Water Consumption Trends Research Articles

Enhancing water efficiency programming in the City of Calgary

ABSTRACT This article presents the steps undertaken in a two-phase study to enhance the City of Calgary's (the City) water efficiency programming for indoor and outdoor industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) customers and outdoor residential customers. Study objectives included evaluating programs in other urban jurisdictions for suitability to Calgary, and developing short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations for water efficiency programming for the City. Phase I of the study included a literature review of Calgary's water consumption trends and explored over 150 water efficiency programs implemented across jurisdictions in North America, identifying a subset of 33 programs for further evaluation. Phase II evaluated program options through an integrated assessment, including gap, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, and cost-benefit analysis. An implementation strategy was developed for seven water efficiency programs, grouped into complementary bundles of indoor and outdoor ICI and residential landscape transformation programs. The study also identified areas for further research, and key supporting elements or ‘success factors’ for water efficiency programming in the City. This article adds value to the discussion on approaches to select suitable indoor and outdoor ICI and outdoor residential water efficiency programs, and aids in informing the City's current and future strategic water planning and programs.

Projection of ecological water consumption under carbon emission in Chinese provinces

Under the background of “double carbon”, ecological water has become one of the significant resources to ensure the healthy and sustainable development of the regional ecological environment. And the ecological water consumption prediction is a prerequisite for optimizing water supply structures. Considering the impact of CO2 emissions on ecological water consumption, the FGM(1,1) model was firstly used to predict CO2 emissions considered as an impact factor in this paper. Then, an adjacent accumulative grey multivariate convolution model (AGMC(1,N)) was combined with the Average Weakening Buffer Operator (AWBO) to predict the annual ecological water consumption of 30 provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in China. The results show that the AGMC(1,N) model combined with the AWBO has better prediction effect. In addition, in the next decade, only six provinces in the northern region will have a decreasing trend in ecological water consumption. However, the other provinces are showing an upward trend. The ecological water consumption trends deviate from the CO2 emission trends in 12 provinces. The research results are beneficial for the formulation of the ecological water consumption policies and the achievement of the dual carbon goals.

Changing water sources and extraction methods in Bangladesh: Challenges, consequences, and sustainable solutions

The quest for safe water in Bangladesh has resulted in the shift of water sources and extraction methods throughout history. The study aims to investigate the factors driving these changes, assess the consequences of current water consumption trends, and propose solutions for sustainable water management. The research highlights the historical shift from surface water to tube-wells for accessing groundwater, driven by their affordability and user-friendly nature. However, the discovery of arsenic contamination in tube-well water raised serious public health concerns, leading to the exploration of alternative water sources and extraction techniques. Various methods such as dug wells, pond sand filters, piped water supply, rainwater harvesting, and well-sharing have been adopted by communities and indigenous groups to ensure access to safe and clean water. The study reveals disparities in the installation of deep tube-wells by the government and NGOs, often overlooking safer water sources available at shallower depths. Furthermore, the study discusses the consequences of high-yielding technologies and increased water consumption in Sonargaon Upazila, leading to groundwater-related disasters and a decline in the groundwater table. Private irrigation facilities have become more popular among people, contributing to the declining groundwater table. This study provides insights into the changing water sources and extraction methods in Bangladesh, identifies the consequences of current water consumption trends, and proposes strategies for sustainable water management. The findings underline the importance of informed decision-making, government intervention, and community involvement to address the challenges of groundwater depletion and contamination in the region.

Fast in the pandemic, durable after droughts, inequal during economic downturn. A 20 year multi-dimensional retrospective analysis of water demand change in Southern California

Determining changes in water consumption behavior due to recurring external stressors (e.g. droughts and socio-economic fluctuations) and previously unseen shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic can support future demand-side management (DSM) programs and identifying vulnerable social groups. Yet, most studies analyzing external drivers of water consumption change are noncomparative as they examine only one stressor at the time, mainly droughts. Here we develop a multi-dimensional retrospective analysis (MDRA) to quantify residential water consumption changes in Southern California over the last two decades under compound hydroclimatic, economic, and pandemic stressors. We then uncover what socio-economic groups relate to predominant behavioral changes under each stressor. We observe a long-lasting decreasing water consumption trend for more than 76% of the analyzed households. Socio-economically vulnerable households were more likely to reduce water consumption during the economic and pandemic stressors. Differently, affluent neighborhoods tended to increase water consumption during or after droughts and the pandemic. Our MDRA supports utilities and policy makers to discern the impacts of different stressors on water demand and helps to identify social and economic sensitivities across a service area to develop adaptive DSMs and assistance programs.

ESTIMATION OF FUTURE POPULATION AND WATER DEMAND OF URBAN CENTERS OF INDIA: A CASE STUDY OF JAIPUR CITY

The rapid urbanization and population growth in India have led to increased pressure on water resources in urban centers. As one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, Jaipur is facing significant challenges in meeting the water demands of its expanding population. Therefore, it is crucial to estimate the future population and water demand of Jaipur city to develop effective strategies for sustainable water management. This case study aims to estimate the future population and water demand of Jaipur city using a comprehensive analysis of demographic and water consumption trends. The study utilizes a combination of statistical methods, demographic projections, and water demand modeling techniques to provide a holistic understanding of the city's future water requirements. The results of this case study provide valuable insights into the future population growth and water demand trends of Jaipur city. The findings can assist urban planners, policymakers, and water resource managers in formulating effective strategies for sustainable water management and infrastructure development. The study emphasizes the importance of incorporating future population growth projections and water demand estimations into long-term urban planning processes. This case study contributes to the understanding of the challenges posed by population growth and urbanization on water resources in India, using Jaipur city as a specific example. The estimation of future population and water demand serves as a foundation for developing proactive measures to ensure adequate water supply and sustainable urban development in the face of increasing demand and limited resources

Urban water crises driven by elites’ unsustainable consumption

AbstractOver the past two decades, more than 80 metropolitan cities across the world have faced severe water shortages due to droughts and unsustainable water use. Future projections are even more alarming, since urban water crises are expected to escalate and most heavily affect those who are socially, economically and politically disadvantaged. Here we show how social inequalities across different groups or individuals play a major role in the production and manifestation of such crises. Specifically, due to stark socioeconomic inequalities, urban elites are able to overconsume water while excluding less-privileged populations from basic access. Through an interdisciplinary approach, we model the uneven domestic water use across urban spaces and estimate water consumption trends for different social groups. The highly unequal metropolitan area of Cape Town serves as a case in point to illustrate how unsustainable water use by the elite can exacerbate urban water crises at least as much as climate change or population growth.

GIS-BASED GROUNDWATER POTENTIAL MAPPING USING MACHINE LEARNING MODELS, A CASE STUDY: QOM PROVINCE, IRAN

Abstract. By considering the increasing trend in water consumption and significant reduction of water resources in most countries of the world, groundwater resources have become very important. The Target of this study is to implement machine learning models to produce a groundwater potential map (GWPM), identify areas with higher water potential, and also identify influencing factors. Therefore, two algorithms including the random forest (RF) and support vector regression (SVR), were performed that according to the literature have a good compatibility with this type of problems, compared to the other models. Of the 351 well points available throughout the study area, 70% (245 well points) were selected as the target for training the models and the rest 30% (106 well points) were used for evaluating the models. In addition, 20 effective information layers were used for modeling. In this study, an effort was made to focus more on data preparation that is one of the most important parts of model development. The variance inflation factor (VIF) and correlation coefficient were applied to identify the dependent variables. Also, feature selection was done to identify the most influential factors. Finally, two groundwater potential map(GWPM)s were created based on these two models. By calculating the area under the curve (AUC) from the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), the prediction accuracy of the two models was calculated. The values for AUC of the two maps produced by the RF and SVR algorithms were 93.4% and 89.7%, respectively. This study improves the knowledge of groundwater potential in the study area which is one of the cities with water scarcity in the country.

Multi-objective optimal scheduling of laminar cooling water supply system for hot rolling mills driven by digital twin for energy-saving

As a result of the complex structure of laminar cooling water supply systems, both facets of strict process requirements and various intermittent running conditions could cause challenges of energy-saving and equipment upkeep. Given the energy wastage issue of the laminar cooling system of hot rolling, this paper develops an optimal scheduling system according to digital twin using Online Sequential Extreme Learning Machine (OS-ELM) and multi-objective evolutionary optimization using Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm (ISSA). The optimal scheduling system according to digital twins can accurately predict the water consumption trend of the water supply system and optimize the scheduling instructions and operation scheme through dynamic information interaction and mapping of process constraints, intermittent operating conditions, rolling rhythm, measured data, etc. between physical space and virtual space. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method can lessen power usage by 13.60% and water consumption by 10.54% regarding the premise of ensuring what is needed of cooling procedures. In addition, the water pump can maintain high effectiveness during operation to guarantee the security and stability of laminar cooling water supply systems.

Assessment of the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Stay-at-Home Measures on Potable Water Consumption Patterns, Location, and Financial Impacts for Water Utilities in Colombian Cities

Several studies suggest that social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the water sector, specifically regarding its demand and supply. Given the importance of hygiene practices, this effect is heightened by the role that potable water availability has in tackling the spread of the virus. This study aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on the water consumption patterns and location in four Colombian cities known for their important commercial, industrial, academic, and touristic features. Results exhibit diverse diminishing water consumption trends alongside COVID-19 because of different attributes of the cities (e.g., size, environmental, socioeconomic, and sociocultural characteristics). For instance, the touristic case study has been the most affected because of travel restrictions, with an average commercial demand drop of 32%. In contrast, industrial case studies have had a rapid recovery in water demand, with average industrial drops of 11–14% compared to 20–25% in non-industrial cities. These water demand changes do not affect only the operation of water utilities, but also their finances. Economic losses were estimated at 3.7%, 2.4%, and 6.4% of the expected incomes for the first 14 months of the pandemic for the case studies in this paper. Under a changing environment, understanding these changes and challenges is fundamental for ensuring that water systems are resilient in any unexpected situation.

Using advanced metering infrastructure data to evaluate consumer compliance with water advisories during a water service interruption

Water main breaks disrupt services provided by utilities and result in Water Service Interruptions (WSIs). Water utilities can manage WSIs through water advisories, which request that consumers limit their water use. The performance of water advisories depends on consumer compliance and decisions to conserve water. This research explores customer compliance with water advisories using water consumption data collected through Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). AMI provides high temporal and spatial resolution of water consumption data, which is analyzed to identify changes in water use behaviors. This research explores water use changes during a major water main break in Orange County, North Carolina, that caused a significant WSI, limiting water supply for more than 80,000 people. Customers were asked to reduce water use to essential purposes only and to boil water over the course of two days in November 2018. This research analyzes hourly consumption data to evaluate water consumption trends during the WSI and in response to water advisories. Statistical analysis is used to estimate the number of consumers who complied with utility notifications and to evaluate the volume of water saved. Regression analysis is applied to explore compliance across different user segments. Results provide insight about the level and variation of water conservation that can be expected during a WSI.

Water demand forecasting and countermeasures across the Yellow River basin: Analysis from the perspective of water resources carrying capacity

Study regionThe Yellow River Basin plays a crucial role in China's socio-economic development and ecological security. Study focusThe growing trend of water consumption driven by anthropogenic activities has posed an increasing number of challenges for the sustainable development of the Yellow River basin. Water demand prediction plays a central part in facilitating water conservation by developing water allocation strategies. Hence, the water demand prediction model based on the concept of water resources carrying capacity was built to predict water demand with different future scenarios and provide reference strategies for water allocation. New hydrological insights for the regionWith all changing scenarios under consideration, the future demand for water resources will significantly increase compared with the current conditions. The range of water demand by each province along the Yellow River basin is exhibited in this study. Two scenarios with different economic development conditions and cascading water use efficiency are investigated. In addition, solutions for improving water use efficiency and increasing the available quantity of water are put forward to ameliorate water stress. Specifically, water distribution schemes with a medium level of water use efficiency in different economic growth scenarios are proposed based on the available water resources from the Yellow River basin and the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. This work will benefit local planners and decision-makers.

Using a Grey Niche Model to Predict the Water Consumption in 31 Regions of China

Regional development brings significant changes in industrial structure and water consumption. Researching the trend in water consumption by changes in industrial structure can promote water conservation. The grey niche model describes the industrial changes in China and analyzes the water consumption of different leading industries. Using data from 2014 to 2019, and taking the economy as the influencing reason and the industrial niche as the weight, water consumption was predicted. The average percentage errors of the prediction results were all less than 0.1%. While improving the forecasting accuracy, the water consumption forecasting has been strengthened. The calculation results show that regional industry is undergoing transformation, and tertiary industry is rising in the national economy. The successful implementation of industrial water-saving measures has kept the water consumption of industrially developed cities stable but the rapid development of tertiary industries will increase water consumption. Incorporating changes in industrial structure into water use analysis allows the Chinese government to draft water conservation policies for various industries.

What Are the Most Effective Neighborhood Ranges for Social Comparison to Improve Water Use Efficiency?

It is commonly recognized in the field of water demand management that social comparison of water usage among people with a similar background is an effective measure to promote water efficiency. Many studies have used “neighborhood” to represent group similarity, but it is unclear how much geographic proximity is appropriate for defining a neighborhood. Therefore, the aim of this study is to clarify what neighborhood range is the most effective for promoting residential water use efficiency. We conducted a field experiment on social comparison feedback using two neighborhood ranges: narrow (condominium complex level) and wide (prefecture level), and analyzed changes in the water usage of 114 households residing in a condominium in the Tokyo metropolitan area, based on daily household water consumption data and an emoticon-based feedback system. As a result of classification of water consumption trend patterns using the K-means clustering method, it was suggested that those with low-consumption reduced their consumption as a result of the intervention, irrespective of neighborhood range. Despite the limited amount of data, the results provide insights into designing and implementing more effective feedback methods outside the US and European regions, especially in the context of residential water efficiency.

Trend Analysis and Prediction on Water Consumption in Southwestern Ethiopia

This study intensively examined the monthly water consumption forecasting performance using advanced time series (ARIMA) models. Thus, this study intends to identify the appropriate ARIMA models to best fit the water consumption data in Southwestern Ethiopia Tepi town and forecast water consumption effectively in the city. The data used for this study was the monthly water consumption in Tepi town from January 2016 to December 2021.The data were converted to returns to enhance their statistical properties and the returns were used to fit a mean equation. The monthly average water consumption in Tepi Town is 77227.8 meters cubic. Both original and transformed data show the trend of water consumption is increasing over time. Several ARIMA models were fitted to the data, and it emerged that the most adequate model for the data was ARIMA (1, 1, 1) based on the model selection criterion. The parameters for ARIMA models were estimated using the Ordinary Least Squares Estimation (OLS) method. The model was used to forecast the consumption for the next ten months and to advise Tepi town Water Company Limited in the city to meet the demand of the people. Conclusion. The consumption of water is increasing from December to September.

Carrot or stick: what motivates urban water consumption? Evidence from Southern California

ABSTRACT California has experienced one of the most intense and prolonged droughts in its history in the last decade, prompting the state government to undertake a series of policy responses. This paper compares the impact of the 2015 urban water-use reduction mandate with respect to pre-policy voluntary conservation efforts and post-policy water consumption trends by examining utility-level water demand dynamics of the Metropolitan Water District in Southern California. The findings overall indicate that despite voluntary measures resulting in a gradual decline in urban water-use, the introduction of the regulatory stick achieved swift reduction targets that remained even after removal of the mandatory policy.

Contributions of Vegetation Greening and Climate Change to Evapotranspiration Trend after Large-Scale Vegetation Restoration on the Loess Plateau, China

Since the early 2000s, the vegetation cover of the Loess Plateau (LP) has increased significantly, which has been fully recorded. However, the effects on relevant eco-hydrological processes are still unclear. Here, we made an investigation on the changes of actual evapotranspiration (ETa) during 2000–2018 and connected them with vegetation greening and climate change in the LP, based on the remote sensing data with correlation and attribution analysis. Results identified that the average annual ETa on the LP exhibited an obvious increasing trend with the value of 9.11 mm yr−1, and the annual ETa trend was dominated by the changes of ETa in the third quarter (July, August, and September). The future trend of ETa was predicted by the Hurst exponent. Partial correlation analysis indicated that annual ETa variations in 87.8% regions of the LP were controlled by vegetation greening. Multiple regression analysis suggested that the relative contributions of potential evapotranspiration (ETp), precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), to the trend of ETa were 5.7%, −26.3%, and 61.4%, separately. Vegetation greening has a close relationship with the Grain for Green (GFG) project and acts as an essential driver for the long-term development trend of water consumption on the LP. In this research, the potential conflicts of water demanding between the natural ecosystem and social-economic system in the LP were highlighted, which were caused by the fast vegetation expansion.

Water Consumption Trend among Students in a University’s Residential Hall

In a university, student can be considered as the largest proportion of the campus residents. A university has to allocate high costs to cover student facilities with a very restricted fund. It is important to understand how the student used these facilities. Hence, in this study, a trend of water consumption among student was investigated. The objective is to identify the amount of water usage per person and the difference between genders. To measure the water consumption among student, water meter reading (in litres) was done by observing every block of student’s hostels at randomly selected days within five weeks. The collected water meter reading (in litres) was analysed using descriptive and some statistical hypothesis tests. From the analysis, it was found that the average daily water consumption of students in the residential halls is exceed average water demand which is 250 litres/student that provided by Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN). In addition, female student found to consume more water than male student. These outcomes showed that the university should take some initiatives to enhance student awareness on the importance of saving their daily water usage.

In‐Home Tap Water Consumption Trends Changed Among U.S. Children, but Not Adults, Between 2007 and 2016

AbstractDespite evidence that tap water is often safer and cheaper than alternative sources, tap water is avoided when perceived to be unsafe. Therefore, we conducted the first nationally representative U.S. trends analysis of in‐home tap water avoidance between 2007 and 2016. We tested whether changes occurred during/after the Flint water crisis, and whether not drinking tap from one's main water source differed by age, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status across time. Finally, we tested whether tap water avoidance was associated with higher prevalence of bottled water consumption among children. We used data on 12,915 children and 23,139 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Significant covariate‐adjusted quadratic time trends were found in the prevalence of avoiding tap water with an inflection at 2013–2014 for children, but not adults. Piecewise log‐binomial regressions estimated that between 2007 and 2014 each survey cycle was associated with 14% lower prevalence of not drinking tap water (prevalence ratio [PR] 0.86, 95% CI: 0.80–0.93), but in 2014–2016 a 53% (95% CI: 1.12–2.09) higher prevalence was found for children corresponding to the water crisis. Younger children, Hispanic, non‐Hispanic black, and those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds had consistently higher probability of avoiding tap water over time. Children who avoided tap water had 92% higher prevalence of drinking bottled water. In 2015–2016, 78% of non‐Hispanic black children who avoided tap water drank bottled water on a given day. Avoiding tap water may indicate underlying water insecurity in the United States. Efforts to address tap water distrust have critical health and economic implications.

Sustainable water management for cross-border resources: The Balkhash Lake Basin of Central Asia, 1931–2015

The water level in Balkhash Lake is an important indicator for basin-wide ecosystem conditions, which is affected by many factors. The Ili River is a typical trans-boundary river between China and Kazakhstan, and its flows occupy about 80% of the runoff of all rivers flowing into Balkhash Lake. Several studies argued that overexploitation of water resources on the China side caused the decrease of river discharge of the Ili River, eventually leading to the decline of the Balkhash Lake’s water level. This study uses trend and correlation analysis to characterize variations in lake level, precipitation, temperature, evapotranspiration, land cover and population in the Balkhash Lake Basin. Results show that a substantial increase in the amount of discharges that flows from China to Kazakhstan has been observed from 1931 to 2013, and the average annual discharge from 1998 to 2013 reflects a 26.5% increase (36.33 × 108 m3) over the average from 1931 to 1997. The Kapchagay reservoir significantly reduced annual river discharges by about 11.67 × 108 m3 during the period 1970–1997, which significantly caused the decline of the Balkhash Lake’s levels. Agricultural land increased by 0.74 × 103 km2/year from 1992 to 2015, mainly in the southeast of Kazakhstan during the period 1998–2001, leading to an increasing trend in water consumption due to evapotranspiration from increasing irrigation. Overall, water resources are in long-term decline in the Balkhash Lake Basin when glaciers melt and irrigation must therefore be managed with increasing efficiency. The results presented here provide essential information for a comprehensive understanding of lake and water resources allocation and management.

Water Consumption and Management in Schools in the City of Alicante (Southern Spain) (2000–2017): Free Water Helps Promote Saving Water?

Studies on water in cities usually focus on household consumption. However, little attention has been given to non-household consumption and schools from a geographic perspective. The objectives of this research are to examine water consumption trends in schools in the city of Alicante (Southern Spain) between 2000–2017, revise how water use is managed in these centers, and, lastly, examine initiatives aimed at environmental education and saving water in these schools. The results obtained from a survey of school directors indicate a low level of participation because only 14 of the 88 educational centres in the city chose to collaborate in this research. Second, and with regard to water trend consumption, in 2017, water consumption increased by 1.76% in comparison with the average for the period of 2000 to 2004, in contrast with a 38.9% fall in non-household general consumption in the city. Lastly, measures to encourage water saving and environmental education in schools are limited. This tendency is explained by the increase in the number of users over the last five years. Second, the water bill is not paid directly by schools’ directors and, thus, ‘free’ water is a factor that does not incentivise savings. A third is the little investment made in the installation of water-saving devices, water-saving plans, or action taken to promote the use of non-conventional water resources to the watering garden. Lastly, low promotion of environmental education or incentives for savings in schools.