatment plants, pipelines and water pump stations.
