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Water Practice & Technology © IWA Publishing 2007  |  doi10.2166/wpt.2007.069

NEW STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE EFFICIENT WATER USE BY NEW BUSINESSES

Charlie Pike¹

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) provides approximately 225,000 acre feet of water per year to 1.3 million people and 22,000 commercial, institutional and industrial accounts near San Francisco Bay, California. As part of its aggressive demand management program, EBMUD offers business customers on-site inspections and financial assistance to convert existing water using equipment and processes to more water efficient technology. EBMUD would like to:
• Interact with sponsors of new commercial sites before construction begins.
• Employ high efficiency water use technology at the beginning of the business operation rather than retrofitting equipment at a later date.
• Benefit the customer by improving production output while reducing operating costs involving water, sewerage and energy.
• Make more effective use of EBMUD rate payer dollars.

This new approach is called: WaterSmart Guidelines for New Business and includes:
• A guidebook describing updated water efficient technology for fourteen water using technologies employed in twenty types of business operations
• Technical requirements and recommendations regarding water efficiency for designers of new business facilities
• Checklists of water efficiency measures to be used by officials considering new applications for water service.
• A marketing plan to reach prospective business customers

Keywords: Business, commerce, water use, marketing, water efficient technology, equipment, processes, business, guidebook

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