New Report: Filling the Water Gap

On March 8, 2011, UCR released a report, Filling the Water Gap: Conservation Successes and Missed Opportunities in Metro Atlanta. The report reviews the past decade of water planning in the metro region and evaluates conservation practices by ten local governments. Overall, the report finds that metro governments are stretching taxpayer dollars to improve conservation practices; however, state leaders have fallen short in providing the firm guidance, and resources, necessary for local governments to achieve the water and money savings required for the region’s water security.

Click here to download a pdf of the report
Click here to read the Executive Summary

In a press conference releasing the report, UCR presented “Best in Class” awards to four utilities for specific conservation programs

BEST IN CLASS AWARD WINNERS
City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management – "Care and Conserve" Program
Cobb County Water System –-Green Industry Partnership
DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management – Retrofitting Old Homes with Efficient Fixtures
Douglasville-Douglas County Water and Sewer Authority – Protecting its Primary Source of Water


The report identifies conservation practices in metro Atlanta that are models for the region, and highlights conservation success stories from businesses. The 10 utilities evaluated are:

• City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management
• DeKalb County Department of Watershed Management
• Fulton County Department of Public Works
• City of Roswell
• Cobb County Water System
• City of Gainesville
• Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources
• Douglasville-Douglas County Water & Sewer Authority.

• Clayton County Water Authority
• Bartow County Water Department

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

There is no substitute for fresh water. Our challenge is how to meet our water needs now – and in the future while protecting the health of the river systems that support all life on Earth.

With support from RBC’s Blue Water Project and several private foundations, UCR has prepared this report, Filling the Water Gap, to identify conservation practices in metro Atlanta that are models for the region and to call attention to areas where we are falling short. The report reviews the past decade of water planning in metro Atlanta, along with the challenges facing the region, and evaluates conservation practices by ten local governments — four of which are recognized with awards for specific initiatives to save water and protect drinking water sources. We offer recommendations to help meet the region’s water needs while also demonstrating to downstream communities and states that Georgia is doing a good job of managing its water resources.

Additionally, our report highlights conservation success stories among local businesses, noting that most of these successes are companies located in the city of Atlanta where water rates are high. Outside the city, but within the metro region and where water rates are lower, there are far fewer businesses proactively working to reduce their water footprint; there are fewer incentives and no mandates for them to do so. In the absence of mandates, we must rely on chambers of commerce and other business groups to take the lead in encouraging their members to adopt best-in-class water conservation and efficiency measures.

For our study, we met with utility and business leaders and asked them to share their successes and challenges. The dialogue was open and frank, and some of the results are summarized using a Performance Dashboard format. While the cities and counties in metro Atlanta are doing a far better job of managing their water needs than they did a decade ago, millions of additional people who moved to Atlanta since 2000 also must depend on the area’s lakes and relatively small rivers. There is simply no choice but to use these limited water supplies wisely and efficiently. However, state leaders have been largely negligent in their failure to provide firm guidance and resources so that local governments can realize their conservation goals. The 2010 Water Stewardship Act was a good first step, but much more can and must be done to lessen the impact of metro Atlanta on stressed local waterways and provide for future growth that is sustainable.

Three key conservation measures can reduce metro Atlanta’s water demand by as much as 160 million gallons per day (MGD), or four times the daily yield expected from the recently completed Hickory Log Reservoir in Cherokee County which cost $120 million to build. These savings cannot be realized, however, unless and until state leaders are willing to put cost-effective conservation and efficiency measures first, and focus last on expensive, engineered water supply solutions that threaten to further limit funding available to taxpayers and local governments during these tough economic times. Our key recommendations:

• FIX SYSTEM LEAKS – establish annual benchmarks and help fund leak detection and repair through a state matching grant program.
• REPLACE OUTDATED PLUMBING FIXTURES – pass legislation requiring retrofit on reconnect and the sale of high-efficiency appliances (e.g., clothes washers and dishwashers); offer low-income assistance for retrofits.
• PRICE WATER RIGHT – evaluate current residential tiered pricing structures and revise as needed; develop and implement tiered pricing for commercial users.

Further recommendations include the following: greater reductions in outdoor water use; greater reliance on reuse and rain harvesting; use of pervious surfaces and green infrastructure; and energy efficiency. All of these measures are described in more detail in this report.