The goal of the RCM program is to contain utility costs and reduce utility use, especially energy usage, by eight percent through no-cost or low-cost measures by 2011.

Zero-cost to low-cost conservation and energy efficiency measures encompass both behavioral changes for employees and operational changes.

Behavioral changes could include:

• Turning office equipment off at the end of the day.
• Dressing warmer/cooler rather than turning thermostats up or down.
• Turning lights off in unoccupied rooms.

Operational changes could include:

• Adding timers and/or motion sensors to lighting in in-frequently used rooms.
• Replacing inefficient lighting with efficient lighting.
• Choosing the highest efficiency replacement equipment.

According to an RCM program analysis, the greatest opportunity for cost-savings could be realized through improved energy efficiency measures at Skagit PUD’s 63 pump stations, which consumed 668,545 kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2009.

As you think about your own water usage, consider the following facts:

• The United States uses some 450 billion gallons of water every day. Only about six percent of that—27 billion gallons—is taken by the public water supply systems. The US daily average of water pumped by those systems is 185 gallons per person.

• At least 30 percent of water used annually by a single-family household is for outdoor water irrigation. A large portion of that goes to waste through evaporation or runoff caused by over-watering. In the summer, the average daily demand for water can nearly double for Skagit PUD customers.

How does nature recycle water?

The water cycle keeps the amount of total water on the globe constant. Water from oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, puddles, and other water surfaces evaporates to become clouds. The clouds make rain, snow, or sleet that falls to earth to make rivers and streams, some of which seeps into the ground to form groundwater. All of this water flows to the ocean to start the cycle over again. Before returning to the ocean, some of this water is taken for drinking water and then is discharged as wastewater. The cycle is never-ending.

Why should I conserve?

Although the amount of water on the globe is constant, conserving is still important. Skagit County has seen steady population growth in recent years. As the population increases, so does the demand for water. This means that every so often, Skagit PUD must spend some money to find another source of water or augment its existing sources. These costs impact your water rates. Since 1996, Skagit PUD has invested $55 million in construction and riparian mitigation to meet current and future water demands—

• New pump station built on the Skagit River;
• Water treatment plant capacity doubled;
• Judy Reservoir dams raised to increase storage level;
• Major transmission lines upsized.

If people conserved, the water demand would not grow as fast as the population and the need to look for more water would be delayed. This permits the PUD to defer expenditures and to use the money for something else in the meantime—such as maintaining its 600 miles of pipeline. In addition, not all of the water taken as drinking water gets right back to the source. Thus, if communities are conserving water so that less is needed, more water will be left for fish habitat.

Water conservation is something we all should practice. Except for the air we breathe, water is the single most important element in our lives.

It’s too precious to waste.

Please use it wisely.

Source: American Water Works Association