Abstract
This paper discusses the potential of water savings at property, household and urban levels, through the application of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs), as well as their quantification using the software Wise Water. Household centered measures are identified that allow for significant reduction of drinking water consumption with comparatively small effort, and without limitation of comfort. Furthermore, a method for the estimation of water recycling, for rainwater harvesting and for the utilization potential as locally available renewable freshwater is presented. Based on this study, the average drinking water consumption in urban households of industrialized countries could be reduced by approximately one third, without significant investment costs, either within the framework of new constructions or by the remodeling of water and sanitation systems in residential buildings. By using a secondary water quality, the drinking water demand could even be reduced by 50%. In the case of an area-wide application, the overall fresh water demand of cities and the exploitation of fresh water resources could be significantly reduced. Due to the comparability of the domestic water use of the investigated households, the findings are internationally transferable, for example to countries in Europe, Asia, and also the USA.
Highlights
Many of the world’s cities are expected to face fresh water shortages in the future due to a growing population and the related rise in water consumption as well as the decline in renewable freshwater resources caused by the effects of climate change
The drinking water demand of households could be reduced by 45%–50% if, for example, other sources of water were provided, i.e., secondary water quality, such as rainwater or recycled wastewater
The methodology discussed in this paper facilitates the estimation of possible water savings in domestic water consumption at the household level and in new or existing urban environments, by application of Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) for efficient and sustainable water use
Summary
Many of the world’s cities are expected to face fresh water shortages in the future due to a growing population and the related rise in water consumption as well as the decline in renewable freshwater resources caused by the effects of climate change. The urban and domestic domain contributes significantly to the exploitation of global fresh water resources. In cities, households contribute to the greatest part of drinking water consumption. Households, have a significant impact on the natural water balance, the overexploitation of renewable freshwater resources and the watersheds of their hinterlands. In the United States of America, for example, the public water supply is responsible for 21% of freshwater withdrawal [1], and private households consume more than 50%. Of the public water supply [2]. In the Netherlands, this percentage is 66% [3], and in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, public households are responsible for approximately 70% of the public water supply [4]
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