Why is Water Efficiency and Conservation Important?

Water Efficiency and Conservation is Important to Us because it's Important to Our Residents.

You've told us that you want your communities to be sustainable. To achieve this, we must work together for a sustainable natural environment and economic vitality. Water efficiency and conservation contributes to a healthy watershed, providing future generations with clean sources for drinking water. To this end, York Region is dedicated to protecting Lake Simcoe, Lake Ontario and our ground water sources by providing the tools to use less water yet, maintain the same standard of living. Water efficiency results in less run off into our lakes and rivers and less energy used in the provision and treatment of water.

There's more than meets the eye with the distribution of quality drinking water and the collection and treatment of sewage. Water and wastewater facilities represent about two-thirds of York Region's total electricity consumption.

The figure below shows the distribution of electricity costs by Regional facility type for 2007.

As you can see Water and Wastewater facilities represent the single largest user of electricity within the services operated by the Region. It is vitally important to ensure that this energy is used as efficiently as possible.

Water efficiency and conservation makes sound financial sense by saving money on energy consumption and postponing the expansion or new construction of treatment plants, pumping stations and watermains in growing communities.

Greenhouse Gas and Energy - Co-benefits of Water Conservation

Large amounts of energy are required to pump, treat and distribute water and to collect and treat sewage. Water conservation offers potential for energy and greenhouse gas savings, as water-use involves significant energy.

Energy Intensity and Carbon Footprint

The urban water-use cycle includes source extraction, water treatment, distribution, wastewater treatment, collection and end use, all of which involve energy use, including:

• Indirect energy - municipal energy to pump and treat water and wastewater
• Direct energy - end-uses (customer) such as hot water, household purification and water softeners
• Energy required to manufacture chemicals used in the treatment of water

But How Much Energy Can be Saved Through Water Conservation?

Example of the associated energy and carbon footprint savings of York Region water conservation initiative:

Through the Water for Tomorrow program, York Region's commitment to reducing municipal leakage has saved more than 8.1 million litres of water per day. This equals 2,956,500 m³ saved each year.

Help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions while protecting our source water. Reducing the demand on municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities through water efficiency and conservation efforts will directly reduce energy use and protect our many streams, rivers and lakes.