Water Conservation: An Appropriate Business Practice for Utilities

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Water Conservation An Appropriate Business
Practice for Utilities

• Roy Fowler, III
• Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority

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A Utility must meet todays needs.
while planning for tomorrows needs.
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Vicious Circle, Part I
Increased demand requires bigger plants
Borrow money to build plants
Sell water to retire debt
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Vicious Circle, Part II (the sequel)
Borrow more money to treat more water
Wheres the water ????
Sell more water to retire larger debt
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Competition for Resource
WATER
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Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority

• Political subdivision of Georgia
• Regional water wholesaler
• water obtained from both ACT and ACF basins
• 14 wholesale customers serving over 700,000
  people
• Second largest water purveyor in state

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Population Projections
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50 Year Water Supply Plan

• Obtainment of additional surface water allocation
  and additional reservoir development
• Ground water
• Reuse
• Water conservation

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Water Resource Management Options

• Importation
• Reuse - direct/non-direct
• New reservoir development
• Maximize existing surface water
• Groundwater supplement
• Education and Conservation

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Additional Water Resource Lake Efficiency
Virtual Reservoir mitigates environmental
impacts
Simplest 404 permit in the universe
Depending on level of effort, 8-12 demand
reduction
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Financial Incentive

• Water Conservation
• allows for treatment plant capacity to be
  maximized before additional expansion is
  required.
• Long range planning is based on sustainable
  growth curve, not excessive outdoor use.

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Business Plan Balance
Infrastructure O M
Capacity to Deliver
Revenue
Bond Coverage
Available Resource
Public Health/Safety (today)
Resource Asset Management
Public Health/Safety (tomorrow)
Long-Range Planning
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Reservoirs and WTPs dont make water
they function by virtue of resource available.