Water's the Problem? Conserving Household H2O

by Zak Miller

At the Ecology Action Centre’s greenly renovated office in Halifax, the waterless urinal saves an estimated 38,000L of water and $40 in water bills per person, each year.

Water, water everywhere. It can be hard to imagine a limit to fresh water in Nova Scotia. But if our freshwater resources were a bank account, we would have a very low interest rate.  The water we have is renewed only very slowly and at our current rate of water use, we will quickly run out. With pressure mounting, we all need to do our part to reduce household water use.

Both building renovations and new construction hold important opportunities to conserve water. Generally speaking, the greater the scope the proposed project, the more opportunities there are for water reduction improvements. However, even modest renovations can achieve a 30% reduction in water use relative to a conventional building with similar features and systems.

Though toilets may not be the most glamorous home renovation, they hold exciting potential for household water conservation, especially the installation of dual flush models. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation tested 51 dual flush toilets in two housing developments in Kitchener, Ontario. The toilets saved between 37 and 99 litres of water per day per housing unit, with a water and wastewater rate savings of $23.95-$63.86 per unit.  Conventional urinals can also be replaced with conservation-oriented, “no-flush” technology, adding even more savings.

Where facilities allow, a separate grey water system can also be installed to allow for water reuse. Greywater, generated from all of the house's sanitation equipment except for the toilets and/or urinals, comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. With simple filtration systems, this collected water can be reused for many household and commercial applications. For example, untreated greywater is often rich in nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous, making it an excellent source for plant watering and landscaping.

Landscaping around your property is another great target for water conservation measures. For example, roof drainage systems that divert rainwater into cisterns can provide a free source of irrigation when the weather is dry, and eases the load on the storm water system during heavy rainstorms. Porous paving materials (for example “grass-crete”) can also be used for driveways and parking lots to ensure maximum water retention and minimum run-off. 

A good variety of native plant species well adapted to the natural conditions of your property should also be encouraged whenever possible.  It is important to choose plants well adapted to the natural growing conditions of the site. Well-situated deciduous plants can even be incorporated into building design to allow for maximum window shading in summer and maximum solar exposure during winter.

Protecting Nova Scotia’s fresh water supply into the future means recognizing where our buildings and surrounding properties can reduce consumption. It also means reusing water as much as possible before it enters wastewater facilities, and encouraging natural water retention. In this way, we can diminish the necessity for water treatment plants and wastewater facilities while moving in a direction that builds a culture of recognition and respect around how our most important of resources, water, is designed into our built environment. 

Zak Miller is a proud new Dad who works on Built Environment Issues at the Ecology Action Centre. Coastlines is coordinated by the Coastal Issues Committee at Ecology Action Centre and supported by the Nova Scotia Habitat Conservation Fund with contributions from hunters and trappers.