History/Problem
Water in Colorado is a vital resource. Not only does the state of Colorado rely on the Colorado River as its source, but so do eighteen other states and parts of Mexico. The water that comes from the Colorado River is beginning to become scarce due to the recent dryness this past decade. As Colorado’s population is projected to double by the mid twenty first century and a warmer climate, water management in office buildings importance's has grown. On average, large office buildings (over 200,000 SF) used 22,000 gallons of water per day. That comes out to 50.1 gallons of water per person. The three largest uses of water in office buildings in order from one to three is restrooms, cooling and heating, and landscaping. In recent years, the cost of water and wastewater services have risen at a rate well above the consumer price index. As for Colorado, the need to fix this issue rises faster than the rates for the cost of water and wastewater services. The Colorado River total economic impact is $1.4 trillion dollars. As well as the argument on who actually has the rights to the water from the Colorado River makes the importance of sustainability even greater for local office buildings. 80% of Colorado’s population lives on the east slope of the state while 80% of the state's water is founded on the west slope. Denver only receives an average of 15 inches of precipitation each year. Compare that to Miami’s tropical climate, it's about a fourth of their yearly precipitation. Total in the United States, office buildings comprise 9% of water use in commercial and institutional facilities. Due to the potential of future water restrictions in Colorado and the growing demand for water, local office buildings that are not newly constructed to be at a sustainable standard, must start to come up with solutions to reduce water usage in a tight timeframe, in order to help protect our planet.
Current Approaches at the Local Level
In order to address water sustainability, Denver Water has developed “One Water” which is a holistic distribution approach that manages the utility’s water resources for long-term resilience and reliability. Denver Water has created a recycled water system, which takes used water from homes and runs it through a wastewater plant that reintroduces the water safely into the built environment, at a non-drinking standard. Currently, commercial, industrial and industrial, and institutional customers make up approximately 24% of total water usage in the Denver area. Denver is currently finding ways to help efficiently filter used water in buildings, and are finding ways to use less water. Some ways to reduce water usage that is seen in Denver commercial buildings are things like low flush toilets, which takes 1-1.5/L per flush, while regular toilets take around 5-6/L per flush.
Other systems that have been implemented in Denver are Cooling Towers. Cooling towers use make-up water to replace water lost in evaporation as well as from blow down. It is a heat rejection device that rejects wasted heat from going into the atmosphere by the cooling water stream.
Overall, Denver Water is starting to help make strides to help with the current water situation in Denver, and help create a more sustainable way for the future of office buildings in the Denver area.
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Risk Assessment
When it comes to water-use in general, the world has a substantial problem if we as humans do not do something to help mitigate the problems that we have created. We as humans have put this planet at risk of not having the sufficient amount of water to correctly help this planet last, if we do not do something about it. Water in Colorado is a vital resource. Office buildings use a significant amount of water in Colorado. With 22,000 gallons of water being used in each large office building per day, there is a serious threat to a lack of water in the future.
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While our suggested solutions have many advantages, there are a few disadvantages and risks. The major risk with our solutions are cost and efficiency. While our solutions could prove very helpful, the up front cost remains a problem. Risks involved with water treatment systems are required regular maintenance and high installation costs. As far as rainwater collection and harvesting, there are a few risks. One being Denver’s unpredictable and uncommon rainfall. An owner would need to weigh the costs to see if installing this system would even save money. Due to Denver’s low rainfall percentage, building owners would not be able to solely rely on this system for energy. A major risk is the large up front investment for cost of installment. As mentioned before, it may not be worth it to try due to Denver’s lack of rain. The biggest disadvantage is the maintenance that comes with water harvesting as it requires regular maintenance. Although there could be slight issues with this proposal, the main risk lies in the cost.
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Our proposal is not the answer to save potential water scarcity in the US, but it is one small step towards sustainability. As the global population grows and demand for food and energy increases, the pressure on freshwater ecosystems will intensify. We have to start preserving as much water as possible if we want our future generations to survive. Specifically in Denver, the population is growing rapidly, which is converting to more construction and water use. As a community, we have to find ways to reduce water usage and our solutions can help.
Stakeholders at local level
Denver Water
Denver water currently helps guide commercial buildings with both indoor and outdoor water efficiency. They provide strategies on how to self audit many different areas of the building that may be wasting water. Step by step instructions are listed with bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms to find leaks. This is the key to prevent wasting water. Outside the building they provide ways on how to be more efficient with irrigation and give buildings the option to earn rebates on new clocks and spray heads. To help conserve water from May 1st to October 1st, Denver Water has set rules on when commercial building operators can water outside. No more than watering three times a week, water during the cooler times of the day, and must repair sprinkler systems within three days of not working properly are just a few to name. To help our plan, Denver water can build out greywater systems in office buildings. Instead of the water heading towards the sewer system, Denver water can work with office buildings to direct that water into the sprinkler systems and toilet bowls. Denver water can add this as a consulting service to office buildings. This can add a new form of revenue for Denver water. Although they are a public utility company, they do not have access to the City of Denver’s general funds. Their only form of revenue is from the sale of water to Denver and the suburbs. As well as the sale of hydropower to electric utility companies. Denver water is the largest landowner in the State of Colorado and consistently growing. The need to grow is due to the increasing water demands along the front range. With climate change already here, the shortage of water supply is in sight. Denver water must innovate and our idea to push Denver water in the position to help office buildings recycle their water can alleviate the pain. Their expertise on this issue can draw in new forms of revenue between servicing and consulting.
City of denver/state of colorado
In recent years, the City of Denver has made the initiative to reduce this problem of wasting water in commercial buildings. Within homes, the State of Colorado started to allow homeowners to collect up to two barrels, 55 gallons each of rainwater. Now, the City of Denver has been able to maneuver around this idea by implementing the green building ordinance. In the ordinance a green roof is included. The green roof is required on all buildings with at least 25,000 square feet of roof. This idea of the green roof helps to cool the building in the summer and reduce urban heat islands. But the way the City of Denver can maneuver around rainwater collection for commercial buildings is that green roofs have the ability to collect rainwater. Unfortunately, it is hard for building owners to incorporate the green roof idea. It is a heavy expense for these owners. Resulting in building owners not being able to maneuver the rainwater collection. Move forward the city and state must begin to allow buildings to collect rainwater without the green roof. It is going to take a longer time to find ways to lower the cost to implement the green roof. But for the time being like homeowners, commercial buildings need to have the ability to collect to. About 70% of rainwater evaporates. But in Denver, we can expect that number to be higher due to our climate. Our idea for a rainwater collection system for commercial buildings would impact our local governments current laws. It has been proven already that 70% of rainwater does not make it to bodies of water. Which is now why homeowners can collect rainwater. We must work with the City and State to start to allow commercial buildings to collect rainwater as well.
Colorado Farmers
Currently, Colorado farmers are fighting to save their water. Eastern and Southern Colorado, home to the many farms in Colorado, is becoming a great American desert. As Denver Water is buying more land, they are stopping the streams resulting in it not being able to reach these farmers out east and down south. This is due to the demand in the Denver area. Because of the low water supply, farmers now rely on wells for watering their crops. Unfortunately, that is not a sustainable option for the future. Those well will empty. Since Denver Water is adjusting the path of the streams for the residents of Denver, it is more important than ever, to find ways to conserve water in the Denver community. The Colorado agriculture business is at risk. This group of people can help push our ideas to building owners, the government, and Denver Water. For the farmers, it is important that they share their problems with the community so we can get a better understanding of what is at risk. If we understand the situation better, we will begin to do things differently. If office buildings began to recycle water, Denver Water may not need to acquire more water rights for simply flushing the toilet. This water can go back to the farmers. As of January of 2019, the storage of water in the aquifers in the San Luis Valley is at an all time low. Since 1980, the levels have dropped about 1,250,000 acre-feet. Our plan can help relieve these farmers. By simply, the built environment only uses clean water for the most needed necessities and greywater for the rest. Working with the government and Denver Water to implement our ideas with water conservation in office buildings can save this stakeholder’s livelihood.
Building Owners
Getting certified in Leed is already a major benefit to the building owners. It has proven to increase the property value. Water conservation is part of getting Leed certified. The better you can implement these ideas the higher certification the building can get. The higher the certification, the higher potential for higher value assets. A building owner should want to implement ideas of rainwater collection and greywater collection because not only does it help solve our problem, but also helps the building owner’s pockets. The rise in asset value with the Leed certification can offset the cost to implement these sustainable water features. The average office building will receive a ten percent or greater increase in asset value with the certification. On top of their being twenty percent lower day to day operation expenses. That is a great marketing tool for potential tenants. Since they are typically the ones who pay for the utilities. We are also learning that a tenant is willing to pay more to work in a Leed certified building. A study done in the Los Angeles market reported that tenants were willing to pay $2.91/ft2 for a Leed building. Compared to non Leed building at $2.16/ft2. Building owners will see the benefit of these water conservation ideas the quickest.