The historic drought in California — a once-in-a-thousand years drought often referred to as a megadrought — prompted California Gov. Jerry Brown to declare the state’s first water emergency. That made water-conservation an even higher priority in a state where water shortages have long been a fact of life. To gauge the way that facility managers are responding to the situation, Building Operating Management conduced an email survey of magazine subscribers and other facility professionals. This survey is based on 457 responses from facility managers who described water conservation as a high priority in their organizations. The initial goal of the survey was to find out who facility managers are responding to the declaration of the water emergency. But because many facilities had already taken significant action to reduce water use before the emergency was declared, the survey also includes questions about actions that may have been taken prior to Gov. Brown’s announcement. ("N" indicates the number of responses to that question.)
1. Have you spent or committed money for BUDGETED steps to conserve water or reuse water on-site as a result of the California water emergency being declared? N=454
Yes 69%
No 31%
2. Have you spent or committed money for UNBUDGETED steps to conserve water or reuse water on-site as a result of the California water emergency being declared? N=452
Yes 64%
No 36%
3. Which of the following water conservation measures have you implemented or received approval to implement since the California water emergency was declared? (Note: Water conservation measures are listed in descending order based on number of respondents who indicated that they had implemented, approved, or were evaluating that measure. Percentages are based on the number of respondents for each item, not on the overall number of respondents.)
Irrigation control N=376
Implemented 76%
Approved 10%
Evaluating 14%
Toilet replacement N=301
Implemented 58%
Approved 11%
Evaluating 31%
Water use avoidance N=301
Implemented 75%
Approved 8%
Evaluating 17%
Faucet replacement N=288
Implemented 65%
Approved 9%
Evaluating 26%
Urinal replacement N=283
Implemented 55%
Approved 10%
Evaluating 35%
Water audit N=277
Implemented 58%
Approved 13%
Evaluating 29%
Aerator installation N=263
Implemented 71%
Approved 7%
Evaluating 22%
Cooling tower upgrades N=242
Implemented 40%
Approved 17%
Evaluating 43%
Leak detection N=229
Implemented 63%
Approved 8%
Evaluating 29%
Commercial kitchen equipment (other than faucets) N=182
Implemented 35%
Approved 9%
Evaluating 56%
Laboratory & medical equipment N=109
Implemented 23%
Approved 7%
Evaluating 70%
4. Have you received or do you expect to receive any funding from an external source (rebates, tax incentives, etc.) to replace water-inefficient equipment since the water emergency was declared? N=449
Yes 29%
No 71%
Responses to the next two questions came from facility managers who answered Yes to question 4.
5. Which of the following have you received to replace water-inefficient equipment since the water emergency was declared?
Utility water conservation rebates 93%
Utility energy efficiency rebates 59%
Tax incentives 15%
Other 18%
6. Was the external funding a significant factor in getting management approval for the water conservation measures? N=120
Yes 57%
No 43%
7. Do you meter or submeter water buy use? N=442
Yes 64%
No 36%
Responses to question 8 came from facility managers who answered Yes to question 7.
8. Which of the following do you meter or submeter?
Irrigation/landscape water 76%
Cooling tower water 44%
Tenant spaces/water use by zones or floors within buildings 25%
Boiler water 24%
Pools/spas 14%
Ornamental water features 9%
Other outdoor water uses 19%
Other HVAC water 3%
9. Do you get any water from alternative sources (gray water, rain water, condensate, etc.)? N=433
Yes 26%
No 74%
10. Do you use reclaimed water from a wastewater treatment facility? N=432
Yes 25%
No 75%
11. Have you taken any steps to educate building occupants about water conservation? N=432
Yes 81%
No 19%
12. Does your organization have a formal water conservation plan? N=432
Yes 44%
No 56%
13. Has your organization set specific goals for water-use reduction? N=434
Yes 58%
No 42%
14. Has your organization ever conducted a water audit? N=417
Yes 51%
No 49%
15. Have you used any water-conservation information or resources from the WaterSense program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? N=417
Yes 31%
No 69%
16. Which is a higher priority in your organization, water conservation or energy conservation? N=418
Energy conservation 17%
Water conservation 11%
Both are equal priorities 72%
17. What types of facilities are you responsible for?
Commercial 46%
Medical/Healthcare 18%
Government 18%
Industrial 15%
Educational (K-12 Schools) 13%
Data Centers 11%
Retail 11%
Higher Education (Colleges/Universities) 9%
Hospitality 7%
Other 5%
