Water Conservation in Miami-Dade County

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Water Conservation in Miami-Dade County

• F.I.U. Green Buildings and Sustainable
  Construction Technology
• Environmental and Resource Challenges of the 21st
  Century
• November 3rd, 2006
• Jose K. Fuentes, Director
• Miami-Dade Regional Service Center South Florida
  Water Management District

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Where does Miamis water come from?

• Traditional Source Biscayne Aquifer

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Biscayne Aquifer is recharged by the Regional
System
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Floridan Aquifer

• Underlies the entire state
• Major source of water supply in Florida, but not
  South Florida

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Where are we today?
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Changes in Water Resources

• Increased Demands
• 2005 Population 2,402,105
• 2025 Estimated Population 3,019,785
• Everglades Restoration (CERP)

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Linking Land Use and Water Supply

• Chapter 163, F.S. requires
• local governments to identify adequate water
  supplies to support new growth

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Potential Alternative Water Sources

• Brackish Floridan Aquifer Reverse Osmosis
• Ocean Water Desalination
• Stormwater
• Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR)
• Reclaimed Water
• Recharge
• Irrigation

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2004 Water Reuse County-wide
100
100
36
100
71
of Wastewater Reused Total Reuse 233MGD
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100
81
94
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7 represents the county-wide average of water
reuse of all water utilities in Miami-Dade
County 5 of wastewater treated by Miami-Dade
County Water Sewer is reused.
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6
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Short Term Agreement between SFWMD and Miami-Dade
County

• Executed in May 2006
• Allows 347 MGD Existing Biscayne allocation
• Allows 2 MGD of borrowed water for 18 months
• Requires draft alternative water supply plan by
  May 2007

SFWMD has offered to help expedite plan to
address comp plan amendments
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Meeting Miami-Dades Demands for the Next 20 Years
2025 Demand 448 Million Gallon a Day
Facility Water Available When Construction Complete Source of Water Sources of Funding
Existing Sources3 water treatment plants 347 MGD Existing Biscayne Aquifer N/A
Proposed Alternative Sources
Hialeah Reverse Osmosis 4.5 MGD 2011 Floridan Aquifer Existing rate payersnew hookups, State and SFWMD funds
South Miami Heights Reverse Osmosis 10.0 MGD 2011 Floridan Aquifer
Needed Alternative Sources 86.5 MGD ? ? "
Demand projections are still under review
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What is the SFWMD doing??
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SFWMD Mandatory Water Conservation Measures

• Water Conservation Plan
• Adoption of an irrigation-hours ordinance
• Adoption of an ultra-low volume fixtures
  ordinance
• Adoption of a soil moisture sensor device
  ordinance

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SFWMD Mandatory Water Conservation Measures
(cont.)

• Adoption of a water conservation based rate
  structure
• Implementation of a leak detection and repair
  program
• Implementation of a water conservation public
  education program

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SFWMD Supplementary Recommended Water
Conservation Measures

• An analysis of reclaimed water feasibility
• Wastewater Utility Infiltration Detection and
  Repair
• Distribution System Pressure Control
• Filter Backwash Recycling
• Landscape Audits and Water Efficient Technology
• Indoor Audits and Water-Efficient Technology

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How do we become more Green?
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Florida Friendly Plants Landscape Design

• Planning and Design
• Soil Improvement
• Practical Turf Areas

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Florida Friendly Plants Landscape Design (cont)

• Mulch
• Appropriate Maintenance

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Efficient Irrigation

• Watering by the numbers
• Water-wise lawn watering
• Sprinklers vs. Drip Irrigation vs. Hand watering

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Low water-use plants

• Water conserving plants hold on longer to the
  water they receive
• Drought tolerant plants can go for a long time
  without water

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Go Native Campaign

• Native Plants provide shelter and food for
  animals
• Conserve water and save money
• Require little or no pesticides or fertilizer
• Hurricane resistant
• Preserve our heritage

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Available SFMWD Brochures

• 12 Simple Ways to Save Water
• 50 Ways to Be Water Smart
• Sensible Sprinkling
• Xeriscape
• Water A precious commodity

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Being Green
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Sustainable Development Building Measures for
County Buildings

• Miami-Dade County Resolutions R-1200-05
  incorporates sustainable development building
  measures into the design, construction,
  renovation and maintenance of County-owned
  buildings
• Through adoption of a well-recognized Green
  Building standard such as the US Green Building
  Councils Leadership in Energy and Environmental
  Design (LEED) rating

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Expedited Review and Approval of Building Permit
Applications

• Miami-Dade County Ordinance 05-115 amends Chapter
  8 creating a new section 8-8 that promotes
  sensitive design and construction
• Expedited review and approval of permit
  applications for green buildings

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What is Green Design?

• Design and construction practices that
  significantly reduce or eliminate the negative
  impact of buildings on the environment and
  occupants in five broad areas
• Safeguarding water and water efficiency
• Sustainable site planning
• Energy efficiency and renewable energy
• Conservation of materials and resources
• Indoor environmental quality

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Benefits of Green Building

• Environmental benefits
• Reduce the impacts of natural resource
  consumption
• Economic benefits
• Improve the bottom line
• Health and safety benefits
• Enhance occupant comfort and health
• Community benefits
• Minimize strain on local infrastructures and
  improve quality of life

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LEED Rating System Categories

• New Construction
• Existing Buildings
• Commercial Interiors
• Core Shell
• Homes
• Neighborhood Development

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LEED-NC Point Distribution

• Sustainable Sites......14 possible points
• Water Efficiency....5 possible points
• Energy Atmosphere17 possible points
• Materials Resources13 possible points
• Indoor Env. Quality.15 possible points
• Innovation Design..5 possible points
• Project Totals.69 possible points

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LEED-NC Market Transformation

• Registered Projects by State - Top 10

As of 10.19.05
All statistics exclude pilot projects
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LEED-NC Certification Process

• A three step process
• Step 1 Project Registration
• LEED Letter Templates, CIR access, and on-line
  project listing
• Step 2 Technical Support
• Reference Package
• Credit Inquiries and Rulings (CIR)
• Step 3 Building Certification
• Upon documentation submittal and USGBC review

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Key Elements of a green-built home or
construction with regards to water efficiency

• Rainwater harvesting system
• High efficiency irrigation system, with moisture
  sensors or rain delay controller
• Installation of high efficiency (low-flow)
  fixtures, such as toilets, shower heads, and
  faucets

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Key Elements of a green-built home or
construction with regards to water efficiency

• Composting toilets
• Waterless urinals
• Graywater systems
• Onsite wastewater treatment and reuse system for
  toilet flushing, landscape irrigation, etc

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What else can you do!
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Water Conservation Tips

• Take shorter showers a 20-minute shower uses 5
  to 10 gallons per minute
• Use low-flow shower heads, which can reduce
  excessive water use by as much as two-thirds
• Fill the bathtub up only half way, and save up to
  25 gallons of water
• A regular toilet uses 2 to 7 gallons per flush A
  low-flow toilet uses only 1.6 gallons
• Fix leaks as soon as theyre discovered a slow
  drip can waste 15 to 20 gal of water per day and
  a 1/16-inch faucet leak will waste 100 gallons of
  water in 24 hours

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Water Conservation Tips

• A washing machine uses 40 or more gallons of
  water per load, so make sure its full
• Automatic dishwashers use five gallons per run,
  so run at full load
• Installing a low-flow faucet aerator can save as
  much as two gallons of water per minute

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New Technologies for water reduction

• Waterless Urinals
• Instant Hot Water Devices
• Leak Detection Equipment
• Dual Flush Toilets

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New Technologies for water reduction

• Small Irrigation Controller
• Pre-rinse Spray Valves
• Vertical Stop Sprinkler Head
• Water Broom

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For more information on the SFWMD, visit,
www.sfwmd.gov, and for further information on
USGBC, please visit www.usgbc.orgor call
202-828-7422
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